Maria Fitzpatrick

Fitzpatrick was born and raised in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. She is a former sprinter who competed in the Canada Summer Games, Canadian Track and Field Championships, National University Indoor Championships, Halifax Highland Games, Antigonish Highland Games, and Royal Canadian Legion Provincial Championships. In 1969, she was named the Athlete of the Year for St. John's. She later coached various track and field teams in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Alberta. In 2005, she was named to the Newfoundland and Labrador Athletics Association Hall of Fame. Fitzpatrick is a trustee on the Lethbridge Labour Council, vice president of the Canadian Federation of University Women, and chair of the regional women's committee of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. She worked for 32 years with the Correctional Service of Canada, most recently as a project officer.[2][3]

In November 2015, during debate on a private member's bill to improve supports for victims of domestic violence, Fitzpatrick spoke in the legislature about her own experience having been married to an abusive husband in the 1970s.[4] She earned a standing ovation in the legislature for her speech, and the bill unanimously passed second reading soon afterward.[4]