Sarah Marjorie Hoffman (born May 23, 1980) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
politician who served as the 10th
deputy premier
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...
of
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
and minister of Health in the cabinet of
Rachel Notley
Rachel Anne Notley (born April 17, 1964) is a Canadian politician who served as the 17th premier of Alberta from 2015 to 2019, and has been the leader of the Opposition since 2019. She sits as the member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for E ...
. Hoffman was previously a member of the
Edmonton Public School Board, where she served from 2010 to 2015 and from 2012 onward as chair. Prior to her service on the school board, she was the research director of the Alberta Legislature New Democrat caucus. After stepping down from the School Board, she was elected in the
2015 Alberta general election
The 2015 Alberta general election was held on May 5, 2015, following a request of Premier Jim Prentice to the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Donald Ethell to dissolve the Legislative Assembly on April 7, 2015. This election elected members to th ...
to the
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of Alberta, Canada. It sits in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. The Legislative Assembly currently has 87 members, elected first past the post from singl ...
representing the
electoral district
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...
of
Edmonton-Glenora
Edmonton-Glenora is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada. It is located north of the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton.
The electoral district, as defined by the ''Electoral Divisions Act, 2003,'' ...
for the
Alberta NDP
The Alberta New Democratic Party (french: Nouveau Parti démocratique de l'Alberta), commonly shortened to Alberta's NDP, is a social-democratic political party in Alberta, Canada. It is the provincial Alberta affiliate of the federal New Demo ...
. On May 24, 2015 she was sworn in as Minister of Health and Minister of Seniors for the province of Alberta. Following a cabinet reshuffle on 2 February 2016, she retained the Health portfolio and became deputy premier, primarily responsible for answering
questions to the premier when the premier is not present in the Legislature.
Background
Hoffman has worked as both a teacher and researcher for the NDP before becoming involved in politics. She holds a BA and BSc from
Concordia University College of Alberta
Concordia University of Edmonton, is a publicly funded independent academic institution in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; accredited under the Alberta ''Post-secondary Learning Act''. Concordia offers arts, science, and management undergraduate degre ...
, in religion and math respectively. She also holds a Bachelor of Education and a Master of Education from the
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...
, with a specialization in educational policy studies.
Hoffman was first elected to the Edmonton School Board in 2010, and was acclaimed for a second term in 2013. She served as the vice-chair of the board from her initial election to 2012, and then as the chair from 2012 to 2015 when she resigned to run for provincial office.
Hoffman is also a past member of the
Girl Guides of Canada
Girl Guides of Canada (GGC; french: Guides du Canada) is the national Guiding association of Canada. Guiding in Canada started on September 7, 1910, and GGC was among the founding members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (W ...
.
Political career
Initial cabinet appointment
Hoffman was appointed Minister of Health and Seniors, on May 25, 2015. As health minister, Hoffman is responsible for policy, direction, legislation and standards of the health system in Alberta, which is delivered by
Alberta Health Services
Alberta Health Services (AHS) which is headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta is the single health authority for the Canadian province of Alberta and the "largest integrated provincial health care system" in Canada. AHS delivers medical care on beha ...
.
Affordable housing
Affordable housing is housing which is deemed affordable to those with a household income at or below the median as rated by the national government or a local government by a recognized housing affordability index. Most of the literature on affo ...
was part of the NDP's campaign commitment to increase affordable housing for seniors, and was actioned in part through increasing funding for the
Alberta Social Housing Corporation. In 2016,
Lori Sigurdson
Lori Dawn Sigurdson (born January 31, 1961 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2015 Alberta general election to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the electoral district of Edmonton-Riverview. She ...
was given the seniors portfolio, while
Brandy Payne
Brandy Payne (born 1978) is a Canadian politician elected in the 2015 Alberta general election to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the electoral district of Calgary-Acadia. On February 2, 2016, Payne was appointed Associate Minis ...
was appointed Associate Minister of Health.
Under Hoffman's tenure, health care fees proposed under
Jim Prentice
Peter Eric James Prentice (July 20, 1956 – October 13, 2016) was a Canadian politician who served as the 16th premier of Alberta from 2014 to 2015. In the 2004 federal election he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada as a candidate ...
and
Stephen Mandel
Stephen Mandel (born July 18, 1945) is a Canadian politician and leader of the Alberta Party from 2018 to 2019. He previously served as an Alberta cabinet minister from 2014 to 2015 and as mayor of Edmonton, Alberta for three terms from 2004 ...
were soon reversed, and additional spending in health was initiated. Included in the budget was funding for new and existing medical centres, including the development of the
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
Cancer Centre and repair of the
Royal Alexandra Hospital in
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
, though Hoffman was criticized over the reduced level of funding available. Hoffman's ministry also banned
menthol tobacco products in September, a move which was designed to decrease the prevalence of smoking among youth.
Alberta Health Services discontinued both IVF and IUI services at the Lois Hole hospital for women when the physicians moved to a different clinic.
Fentanyl crisis
Prior to Payne's appointment as associate minister, Hoffman was responsible for her department's response to the
fentanyl
Fentanyl, also spelled fentanil, is a very potent synthetic opioid used as a pain medication. Together with other drugs, fentanyl is used for anesthesia. It is also used illicitly as a recreational drug, sometimes mixed with heroin, cocaine ...
crisis in Alberta. The street drug killed 213 people in the first 9 months of 2015, and is projected to have increased use in 2016. Hoffman outlined the province's response to the drug, stating that increased quantities of
naloxone
Naloxone, sold under the brand names Narcan (4 mg) and Kloxxado (8 mg) among others, is a medication used to reverse or reduce the effects of opioids. It is commonly used to counter decreased breathing in opioid overdose. Effects begin within ...
would be available to counter-act the overdose effects of fentanyl. The province has also engaged in an information campaign directed at youth, to prevent further use of the drug. This campaign primarily targets schools, with posters being placed in prominent areas that outline the harmful effects of using the drug.
The response of the provincial and federal governments has been criticized, as access to the antidote remains low despite an increasing number of fentanyl-related deaths.
This problem is particularly pronounced on indigenous reserves, which have less available access to government clinics, and instead rely on a combination of provincial services and federal support to obtain the materials required to treat fentanyl overdoses. As part of the provincial government's response, Hoffman communicated with indigenous chiefs to find ways of increasing antidote supply on reserves in August 2015.
Controversy
Hoffman came under fire for comments made during question period, wherein she suggested the then opposition Wildrose Party was spending too much time with "sewer rats". Many Wildrose supporters felt the sewer rats comment was directed at them. Hoffman later apologized for the remarks.
Electoral record
2019 general election
2015 general election
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffman, Sarah
1980 births
Alberta New Democratic Party MLAs
Living people
Members of the Executive Council of Alberta
Politicians from Edmonton
Women MLAs in Alberta
Concordia University alumni
University of Alberta alumni
Alberta school board trustees
21st-century Canadian politicians
21st-century Canadian women politicians
Women government ministers of Canada
Health ministers of Alberta
Deputy premiers of Alberta