"Has the NDP jumped right off the edge?"
That's what one 新澳门六合彩开奖 Gazette op-ed writer wondered following Alexa McDonough's election as leader of the federal NDP party in 1995.
Rather than contributing to the "party's slide off the edge into irrelevance and obscurity," though, McDonough instead led the NDP to a historic breakthrough in the Atlantic provinces in the 1997 federal election and 21 seats in Parliament overall (up from nine seats in 1993).
It was one of many moments when McDonough听鈥� a three-time Dal grad听(BA鈥�65, MSW鈥�67, LLD鈥�09) who 鈥� put her political prowess to work in kicking conventional political wisdom to the curb. She had already done so several times before, most notably in becoming the first woman to lead a major political party in Canada when she assumed leadership of Nova Scotia's NDP in 1980. 听
But while McDonough might be best known for her political achievements, she also contributed much to the field of social work 鈥� her other profession. She worked in community development with Nova Scotia Social Services, in social planning with the City of Halifax, as a policy researcher with the Institute of Public Affairs, and as a teacher in the Maritime School of Social Work (now the School of Social Work at Dal).
We asked some of McDonough's former colleagues, friends and admirers from the School of Social Work to share a few memories about a woman whose impacts were felt far and wide in Canada.
The Honourable Wanda Thomas Bernard
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Canadian Senator and Professor Emeritus in the School of Social Work
鈥淚 always admired the fact that she was a social worker who had become a politician and the fact that it was a tremendous place from which to advocate for change.
My connection to Alexa was through her political platform. She often encouraged me to run for office and when that did not happen, she encouraged me to use my voice for political change. She helped me to see that my agency and advocacy as a community member could help to shape public policy.
I was one of the people that was asked to read and comment on the book written by Stephen Kimber. One of the most inspiring stories from the book is the story about 16-year-old Alexa who was doing Vacation Bible School in Africville. She not only became aware of racism, what she appropriately named Halifax鈥檚 Apartheid, but she also started a life journey of fighting for racial Justice and social justice.
I saw her shortly after her last retirement and she said she was looking forward to more time with her grandchildren. We often forget the personal sacrifices made for a life in politics. I admired her!! Alexa has left an inspiring legacy for us to aspire to! She was so very special.鈥�
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