Alexa McDonough
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Alexa McDonough OC |
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| Leader of the New Democratic Party | |
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In office October 14, 1995 – January 25, 2003 |
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| Preceded by | Audrey McLaughlin |
| Succeeded by | Jack Layton |
| Member of the House of Commons of Canada | |
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In office June 2, 1997 – October 14, 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Mary Clancy |
| Succeeded by | Megan Leslie |
| Constituency | Halifax |
| Leader of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party | |
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In office November 16, 1980 – March 30, 1996 |
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| Preceded by | Buddy MacEachern |
| Succeeded by | John Holm |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia | |
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In office May 25, 1993 – October 20, 1995 |
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| Preceded by | new constituency |
| Succeeded by | Eileen O'Connell |
| Constituency | Halifax Fairview |
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In office October 6, 1981 – May 25, 1993 |
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| Preceded by | Walter Fitzgerald |
| Succeeded by | Jay Abbass |
| Constituency | Halifax Chebucto |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Alexa Ann Shaw August 11, 1944 Ottawa, Ontario |
| Political party | New Democratic Party (1974–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Liberal (1970–1974) |
| Parents | Lloyd Shaw |
| Alma mater | Dalhousie University |
| Profession | Social worker |
Alexa Ann McDonough, OC ONS (née Shaw; born August 11, 1944) is a Canadian politician who became the first woman to lead a major, recognized political party in Canada, when she was elected the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party's (NSNDP) leader in 1980. She served as a member of the Nova Scotia Legislature from 1981 to 1994, representing the Halifax Chebucto and Halifax Fairview electoral districts. She stepped down as the NSNDP's leader and as a member of the legislature in 1994. She subsequently ran for, and was elected, leader of the federal New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1995. McDonough was elected the Member of Parliament (MP) for the federal electoral district of Halifax in 1997. She stepped down as party leader in 2003, but continued to serve as an MP for two more terms, until 2008, when she retired from politics altogether. In 2009 she became the interim president of Mount Saint Vincent University and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in December of that year.
McDonough was born Alexa Ann Shaw in Ottawa, Ontario in 1944. Her parents were Jean MacKinnon and Lloyd Robert Shaw, a wealthy businessman who was committed to progressive politics. He served as the first research director for the federal NDP's predecessor, the national Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), and an early financial backer of the NDP when it formed in 1961.
McDonough was involved in social activism from an early age, when, at 14, she led her church youth group in publicizing the conditions of Africville, a low-income neighbourhood in Halifax. She attended Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, which was her family's alma mater. After two-years, she transferred to Dalhousie University in Halifax, where she completed a sociology and psychology Bachelor of Arts degree in 1965. She became a social worker, and during the 1970 Nova Scotia general election, worked for Gerald Regan's Liberal Party, writing that party's social policy platform. She quickly became disenchanted with Regan and the Liberals, and joined the New Democratic Party in 1974.
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