SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — The Honourable Susan Holt, M.L.A., Premier of New Brunswick

Honourable senators, today I rise to mark a momentous occasion.

This past weekend I had the honour and privilege of attending the swearing-in of New Brunswick’s first female Premier, Susan Holt.

The gallery at the provincial legislature in Fredericton was packed with many New Brunswickers for this historic day. In an impactful gesture, Premier Holt invited all recent female members of the legislative assembly, or MLAs, from every party, including our own Senator Kingston, to sit as honoured guests on the floor of the legislature, where she thanked them for leading the way and breaking the path for her to become the first female premier of New Brunswick. It was an incredibly uplifting day, with many hugs and many tears shed.

Some of the other female firsts in New Brunswick include Brenda Robertson, the first woman elected to the legislature and the first to serve in cabinet; Shirley Dysart, the first woman to serve as leader of a political party in New Brunswick and the first woman Speaker; and Aldéa Landry, the first Acadian woman named to the New Brunswick cabinet.

If we turn back the clock to 1972, it was a New Brunswick woman who achieved a first in this place. The first woman Speaker in the Senate was from New Brunswick, the indomitable advocate for women Muriel McQueen Fergusson.

After I was appointed, given the big shoes to fill of the many who came before me, I wanted to learn more about the history of the politics in the Senate and my province. To that end, I read a historical book on politics in New Brunswick. One of the chapters on representation was very enlightening:

Another characteristic that one would expect of senators, they do indeed possess; most of them are ‘joiners’ — of fraternal organizations, sporting and businessmen’s clubs . . . The Senators, then, are men of means who are prominent in social and professional circles.

Throughout the chapter, they continue to refer to “him,” “his” position in life or “his” appointment. However, to date, we have had 16 women from New Brunswick serve as senators, five of our current cohort of ten are women as well.

We have had 55 women serve as members of the Legislative Assembly. Now, we have Premier Susan Holt as another role model for young women to aspire to, that they too could become Premier of New Brunswick.

I hope the books on politics in New Brunswick in the future mention “her” position in life, “her” appointment and “her” electoral victory.

Congratulations, Premier Holt. You stand today as the first and only female Premier of the Province of New Brunswick, but I know not the last and that many young women in New Brunswick will walk in your footsteps in the future.