Bennett the Liberal candidate for Kildonan-St. Paul

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/08/2021 (1730 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mary-Jane Bennett is the Liberal candidate for Kildonan-St. Paul.

Bennett, 71, was born and raised in Winnipeg. She graduated from the University of Manitoba’s faculty of law and has since spent four decades working in the field. She became a single mother of two after her husband died during the 1997 flood.

She began her career as a staff lawyer with Legal Aid Manitoba. Then she moved to private practice, where she worked on several high-profile constitutional cases that ended up at the Supreme Court of Canada.

Bennett was appointed to the Canadian Transportation Agency in 1998. After nine years with the agency, she moved to private consultation, analyzing and developing policy on national and international transportation and agriculture.

“My career has taken me outside of the city on a couple of occasions. But I’m back in the city now and I’m thrilled to represent our riding of Kildonan-St. Paul,” Bennett said in an interview.

This is the first time Bennett is running in a Canadian federal election. If elected member of Parliament for Kildonan-St. Paul, she said, her first priority would be the economy.

“I’m interested in moving the economy forward but ensuring that no one is left behind,” she said. “In order for the economy to move forward, policies and initiatives have to be directed towards growth.”

Bennett added it’s important to strike a balance.

“For an effective economy… you cannot be on either spectrum of an economy; you’ve got to be in the centre, balancing all of these needs of small and large business, those less privileged (and) those on a fixed income — they all have their needs and requirements.”

In addition to the economy, she would also prioritize health care and social support for families and seniors.

When it comes to climate change, Bennett said she supports the Liberals’ current policy platform.

“I’m very much a supporter of a strong environmental platform and how those can be matched with strong business initiatives.”

Her legal career brought her to First Nations across Canada, which she said has informed her knowledge on justice for Indigenous peoples.

“I’ve done a lot of work with First Nations… to ensure that First Nations people received equitable access to justice,” Bennett said.

“I have developed very good relations on these issues, and I would be a strong advocate at the table for First Nations’ rights and ensure that we move forward on the policies.”

Emily Clark (NDP), Sean Howe (PPC), and Raquel Dancho (CPC) were also registered as candidates in Kildonan-St. Paul at press time.