Margaret Bridgman
Encyclopedia
Margaret L. Bridgman was a Canadian politician
. Bridgman was a Member of Parliament
from 1993 to 1997, representing the Canadian, federal electoral district
of Surrey North
in Surrey
, British Columbia
.
Born in Kimberley, British Columbia
, she was elected to Parliament for Surrey North in the 1993 election
as a candidate of the Reform Party of Canada
.
In 2001, Bridgman unsuccessfully ran for the Reform Party of British Columbia
in the riding of Surrey-Newton
.
Before entering politics, Brigdman was a police constable, a nurse, and a nurse administrator.
As a young woman, Bridgman lived and worked in London as a police constable (traffic bobby). Subsequently, she trained in London as a psychiatric nurse, becoming a Registered Nurse (RN) and a Psychiatric Nurse (PN) before returning to Canada. Bridgman went on to earn the Director of Nursing designation from the University of Saskatchewan, rising to become a nurse administrator.
In September 1993, the designated Reform Party candidate for Surrey North resigned his nomination. Bridgman was President of the Surrey North Reform Party Constituency Association, and she was selected to run as the Reform Party candidate. On October 25, 1993, Margaret Bridgman was elected the Member of Parliament for Surrey North, unseating the incumbent with a plurality of 6413 votes.
Bridgman served as the Reform Party Critic on Health and Assistant Critic on Indian Affairs and Northern Development. She sat as the Reform Party member of the Standing Committees on Health and on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, during the 35th Parliament.
In 1997, Bridgman was successfully challenged for the Reform Party nomination by Chuck Cadman
who ran as the Reform Party Surrey North candidate, and won the seat in the 1997 Canadian federal election. Bridgman did not run, again, in a federal election.
Following the 1997 election, Bridgman returned to nursing in Surrey, British Columbia. After a sustained battle with lung cancer, Margaret Bridgman died at home on January 4, 2009.
Politics of Canada
The politics of Canada function within a framework of parliamentary democracy and a federal system of parliamentary government with strong democratic traditions. Canada is a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is head of state...
. Bridgman was a Member of Parliament
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...
from 1993 to 1997, representing the Canadian, federal electoral district
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
of Surrey North
Surrey North
Surrey North is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988. It covers the northern part of Surrey....
in Surrey
Surrey, British Columbia
Surrey is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of Metro Vancouver, the governing body of the Greater Vancouver Regional District...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
Born in Kimberley, British Columbia
Kimberley, British Columbia
Kimberley is a small city in southeast British Columbia, Canada along Highway 95A between the Purcell and Rocky Mountains. Kimberley was named in 1896 after the Kimberley mine in South Africa. From 1917 to 2001, it was the home to the world's largest lead-zinc mine, the Sullivan Mine...
, she was elected to Parliament for Surrey North 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...
as a candidate of the Reform Party of Canada
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....
.
In 2001, Bridgman unsuccessfully ran for the Reform Party of British Columbia
Reform Party of British Columbia
The Reform Party of British Columbia is a populist right wing political party in British Columbia, Canada. Although its name is similar to the defunct Reform Party of Canada, the provincial party was founded before the federal party was and it did not have any formal association with...
in the riding of Surrey-Newton
Surrey-Newton
Surrey-Newton is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada.- Demographics :- Member of Legislative Assembly :Its MLA is Harry Bains. He was first elected in 2005, and was re-elected in 2009...
.
Before entering politics, Brigdman was a police constable, a nurse, and a nurse administrator.
As a young woman, Bridgman lived and worked in London as a police constable (traffic bobby). Subsequently, she trained in London as a psychiatric nurse, becoming a Registered Nurse (RN) and a Psychiatric Nurse (PN) before returning to Canada. Bridgman went on to earn the Director of Nursing designation from the University of Saskatchewan, rising to become a nurse administrator.
In September 1993, the designated Reform Party candidate for Surrey North resigned his nomination. Bridgman was President of the Surrey North Reform Party Constituency Association, and she was selected to run as the Reform Party candidate. On October 25, 1993, Margaret Bridgman was elected the Member of Parliament for Surrey North, unseating the incumbent with a plurality of 6413 votes.
Bridgman served as the Reform Party Critic on Health and Assistant Critic on Indian Affairs and Northern Development. She sat as the Reform Party member of the Standing Committees on Health and on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, during the 35th Parliament.
In 1997, Bridgman was successfully challenged for the Reform Party nomination by Chuck Cadman
Chuck Cadman
Charles "Chuck" Cadman was a Canadian politician and Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2005, representing the riding of Surrey North in Surrey, British Columbia.- Early life :...
who ran as the Reform Party Surrey North candidate, and won the seat in the 1997 Canadian federal election. Bridgman did not run, again, in a federal election.
Following the 1997 election, Bridgman returned to nursing in Surrey, British Columbia. After a sustained battle with lung cancer, Margaret Bridgman died at home on January 4, 2009.