Megan Leslie
Encyclopedia
Megan Leslie is a Canadian
politician, who has been the federal Member of Parliament for the electoral district
of Halifax
since the 2008 Canadian federal election
. She is a member of the New Democratic Party
and serves as the NDP critic for the environment. Until May 2010, she was the critic for housing and homelessness, deputy critic for justice and deputy critic for First Nations, Métis and Inuit affairs (urban issues).
. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Social & Political Thought and History and a Certificate in Refugee and Migration Studies, both from York University. She has a law degree from Dalhousie University
.
After her law degree, she worked for the Dalhousie Legal Aid Service as a community legal worker and law professor. She has an extensive background in social justice
advocacy on poverty issues. She is a founding member of the Affordable Energy Coalition and was part of a successful settlement agreement with Nova Scotia Power Inc. regarding energy efficiency programs. She has advocated at Residential Tenancies, Small Claims, Income Assistance Appeal Board, CPP Disability Tribunal, and Utility and Review Board hearings and has coordinated mobile legal info clinics around Halifax, including Direction 180, Stepping Stone, Metro Immigrant Settlement Association, Metro Turning Point, Bayers Westwood Parent Resource Centre, Single parent Centre and Adsum House. She developed the "Tenant Rights Project", which was named as an anti-eviction strategy best practice.
In 2005, Leslie attended the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
in Montreal to present on the issue of energy poverty. She has also made presentations to the Canadian Public Health Association national conference, the Atlantic Regional Association of Immigrant Settlement Associations and the national conference of the Public Legal Education Association of Canada.
.
In May 2009, Leslie was chosen as "Best Rookie" by Maclean's
in their third annual Parliamentarians of the Year awards.
In February 2010, an essay by Leslie was featured in an Americas Quarterly
issue titled "Voices from the New Generation", which featured 29 young business, political, and civic leaders from across the Americas. In her essay Leslie expressed her belief in her generation's recognition of the complexity of social change, and her style of politics that recognizes the need for robust community participation as well as representation in parliament.
In December 2010, she was voted as the favourite "Up and Comer" on Parliament Hill and was picked as one of the year's top MPs by columnist Davik Akin.
Readers of The Coast
weekly newspaper in Halifax voted her as "Best Halifax Member of Parliament" in 2009 and 2010. In 2008 she was Voted "Best Activist".
Before entering politics she received: Muriel Duckworth award for raising consciousness of women's issues and feminism in the legal community; Holly House Heroes award (Elizabeth Fry) for work in housing and homelessness; Weldon Community Commitment Award; Dalhousie Governor's Award for exceptional leadership in the University and community; MacIntosh Bursary for outstanding public service; CBA Law Day Award for encouraging and promoting access to justice.
She also introduced a private members bill to create a national strategy for suicide prevention, which has garnered the support of some municipal councils.
She was also noted for being "well-briefed on the controversy surrounding Assisted Human Reproduction Canada last spring, when several board members resigned amid allegations of lack of transparency over spending."
case law relating to gay and lesbian issues.
She also presented an educational workshop for the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission
on gender identity
, and was involved in the campaign to get sex reassignment surgery
covered by Nova Scotia's provincial health care plan
. She has stated that her goal in politics is to "use the law to make Canada a better place for people who are marginalized."
Leslie was the main seconder of Bill C-389, An Act to Amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code (gender identity and gender expression), known as the trans rights bill. At third reading, noting the absence of any openly trans members of Parliament, Leslie used her time to read letters from people who had contacted her office, stating, "Nothing that I can say about our trans rights bill in this House could be a replacement for hearing from the lived experiences of transgendered Canadians. I am going to use my time today to bring the voices of people, some from Halifax and others from around Canada, who contacted me about this bill".
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...
politician, who has been the federal Member of Parliament for the 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 Halifax
Halifax (electoral district)
Halifax is a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1867.Since October 14, 2008, its Member of the Parliament has been Megan Leslie of the New Democratic Party....
since the 2008 Canadian federal election
Canadian federal election, 2008
The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by the Governor General on September 7, 2008...
. She is a member of the 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...
and serves as the NDP critic for the environment. Until May 2010, she was the critic for housing and homelessness, deputy critic for justice and deputy critic for First Nations, Métis and Inuit affairs (urban issues).
Biography
Leslie, was raised in Kirkland Lake, OntarioOntario
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....
. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Social & Political Thought and History and a Certificate in Refugee and Migration Studies, both from York University. She has a law degree from Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
.
After her law degree, she worked for the Dalhousie Legal Aid Service as a community legal worker and law professor. She has an extensive background in social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
advocacy on poverty issues. She is a founding member of the Affordable Energy Coalition and was part of a successful settlement agreement with Nova Scotia Power Inc. regarding energy efficiency programs. She has advocated at Residential Tenancies, Small Claims, Income Assistance Appeal Board, CPP Disability Tribunal, and Utility and Review Board hearings and has coordinated mobile legal info clinics around Halifax, including Direction 180, Stepping Stone, Metro Immigrant Settlement Association, Metro Turning Point, Bayers Westwood Parent Resource Centre, Single parent Centre and Adsum House. She developed the "Tenant Rights Project", which was named as an anti-eviction strategy best practice.
In 2005, Leslie attended the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an international environmental treaty produced at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development , informally known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro from June 3 to 14, 1992...
in Montreal to present on the issue of energy poverty. She has also made presentations to the Canadian Public Health Association national conference, the Atlantic Regional Association of Immigrant Settlement Associations and the national conference of the Public Legal Education Association of Canada.
Awards and accolades
Leslie was chosen as one of the "five best Canadian members of Parliament" by the The Mark NewsThe Mark News
The Mark News is an independent news website, which publishes opinion pieces on Canadian and international current events. The site offers multimedia commentary by Canadian professionals on politics, business, science and technology, sports and the arts....
.
In May 2009, Leslie was chosen as "Best Rookie" by Maclean's
Maclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
in their third annual Parliamentarians of the Year awards.
In February 2010, an essay by Leslie was featured in an Americas Quarterly
Americas Quarterly
Americas Quarterly, The Policy Journal for Our Hemisphere, is a magazine dedicated to policy analysis and debate of economics, finance, social development, and politics in the Western Hemisphere.Launched in 2007, AQ reaches over 17,000 readers...
issue titled "Voices from the New Generation", which featured 29 young business, political, and civic leaders from across the Americas. In her essay Leslie expressed her belief in her generation's recognition of the complexity of social change, and her style of politics that recognizes the need for robust community participation as well as representation in parliament.
In December 2010, she was voted as the favourite "Up and Comer" on Parliament Hill and was picked as one of the year's top MPs by columnist Davik Akin.
Readers of The Coast
The Coast
The Coast is a free weekly newspaper in Halifax Regional Municipality, Canada. The paper distributes 24,000 copies per week throughout the Halifax Regional Municipality. The paper is owned by Coast Publishing Limited....
weekly newspaper in Halifax voted her as "Best Halifax Member of Parliament" in 2009 and 2010. In 2008 she was Voted "Best Activist".
Before entering politics she received: Muriel Duckworth award for raising consciousness of women's issues and feminism in the legal community; Holly House Heroes award (Elizabeth Fry) for work in housing and homelessness; Weldon Community Commitment Award; Dalhousie Governor's Award for exceptional leadership in the University and community; MacIntosh Bursary for outstanding public service; CBA Law Day Award for encouraging and promoting access to justice.
Health critic
Leslie launched an initiative as the NDP's Health critic to propose a national pharmacare plan to pay for expensive prescription drugs.She also introduced a private members bill to create a national strategy for suicide prevention, which has garnered the support of some municipal councils.
She was also noted for being "well-briefed on the controversy surrounding Assisted Human Reproduction Canada last spring, when several board members resigned amid allegations of lack of transparency over spending."
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy
Leslie did an undergraduate thesis on Supreme Court of CanadaSupreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
case law relating to gay and lesbian issues.
She also presented an educational workshop for the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission
Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission
The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission was established in the Nova Scotia, Canada in 1967 to administer the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act...
on gender identity
Gender identity
A gender identity is the way in which an individual self-identifies with a gender category, for example, as being either a man or a woman, or in some cases being neither, which can be distinct from biological sex. Basic gender identity is usually formed by age three and is extremely difficult to...
, and was involved in the campaign to get sex reassignment surgery
Sex reassignment surgery
Sex reassignment surgery is a term for the surgical procedures by which a person's physical appearance and function of their existing sexual characteristics are altered to resemble...
covered by Nova Scotia's provincial health care plan
Medical Service Insurance
The Medical Service Insurance is the Nova Scotian government's health insurance.The Medical Services Insurance Programs are administered by Medavie Blue Cross for the Nova Scotia government Department of Health Policy Directive.- Eligibility :...
. She has stated that her goal in politics is to "use the law to make Canada a better place for people who are marginalized."
Leslie was the main seconder of Bill C-389, An Act to Amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code (gender identity and gender expression), known as the trans rights bill. At third reading, noting the absence of any openly trans members of Parliament, Leslie used her time to read letters from people who had contacted her office, stating, "Nothing that I can say about our trans rights bill in this House could be a replacement for hearing from the lived experiences of transgendered Canadians. I am going to use my time today to bring the voices of people, some from Halifax and others from around Canada, who contacted me about this bill".