Pat Carney
Encyclopedia
Patricia "Pat" Carney, (born May 26, 1935) is a former Canadian Senator
and Cabinet minister.
Carney first ran for the Canadian House of Commons
as a Progressive Conservative
candidate in the 1979 election
and was defeated. She was elected in the 1980 election
as the Member of Parliament
(MP) from Vancouver Centre
.
When the Tories formed government under Prime Minister
Brian Mulroney
as a result of the 1984 election
, Carney was appointed to Cabinet as Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources
, and was responsible for dismantling the previous Canadian government's unpopular National Energy Program.
In 1986, she was named Minister of International Trade
and, as such, was involved in negotiating the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement.
Carney did not run for re-election in the 1988 election
. In 1990, she was appointed to the Canadian Senate by Governor General
Ray Hnatyshyn
. Carney, a pro-choice
advocate of women's rights to abortion, voted against the abortion
law proposed by her successor as MP for Vancouver Centre, Kim Campbell
. The bill failed in the Senate by one vote. In 2000 Carney acted on concerns that landmark lighthouses on both Canadian coast were being neglected by teaming up with the late Senator Mike Forrestall
from Nova Scotia to introduce the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act, a private members bill which has enjoyed consistent multi-party support in subsequent minority Parliaments.
More recently Carney mused that the Province of British Columbia
might benefit from separating from Canada
.
Carney became a Conservative
Senator in 2004 following the merger of the Progressive Conservative Party and the Canadian Alliance
.
On October 11, 2007, the Prime Minister's Office
announced that Senator Carney intended to resign, two years in advance of the mandatory retirement age of 75 years. She officially resigned on January 31, 2008. In 2011, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada
"for her public service as a journalist, politician and senator."
Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
and Cabinet minister.
Carney first ran for 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 a Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
candidate in the 1979 election
Canadian federal election, 1979
The Canadian federal election of 1979 was held on May 22, 1979 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 31st Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of Liberal Party of Canada after 11 years in power under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Joe Clark led the Progressive...
and was defeated. She was elected in the 1980 election
Canadian federal election, 1980
The Canadian federal election of 1980 was held on February 18, 1980 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 32nd Parliament of Canada...
as the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) from Vancouver Centre
Vancouver Centre
Vancouver Centre is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1917.-Geography:...
.
When the Tories formed government under Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
as a result of the 1984 election
Canadian federal election, 1984
The Canadian federal election of 1984 was held on September 4 of that year to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 33rd Parliament of Canada...
, Carney was appointed to Cabinet as Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources
Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources (Canada)
The Minister of Energy, Mines, and Resources was a member of the Cabinet of Canada from 1966 to 1995.-Ministers:The office of Minister of Mines and Technical Surveys was abolished and the office of the Ministers of Energy, Mines and Resources created by statute 14-15 Eliz. II, c...
, and was responsible for dismantling the previous Canadian government's unpopular National Energy Program.
In 1986, she was named Minister of International Trade
Minister of International Trade (Canada)
The Minister of International Trade is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet is the head of the federal government's international trade department and the provisions of treaties such as the North American Free Trade Agreement .The post was first established in 1983 as the Minister...
and, as such, was involved in negotiating the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement.
Carney did not run for re-election in the 1988 election
Canadian federal election, 1988
The Canadian federal election of 1988 was held November 21, 1988, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 34th Parliament of Canada. It was an election largely fought on a single issue: the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement ....
. In 1990, she was appointed to the Canadian Senate by Governor General
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
Ray Hnatyshyn
Ray Hnatyshyn
Ramon John Hnatyshyn , commonly known as Ray Hnatyshyn, was a Canadian politician and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 24th since Canadian Confederation....
. Carney, a pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
advocate of women's rights to abortion, voted against the abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
law proposed by her successor as MP for Vancouver Centre, Kim Campbell
Kim Campbell
Avril Phædra Douglas "Kim" Campbell, is a Canadian politician, lawyer, university professor, diplomat, and writer. She served as the 19th Prime Minister of Canada, serving from June 25, 1993, to November 4, 1993...
. The bill failed in the Senate by one vote. In 2000 Carney acted on concerns that landmark lighthouses on both Canadian coast were being neglected by teaming up with the late Senator Mike Forrestall
Michael Forrestall
John Michael William Curphey Forrestall was a Canadian Senator and Member of Parliament.A Nova Scotia journalist and businessman, Forrestall was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1965 federal election as the Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament for Halifax, Nova Scotia...
from Nova Scotia to introduce the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act, a private members bill which has enjoyed consistent multi-party support in subsequent minority Parliaments.
More recently Carney mused that the Province of 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...
might benefit from separating from 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...
.
Carney became a Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
Senator in 2004 following the merger of the Progressive Conservative Party and the Canadian Alliance
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. The party was the successor to the Reform Party of Canada and inherited its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and held...
.
On October 11, 2007, the Prime Minister's Office
Office of the Prime Minister (Canada)
In Canada, the Office of the Prime Minister , located in the Langevin Block, on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, is one of the most powerful parts of the government. It is made up of the prime minister and his or her top political staff, who are charged with advising the prime minister on decisions,...
announced that Senator Carney intended to resign, two years in advance of the mandatory retirement age of 75 years. She officially resigned on January 31, 2008. In 2011, she was made a Member 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...
"for her public service as a journalist, politician and senator."
External links
- Senator Pat Carney personal site