Elaine McCoy

Elaine McCoy, QC (born March 7, 1946) is a Canadian politician from Alberta. She is currently a member of the Senate of Canada.

The Honourable Elaine McCoy QC
Facilitator of the Independent Senators Group
Interim
In office September 27, 2016 – September 25, 2017
Deputy	None[lower-alpha 1]
Preceded by	Position created
Succeeded by	Yuen Pau Woo
Senator for Alberta
Incumbent
Assumed office March 24, 2005
Nominated by	Paul Martin
Appointed by	Adrienne Clarkson
MLA for Calgary-West
In office 1986–1993
Preceded by	Peter Lougheed
Succeeded by	Danny Dalla-Longa
Personal details
Born	(1946-03-07) March 7, 1946 Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
Political party	Canadian Senators Group (2019–)
Other political affiliations	Independent Senators Group (2016—2019) Independent Progressive Conservative (2013–2016) Progressive Conservative (2005–2013) Alberta PC (until 1993)

In 2005, McCoy was appointed to the Senate. She designated herself a member of the Progressive Conservative Party despite its dissolution two years prior; following the retirement of Lowell Murray in 2011, she was the last remaining member of the Senate to sit as a Progressive Conservative. In 2016, she joined the Independent Senators Group and served as its initial interim facilitator. In 2019, she left the ISG and joined the Canadian Senators Group.

McCoy was previously the Alberta PC MLA for Calgary-West from 1986 to 1993. During this time, she served as Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs, and Minister responsible for Women's Issues and Minister of Labour under Premier Don Getty.

Early life and education

Elaine McCoy was born March 7, 1946 in Brandon, Manitoba.

McCoy is an alumna of the University of Alberta, and holds an LLB (1969) and Bachelor of Arts in English (1968). She was married to Miles Patterson until his death in January 2011.[1]

Prior to entering provincial politics, McCoy pursued a career in law as senior legal counsel for the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board and as counsel for TransAlta Utilities Corporation.

Alberta politics

From 1986 to 1993, McCoy was the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Calgary-West in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. She succeeded Peter Lougheed in the riding, whom she had previously campaigned with and who had suggested she run in the constituency after he retired.[2] McCoy expected to be a backbencher, as she was not well-connected within the party, and was surprised to be immediately appointed to the Executive Council of Alberta.[2] She was named Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs and Minister responsible for Women's Issues[3][4] by Premier Don Getty. As Minister, McCoy was responsible for creating the Insurance Council of Alberta, restructuring the Alberta Securities Commission, and for introducing a variety of new policies to protect consumers. She was also involved in developing foreign credentials recognition for immigrant professionals.

In 1989, McCoy was appointed as Alberta's Minister of Labour and Minister responsible for Human Rights, in which portfolio she was responsible for Alberta's personnel administration office. She set up an Alberta Human Rights commission inquiry into the Aryan Nations which was responsible for investigating and eliminating supremacist activity in the province. McCoy also shed light on violence against women and spearheaded the Lake Louise Declaration, which was Alberta's first action plan designed to fight violence against women, and the first all-Canada declaration on the subject.[5]

Leadership candidate

When Getty retired in 1992, McCoy ran in the 1992 Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta leadership election to succeed him.[6][7] She placed eighth in a field of nine and was eliminated on the first ballot; the contest was won by Ralph Klein. Klein did not appoint her to his cabinet, and she did not run for re-election in 1993.[8] She ran on a platform known as the McCoy Plan, points of which were eventually co-opted by the Klein government.

Key points of the McCoy Plan:

• five-year business plans for all government departments and agencies
• zero-based budgeting; accrual accounting
• management and administrative costs cut in half
• rationalization of the tax burden on people and companies
• "one-window" co-ordinated service delivery throughout Alberta
• more training, skills development and educational opportunities for people across Alberta
• support for local communities so that they can do things their way

Post-provincial politics

Alberta Right-to-Work Joint Review Committee

In 1995, McCoy was asked by the Alberta Government to Chair a Joint Review Committee (JRC) into whether or not Right-to-Work (RTW) legislation would be beneficial to the province. The study defined RTW legislation as ‘legislation that would prohibit employers and employees from agreeing to any form of union shop, closed shop or dues check-off arrangement.’ The Committee was formed on March 14, 1995 and had both labour and management representatives. It delivered its unanimous report in November of the same year. It received 225 written submissions from Albertans on the issue.[9]

The JRC ultimately did not recommend RTW legislation for Alberta, as it found no evidence of economic advantage to it, and that it may well disrupt Alberta's strong and stable labour relations of the time.

Macleod Institute

A lawyer by profession, McCoy is President of the Macleod Institute,[10] affiliated with the University of Calgary, which is known for its expertise on program evaluations and environmental management. In this position, she authored the influential Bow Corridor Regional Mobility Strategy.[11] Other highlighted achievements while at the Macleod Institute include:[12]

• Action Plan for the Government of the Northwest Territories for the purpose of achieving long-term benefits from oil and gas development in the NWT.
• Comprehensive report on micro-power distributed generation for Alberta Economic Development (Barriers and Options for Improving Electricity Supply), and delivered results from a multi-stakeholder workshop that was instrumental in launching the New Energy Resources Alliance, a Canadian micro-power distributed generation industry cluster.
• Governance Case Study of the Vancouver Agreement, an urban development agreement between Canada, British Columbia and the City of Vancouver. The Case Study explores intergovernmental partnerships and recommends that Vancouver partners increase the effectiveness of their collaboration by systematizing operating paradigms.
• Canada-wide evaluation of Post-Secondary Education programs and Band-Operated and Federal Schools (BOFS) for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada that resulted in recommendations for improved resources and a broader vision for the department's education secretariat.
• Alberta's first Aviation Strategy and Action Plan which detailed 40 action items to be implemented by the newly formed, industry-led Aviation Strategy Action Group (now called Aviation Alberta).
• Method to integrate thresholds into cumulative effects assessment and management in Canada's North.
• Evaluations and strategic reviews of the Western Diversification Program and all Canada Business Service Centres in Western Canada for Western Economic Diversification.
• Evaluation of the West Kitikmeot/Slave Study (WKSS). The WKSS comprises a partnership of three federal and territorial governments, together with several First Nations, industry and NGO organizations.
• Evaluation of accountability practices among more than 100 boards, agencies and crown corporations reporting to both the Government of the Northwest Territories and their own constituencies.
• Evaluation of Alberta Environment's lab analysis and accreditation policies and programs, based on extensive interviews and a comparative review of Canadian and US practices. An analytical framework was developed as a first critical step in preparing recommendations which were subsequently adopted by the Government of Alberta.
• Analytical model which predicts the cost of regulatory delay for Alberta Environment. The report contributed to finalizing an agreement on harmonization entered into by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment.

Senate of Canada

McCoy was appointed to the Senate by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Paul Martin, on March 24, 2005.[13] She sits in the Upper House representing Alberta as a member of the Canadian Senators Group. Unless she resigns, McCoy will continue to sit in the Senate until March 7, 2021. She currently sits on the Senate Committee for Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament, and previously, on the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee.[14][15]

Initially a member of the Progressive Conservative caucus, a rump caucus of Tory senators who had refused to join the new Conservative Party of Canada in 2003, McCoy was ultimately the last Progressive Conservative in the chamber following the retirement of Senator Lowell Murray in 2011. She changed her designation to Independent PC in 2013 and then to non-affiliated in 2016, following the decision by the government of Justin Trudeau to make the Senate a non-partisan institution and appoint independent senators. In September 2016, she and 14 other non-affiliated senators formed the Independent Senators Group to advocate for the rights of non-affiliated senators as the upper house was still organized around partisan lines resulting in non-affiliated senators being underrepresented on committees and not receiving the funding given to party caucuses. McCoy was elected facilitator of the new group for the 2016–2017 parliamentary term.[16] In December 2016, the Senate agreed to recognize the ISG and granted it funding and also agreed that non-affiliated senators would be appointed to Senate committees in numbers proportionate to their numbers in the Senate.[17][18]

On November 4, 2019, she joined the Canadian Senators Group.[19]

Initiatives in the Senate

Since being appointed to the Senate, McCoy has been an influential voice for the role of the individual senator,[20][21][22] for effective Senate reform,[23][24][25][26][27] for an inclusive federation and the role of Alberta in Canada. McCoy broke new ground with her website, www.albertasenator.ca, and was one of the first members of the Senate of Canada to blog and tweet[28] on her experiences in Ottawa and the political issues of the day.[29][30][31][6] A feature article on McCoy in Maclean's magazine calls her a "symbol of defiance" as one of only two Progressive Conservative senators then remaining in federal politics and someone who "defines herself as socially progressive and fiscally conservative."[6]

During her tenure as senator, she has launched two web-based projects. Savvy Senate,[32] provides precis of several dozens of landmark Senate reports organized alphabetically by topic, highlighting the context, import and public reception (positive and negative) for each report, with hyperlinks to the report and media follow up.

In April 2014, McCoy launched a new web-based initiative on energy and the environment for the Canadian context: Your Energy Story.[33] According to the site, it was designed "to make linkages between energy end uses and energy sources" and provides raw data on energy consumption and generation for both renewable and non-renewable resources, organized by provinces and territories across Canada. It employs one common energy unit for all types of energy – the gigajoule – in order to make comparisons between energy types possible for the average consumer. It also provides greenhouse gas emissions for the production of each energy type and end use.

McCoy is an important part of Calgary's environmental[34] and charitable communities. She currently has or has held memberships and leadership positions in many organizations, including:

• Vice-Chair, Alberta Climate Change Central[35]
• Governor, Calgary Centre for Innovative Technology[36]
• Chair, Joint Review Committee, Right-to-Work Study (Alberta Economic Development Authority and Alberta Government - 1995)[37]
• President, Winston Churchill Society
• Committee Chair, Alberta Economic Development Authority[37]
• Founding Director, Famous 5 Foundation[38]
• Founding Director, Angela Cheng Foundation
• Senior Member, Alberta Ministerial Advisory Committee for Environmental Protection[39]
• Director and lifelong honorary member, Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta[40]
• Member, Law Society of Alberta[41]
• Member, Canadian Evaluation Society[42]
• Member, Alberta Arbitration and Mediation Society[43]

Notes

1. McCoy had no Deputy during her term, as the Deputy Facilitator is elected by the caucus. McCoy was the first Facilitator on an Interim basis, and was not elected, thus no Deputy Facilitator was in office.

References

1. "Senator Elaine McCoy Hullabaloos". Albertasenator.ca. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
2. Smith, Dale (September 18, 2012). "Knockin' on doors with Peter Lougheed". Maclean's.
3. Harder, Lois (2003). State of struggle: feminism and ... - Google Books. ISBN 9780888644015. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
4. Cavanaugh, Catherine; Warne, Randi Ruth (1993). Standing on new ground: women in Alberta - Google Books. ISBN 9780888642585. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
5. Tupper, Allan; Gibbins, Roger (March 4, 1991). Government and politics in Alberta - Google Books. ISBN 9780888642431. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
6. Wherry, Aaron (February 9, 2010). "And then there were two - Canada". Macleans.ca. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
7. Edmonton, The (September 2, 2006). "Charm trumped charm school in 1992 leadership race". Canada.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
8. "CBC My Region - Calgary-West". CBC News. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
9. "S:\COMMON\BIP\Hansard\1995\19950503_1330_01_han.wpd" (PDF). Retrieved June 7, 2010.
10. "Welcome to the Macleod Institute". Macleodinstitute.com. November 28, 2002. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
11. "Bow Corridor Regional Mobility Strategy". Macleodinstitute.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
12. "Publications". Macleod Institute. November 28, 2002. Archived from the original on October 22, 2010. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
13. "Senators - Detailed Information". Parl.gc.ca. Archived from the original on January 23, 2010. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
14. "Senate - Committee List". Parl.gc.ca. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
15. Conservative, Progressive (November 30, 2009). "Climate change report a welcome step forward in debate full of overheated political rhetoric | The Hill Times - Canada's Politics and Government Newsweekly". Thehilltimes.ca. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
16. "Patrick Brazeau returns to Senate after 3-year legal saga". CBC News. September 28, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
17. "'A victory for fairness': Senators agree to allow more independents on committees". National Post. December 6, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
18. "How the Senate changed in 2016 - and what it means for the government's agenda for 2017". National Post. January 3, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
19. "Senators List". Senate of Canada. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
20. http://www.albertasenator.ca/flashblocks/data/Op-Eds/SenateReform17Sept2007.pdf
21. Conservative, Progressive (December 14, 2009). "Let's stop criminalizing our world | The Hill Times - Canada's Politics and Government Newsweekly". Thehilltimes.ca. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
22. The Hill Times (July 27, 2009). "Senators under gun to be more partisan, says Senator | The Hill Times - Canada's Politics and Government Newsweekly". The Hill Times. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
23. Senator Elaine McCoy (February 22, 2010). "Last best hope for democracy in Canada: An appointed Senate". thestar.com. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
24. "Elaine McCoy: The Senate reform Canadians wanted - Full Comment" (PDF). Network.nationalpost.com. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
25. "Elaine McCoy*, sénatrice (Alberta) : Une réforme du Sénat, oui, mais à l'image de qui? | Points de vue". Cyberpresse.ca. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
26. The Hill Times (December 14, 2009). "Senate considers TV proceedings, again | The Hill Times - Canada's Politics and Government Newsweekly". The Hill Times. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
27. "Un Sénat élu au Canada ? Non merci ! | Perspective Monde". Perspective.usherbrooke.ca. November 2, 2007. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
28. SenElaineMcCoy. "Elaine McCoy (SenElaineMcCoy) on Twitter". Twitter.com. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
29. "Niet compatibele browser". Facebook. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
30. "A chat with Canadian Senator Elaine McCoy, Social Media in Canadian Politics « Random Thoughts of a Boston-Based CTO: John Moore's Weblog". Johnfmoore.wordpress.com. January 17, 2010. Archived from the original on January 21, 2010. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
31. "Senator Elaine McCoy follows up from David Hume to talk about her experience at the breakout session". YouTube. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
32. "Elaine McCoy". Albertasenator.ca. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
33. "Your Energy Story - About Us".
34. "More Debate, Less Rhetoric - Elaine McCoy — THE MARK". Themarknews.com. December 2, 2009. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
35. "Climate Change Central". Carbonoffsetsolutions.climatechangecentral.com. September 15, 2009. Archived from the original on March 15, 2010. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
36. "Calgary Centre for Innovative Technology". Ucalgary.ca. Archived from the original on August 8, 2009. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
37. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
38. "Famous 5 Foundation, Calgary - Celebrating Leadership In Women". Famous5.ca. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
39. Archived January 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
40. "Technology at its best". ASET. Archived from the original on July 29, 2010. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
41. "The Law Society of Alberta - Home". Lawsocietyalberta.com. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
42. "Canadian Evaluation Society - Home". Evaluationcanada.ca. Archived from the original on July 1, 2010. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
43. "Alberta Arbitration & Mediation Society". Aams.ab.ca. Retrieved July 8, 2017.

External links

• Official website
• Elaine McCoy – Parliament of Canada biography