Elsie Wayne

Elsie Eleanore Wayne (née Fairweather; April 20, 1932 – August 23, 2016) was a Canadian politician who served as a Progressive Conservative member of parliament for Saint John from 1993 to 2004. She was born in Shediac, New Brunswick.

Elsie Wayne
Member of Parliament
for Saint John
In office
October 25, 1993 – June 28, 2004
Preceded byGerald Merrithew
Succeeded byPaul Zed
Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
Interim
In office
April 2, 1998 – November 14, 1998
Preceded byJean Charest
Succeeded byJoe Clark
Mayor of Saint John, New Brunswick
In office
1983–1993
Preceded byBob Lockhart
Succeeded byThomas Higgins
Personal details
Born
Elsie Eleanore Fairweather

(1932-04-20)April 20, 1932
Shediac, New Brunswick
DiedAugust 23, 2016(2016-08-23) (aged 84)
Saint John, New Brunswick
Political party
ResidenceSaint John, New Brunswick
Profession
  • Businesswoman
  • activist
  • secretary

Political career

In 1977, she was elected to the Saint John municipal council. In 1983, she became the first female mayor of Saint John, and became extremely popular in that city.

In the 1993 federal election, she ran as the governing Progressive Conservative Party's candidate in the riding of Saint John. In this election, the Tories suffered the worst ever defeat for a governing party at the federal level in Canada. Wayne was one of only two Tories elected nationwide, the other being Jean Charest. She was also the only non-Liberal elected in Atlantic Canada that year. She was elected by 4,000 votes, but never faced another contest nearly that close.

In 1998, when Charest resigned the leadership of the PC party to become leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, Wayne was appointed the PC party's interim leader, a post she held until former Prime Minister Joe Clark was elected party leader later that year.

She supported the merger of the Progressive Conservatives (led by Peter MacKay) and the Canadian Alliance (led by Stephen Harper) in 2003.

Wayne announced her retirement from politics on February 16, 2004[1] and did not run for re-election in the 2004 election to the House of Commons of Canada.

Political positions

Politically, she was known as being socially conservative, vehemently opposing same-sex marriage.[2][3] Gay marriage was legally recognized in Canada in 2005. She was also against abortion rights, decriminalization of marijuana, and Viagra for war vets.[4][5]

Fiscally, Wayne was a strong believer in Canada's social safety net and the welfare state, which was typical for most Tories from Atlantic Canada. She was also among Canada's most vocal monarchists.

Later life and death

Wayne considered a run for her old seat in the 2006 election,[6] but decided against a comeback.[7] She did, however, serve as chairwoman of the Conservative campaign in Atlantic Canada.

She was married to Richard Wayne and has two sons, Daniel and Stephen. In November 2009, she suffered a stroke.[8] She was released from hospital in February 2010.[9] She died on August 23, 2016 at her home in Saint John.[10]

References
  1. "Wayne leaving federal politics". CBC News. 2004-02-16. Archived from the original on 2005-12-01.
  2. "Wayne stops short of apologizing for remarks". CTV News, May 10, 2003.
  3. "Elsie Wayne joins traditional marriage crusade".CBC News, January 3, 2006.
  4. Erin Anderssen. "Rated Rx "That includes 88-year-old Cliff Chadderton, the head of War Amps Canada, who led the campaign years ago to get Viagra covered for veterans, after Saint John MP Elsie Wayne declared that they didn't need to have sex.'". Theglobeandmail.com. Retrieved 2011-05-03.
  5. "War Amps defend position on Viagra for vets "Wayne called the move unbelievable, suggesting men with an average age of 81 didn't need it. She was even more shocked when a reporter asked if it was a quality of life issue."". Amputee-online.com. 2011-03-05. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2011-05-03.
  6. "Elsie Wayne mulls political comeback". CBC News. 2005-04-20. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
  7. "Elsie Wayne says no to political comeback". CBC News. 2005-04-28. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
  8. "Former Saint John MP Wayne has stroke". CBC News. 2009-11-09. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
  9. "Former N.B. MP Elsie Wayne released from hospital after November stroke". Amherst Citizen. 2010-02-10. Archived from the original on 2015-11-21. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
  10. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/elsie-wayne-obit-1.3732050
Political offices
Preceded by
Jean Charest		 Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party
Interim
1998		 Succeeded by
Joe Clark
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