Maria Michelle Fitzpatrick (born February 18, 1949) is a Canadian politician who was elected in the

2015 Alberta general election The 2015 Alberta general election was held on May 5, following a request of Premier Jim Prentice to the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Donald Ethell to dissolve the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Legislative Assembly on April 7. This election el ...

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. Since 2012 the Legislative Assembly has had 87 members, elected first past the post f ...

representing the

electoral district An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

Lethbridge-East Lethbridge-East is a Provinces and territories of Canada, provincial electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Alberta, Canada, covering the eastern half of the city of Lethbridge. The district is one of 87 in the province mandated to r ...

Early life

Fitzpatrick was born and raised in

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North Ame ...

. She is a former sprinter who competed in the Canada Summer Games,

Canadian Track and Field Championships The Canadian Track and Field Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organized by Athletics Canada, which serves as the Canadian national championships for the sport. The championships serve as part of the selection proces ...

, National University Indoor Championships, Halifax Highland Games, Antigonish Highland Games, and Royal Canadian Legion Provincial Championships. In 1969, she was named the Athlete of the Year for St. John's. She later coached various track and field teams in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Alberta. In 2005, she was named to the Newfoundland and Labrador Athletics Association Hall of Fame. Fitzpatrick is a trustee on the Lethbridge Labour Council, vice president of the Canadian Federation of University Women, and chair of the regional women's committee of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. She worked for 32 years with the Correctional Service of Canada, most recently as a project officer.

Political career

In November 2015, during debate on a private member's bill to improve supports for victims of

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

, Fitzpatrick spoke in the legislature about her own experience, having been married to an abusive husband in the 1970s."‘He beat me. He raped me,’ Alberta NDP politician recounts own experience of domestic violence"
''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'', November 17, 2015. She earned a

standing ovation A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding, often after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim. Standing ovations are considered to be a special honor. Often they are ...

in the legislature for her speech, and the bill unanimously passed second reading soon afterward.

Electoral history

2019 general election

2015 general election

References

1949 births Alberta New Democratic Party MLAs Canadian female sprinters Living people Politicians from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Women MLAs in Alberta Sportspeople from Lethbridge Sportspeople from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta 21st-century Canadian women politicians 20th-century Canadian sportswomen {{Alberta-MLA-stub