Karen Margaret McPherson (born 1966) is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2015 Alberta general election to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the electoral district of Calgary-Mackay-Nose Hill with a plurality of votes under the first-past-the-post system.[1][2] On October 4, 2017, McPherson announced she was leaving the NDP to sit as an Independent.[3] Weeks later, she announced that she was joining the caucus of the Alberta Party, becoming its second MLA.[4]

Karen McPherson
McPherson in May 2015
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Calgary-Mackay-Nose Hill
In office
May 5, 2015 – March 19, 2019
Preceded byNeil Brown
Succeeded bydistrict abolished
Personal details
Born1966 or 1967 (age 57–58)
Edmonton, Alberta
Political partyAlberta Party (2017-present)
Other political
affiliations
New Democratic (2015–2017)
Residence(s)Calgary, Alberta
OccupationBusiness Analyst/Entrepreneur

In March 2019 she announced that she would not seek re-election. She was succeeded by United Conservative Josephine Pon; the Alberta Party candidate took less than 9% of the votes.

Electoral history

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2015 general election

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2015 Alberta general election: Calgary-Mackay-Nose Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
New Democratic Karen McPherson 6,177 36.86% 30.94%
Wildrose Kathy Macdonald 4,914 29.32% -9.07%
Progressive Conservative Neil Brown 4,585 27.36% -19.11%
Liberal Prab Lashar 768 4.58% -3.19%
Green Sandy Kevin Aberdeen 316 1.89%
Total 16,760
Rejected, spoiled and declined 91
Eligible electors / turnout 34,487 48.86% -0.05%
New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative Swing -0.27%
Source(s)
Source: "19 - Calgary-Mackay-Nose Hill Official Results 2015 Alberta general election". officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

Advocacy

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Bill 2, An Act to Remove Barriers for Survivors of Sexual and Domestic Violence, was introduced by NDP MLA Kathleen Ganley on March 7, 2017. If passed, Bill 2 would allow survivors of sexual assault and sexual misconduct who wish to sure their attackers to file civil claims at any point, removing the standard two-year deadline for civil actions.[5][6]

In April 2017, during the Second Reading of Bill 2, Karen McPherson spoke publicly about her experience with sexual violence and spoke in support of Bill 2.[7] This was the first time MLA McPherson spoke publicly about her lived experience with sexual violence.[8]

References

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  1. ^ Howell, Trevor (2015-04-29). "Riding: Calgary-Mackay-Nose Hill". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  2. ^ Hudes, Sammy (2015-05-06). "Rookie NDP MLA inspired by Peter Lougheed, Grant Notley". Calgary Herald.
  3. ^ "Calgary NDP MLA quits over unrepresented 'middle'". metronews.ca. 2017-10-04. Archived from the original on 2017-10-05.
  4. ^ Graney, Emma (October 29, 2017). "MLA Karen McPherson joining the Alberta Party". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  5. ^ Bellefontaine, Michelle (March 7, 2017). "New bill removes 2-year limit for victims to sue attackers". CBC News.
  6. ^ "Bill 2 AN ACT TO REMOVE BARRIERS FOR SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE" (PDF). Legislative Assembly of Alberta. March 14, 2022.
  7. ^ McPherson, Karen (2017-03-15). In support of Bill 2. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  8. ^ Karen McPherson [@not_thatkaren] (January 31, 2020). "Flashback Friday to when I first spoke publicly about my experience with sexual violence" (Tweet). Retrieved February 21, 2023 – via Twitter.