Audrey McLaughlin
Encyclopedia
Audrey McLaughlin, PC
, OC
(born November 8, 1936) was leader of Canada
's New Democratic Party
(NDP) from 1989 to 1995. She was the first female leader of a political party with representation
in the Canadian House of Commons
, as well as the first (and, to date, only) federal
political party
leader to represent an electoral district in a Canadian territory
.
, the daughter of Margaret Clarke and William Brown, of Scottish and British descent. She worked as a social worker in Toronto
, Ontario
and in Ghana
. In 1955, she graduated from the University of Guelph
with a Diploma in Home Science
from the MacDonald Institute. In 1979, McLaughlin moved to the Yukon
and set up a consultancy business. In 1987, she ran in a by-election and won, the first federal
NDP candidate to win in Yukon. In 1988, she was appointed caucus chair, and in 1989, she won the NDP 1989 leadership convention, replacing the retiring Ed Broadbent
.
McLaughlin had taken over the NDP at its height. However, the party began a steady decline in the polls for several reasons. One was the NDP's provincial affiliates in British Columbia
and Ontario
, whose unpopularity reflected badly on the federal party. The rise of the Reform Party
also sapped much NDP support in Western Canada
. In the 1993 election
, the NDP lost badly, and was left with only nine seats in Parliament
. McLaughlin won her seat in the Yukon, but resigned as leader in 1995, and was succeeded by Alexa McDonough
. McLaughlin did not run for re-election in the 1997 election
.
McLaughlin was an overseas volunteer in Barbados
in 1986 with Canadian Crossroads International
. Today she is an honorary patron with Crossroads.
In 1991, she was sworn in as a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
so that she could access classified documents during the Gulf War
. In August 2003 she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
.
She published an autobiography
, A Woman's Place: My Life and Politics, in 1992.
to help women there to run in the country's first democratic election
. McLaughlin has also served as the President of the Socialist International Women
and as special representative for the Government of the Yukon on Circumpolar Affairs. She was an honourary pallbearer at the state funeral of Jack Layton
in 2011.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
, OC
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(born November 8, 1936) was leader of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
(NDP) from 1989 to 1995. She was the first female leader of a political party with representation
Representation (politics)
In politics, representation describes how some individuals stand in for others or a group of others, for a certain time period. Representation usually refers to representative democracies, where elected officials nominally speak for their constituents in the legislature...
in the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
, as well as the first (and, to date, only) federal
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
leader to represent an electoral district in a Canadian territory
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
.
Life and career
McLaughlin was born as Audrey Marlene Brown in Dutton, OntarioDutton, Ontario
Dutton, Ontario is a community in the Township of Dutton/Dunwich, Elgin County, Ontario, Canada. Dutton is located southwest of St. Thomas.Originally part of Dunwich Township, Dutton was originally called Bennettville, then Lisgar. When the Canada Southern Railway was built in 1872, the station...
, the daughter of Margaret Clarke and William Brown, of Scottish and British descent. She worked as a social worker in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and in Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
. In 1955, she graduated from the University of Guelph
University of Guelph
The University of Guelph, also known as U of G, is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College, the Macdonald Institute, and the Ontario Veterinary College...
with a Diploma in Home Science
Home Economics
Home economics is the profession and field of study that deals with the economics and management of the home and community...
from the MacDonald Institute. In 1979, McLaughlin moved to the Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
and set up a consultancy business. In 1987, she ran in a by-election and won, the first federal
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
NDP candidate to win in Yukon. In 1988, she was appointed caucus chair, and in 1989, she won the NDP 1989 leadership convention, replacing the retiring Ed Broadbent
Ed Broadbent
John Edward "Ed" Broadbent, is a Canadian social democratic politician and political scientist. He was leader of the federal New Democratic Party from 1975 to 1989. In the 2004 federal election, he returned to Parliament for one additional term as the Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre.-Life...
.
McLaughlin had taken over the NDP at its height. However, the party began a steady decline in the polls for several reasons. One was the NDP's provincial affiliates in British Columbia
New Democratic Party of British Columbia
The New Democratic Party of British Columbia is a social-democratic political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party currently forms the official opposition to the governing British Columbia Liberal Party following the 2009 provincial election in British Columbia.The BC NDP is the provincial...
and Ontario
Ontario New Democratic Party
The Ontario New Democratic Party or , formally known as New Democratic Party of Ontario, is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in October 1961, a few months after the federal party. The ONDP had its...
, whose unpopularity reflected badly on the federal party. The rise of the Reform Party
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
also sapped much NDP support in Western Canada
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada that includes the four provinces west of the province of Ontario.- Provinces :...
. In the 1993 election
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
, the NDP lost badly, and was left with only nine seats in Parliament
35th Canadian Parliament
The 35th Canadian Parliament was in session from January 17, 1994 until April 27, 1997. The membership was set by the 1993 federal election on October 25, 1993, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections until it was dissolved prior to the 1997 election.It was controlled by...
. McLaughlin won her seat in the Yukon, but resigned as leader in 1995, and was succeeded by Alexa McDonough
Alexa McDonough
Alexa Ann Shaw McDonough OC is a Canadian politician who became the first woman to lead a major, recognized political party in Canada, when she was elected the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party's leader in 1980...
. McLaughlin did not run for re-election in the 1997 election
Canadian federal election, 1997
The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada won a second majority government...
.
McLaughlin was an overseas volunteer in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
in 1986 with Canadian Crossroads International
Canadian Crossroads International
Canadian Crossroads International is a Canadian international development organisation based in Toronto and Montreal. Funded in part by the Canadian International Development Agency , CCI is dedicated to fighting the root causes of global poverty and advancing the rights of women and girls in West...
. Today she is an honorary patron with Crossroads.
In 1991, she was sworn in as a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
so that she could access classified documents during the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. In August 2003 she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
.
She published an autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, A Woman's Place: My Life and Politics, in 1992.
Post-political career
In 2000, she joined the National Democratic Institute, an organization that promotes democracy and peace in developing nations and travelled to KosovoKosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
to help women there to run in the country's first democratic election
Elections in Kosovo
Parliamentary elections to the Assembly of Kosovo have been held three times since 1999 with the latest in November 2007. The Assembly is an institution within the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government established by the United Nations administration in Kosovo to provide 'provisional,...
. McLaughlin has also served as the President of the Socialist International Women
Socialist International Women
Socialist International Women is the international organization of the women's organizations of the socialist, social democratic and labour parties affiliated to the Socialist International. The organization was established on August 17, 1907.....
and as special representative for the Government of the Yukon on Circumpolar Affairs. She was an honourary pallbearer at the state funeral of Jack Layton
Jack Layton
John Gilbert "Jack" Layton, PC was a Canadian social democratic politician and the Leader of the Official Opposition. He was the leader of the New Democratic Party from 2003 to 2011, and previously sat on Toronto City Council, serving at times during that period as acting mayor and deputy mayor of...
in 2011.