Elsie Wayne
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Elsie Eleanore (née Fairweather) Wayne (Born in Shediac, New Brunswick, Canada April 20, 1932) is a Canadian politician. She announced her retirement from politics on February 16, 2004 and did not run for re-election in the 2004 election.
In 1977, she was elected to the Saint John municipal council. In 1983, she became Saint John's first female mayor, and became extremely popular in that city. In the 1993 election, she was only one of two Progressive Conservative Party candidates elected to parliament, along with Jean Charest, in one of the worst election defeats in history.
As a Member of Parliament, she represented Saint John County, New Brunswick. In 1998, when Jean Charest resigned the leadership of the PC party to become leader of the Parti libéral du Québec, Wayne was appointed the party's interim leader, a post she held until Joe Clark was elected party leader later that year.
She supported the merger of the PC and Canadian Alliance parties in 2003, and was made Deputy Leader of the new Conservative Party of Canada.
Politically, she was known as being socially conservative, opposing same-sex marriage, abortion and decriminalization of marijuana. Wayne proved to be controversial in frank comments such as: "If they (same-sex couples) are going to live together, they can go live together and shut up about it."
Fiscally, Wayne has been a strong believer in Canada's social safety net and the welfare state. She is also among Canada's most vocal monarchists.
She is married to Richard Wayne and has two sons - Daniel and Stephen.
External links
- Canadian Politics: Riding by Riding - Saint John (http://www.canpolitics.com)
- Wayne leaving federal politics (http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/02/16/wayne040216)
- Conservative Party of Canada Official Website - Elsie Wayne Profile (http://www.pc.parl.gc.ca/En/Members/Wayne-e.asp)
| Preceded by: Gerald Stairs Merrithew, PC | Members of Parliament from Saint John | Followed by: Paul Zed |
| Preceded by: Jean Charest | Progressive Conservative Leaders | Followed by: Joe Clark |