Meara Conway (); is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the
Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, in the na ...
in the
2020 Saskatchewan general election
The 2020 Saskatchewan general election was held on October 26, 2020 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. This date is set by Saskatchewan's fixed election date law. The writ was dropped on September 29 just in time to ho ...
. She represents the electoral district of
Regina Elphinstone-Centre
Regina Elphinstone-Centre is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Cana ...
as a member of the
Saskatchewan New Democratic Party
The Saskatchewan New Democratic Party (NDP) is a social-democratic political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It currently forms the official opposition, but has been a dominant force in Saskatchewan politics since the 1940s. Th ...
.
Political career
During the
2020 Saskatchewan election Conway came under fire from the
Saskatchewan Party
The Saskatchewan Party is a centre-right political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Since 2007, it has been the province's governing party; both the party and the province are currently led by Premier Scott Moe. The party was esta ...
over social media comments made in 2018 that implied an opposition to the Alberta oil sands. Party leader
Ryan Meili
Ryan Meili (born April 11, 1975) is a Canadians, Canadian physician and politician from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He previously served as the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly, MLA for Saskatoon Meewasin from 2017 to 2022 and as leader of the Sask ...
subsequently addressed the comments and affirmed NDP support for oil and gas, while recognizing the need to invest in renewables sources of energy.
Conway reiterated that she is "very concerned about the impacts of climate change" and applauded the NDP's "balanced approach" which she said includes "investments into renewable energy that would create sustainable, well-paying jobs for energy sector workers."
On November 4, 2020, Conway was named NDP critic for Social Services, Housing, Human Rights and Community-Based Organizations.
Personal life
Prior to running for office, Conway was a public defender with Legal Aid Saskatchewan and was named one of Canadian Lawyer’s 25 Most Influential Lawyers of 2019 for her public interest work. Before going into law, she was an award-winning musician and remains a strong advocate for the arts.
Conway has deep roots in Saskatchewan. Her grandparents were active on the frontline for the battle for medicare, and founding members of the Saskatoon Community Clinic.
Her grandfather, Ed Mahood was born on a farm in Grenfell, Saskatchewan and worked for years as a rural teacher before becoming a professor of Educational Foundations at the University of Saskatchewan. He helped organize community clinics across the province and was the first chair of the Saskatoon Community Clinic Board, which pioneered “interdisciplinary community medicine” in Saskatchewan.
He was known as one of the "peaceful generals in the grassroots struggle for Medicare."
Her grandmother, Dr. Margaret Mahood was born in Alameda, Saskatchewan and was among the first small group of women psychiatrists practicing in Canada. She was one of a few doctors who worked through the bitter
Saskatchewan doctors' strike The Saskatchewan doctors' strike was a 23-day labour action exercised by medical doctors in 1962 in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan in an attempt to force the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation government of Saskatchewan to drop its program ...
of 1962,
resigning from her position at the North Battleford Hospital to join Dr. Joan Witney-Moore at the newly formed Saskatoon community clinic. Demand was great for services and the clinic was open until midnight in its first days. The strike was a significant test for Medicare and community clinics were key to undermining its effectiveness.
The strike's failure allowed Medicare to continue and the Saskatchewan model was adopted throughout Canada within ten years.
Conway's mother, Dr. Sally Mahood, has practised family medicine in Regina for 40 years and is a longtime advocate for women's health. Conway's father, John Conway, is a retired sociology Professor at the University of Regina and served as a trustee for the Regina Public School Board undefeated for 18 years before he retired in 2009.
Electoral record
References
External links
Official websiteMeara Conwayat the
Saskatchewan New Democratic Party Caucus
Meara Conway/on
Facebook
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Meara Conwayon
Twitter
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Meara Conwayon
Instagram
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Conway, Meara
Living people
21st-century Canadian politicians
21st-century Canadian women politicians
Saskatchewan New Democratic Party MLAs
Politicians from Regina, Saskatchewan
21st-century Canadian lawyers
Year of birth missing (living people)
Public defenders