Margaret-Ann Blaney

Margaret-Ann Blaney
Member of the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly for Rothesay Saint John-Kings (1999-2006)
In office June 7, 1999 – May 16, 2012
Preceded by	Laureen Jarrett
Succeeded by	Ted Flemming
New Brunswick Transportation Minister
In office 1999–2001
Preceded by	Sheldon Lee
Succeeded by	Percy Mockler
New Brunswick Public Safety Minister
In office 2001–2003
Preceded by	Milt Sherwood
Succeeded by	Wayne Steeves
New Brunswick Training and Employment Development Minister
In office 2003–2006
Preceded by	Norm McFarlane
Succeeded by	Jody Carr
New Brunswick Environment Minister
In office 2010 – May 16, 2012
Preceded by	Rick Miles
Succeeded by	Craig Leonard
New Brunswick Minister responsible for the Status of Women
In office 1999–2006
Preceded by	Marcelle Mersereau
Succeeded by	Joan MacAlpine-Stiles
New Brunswick Minister responsible for the Status of Women
In office 2010 – May 16, 2012
Preceded by	Mary Schryer
New Brunswick Minister responsible for Communications New Brunswick
In office 2010 – May 16, 2012
Preceded by	Victor Boudreau
Personal details
Born	Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada
Political party	Progressive Conservative
Residence	Rothesay, New Brunswick, Canada
Occupation	Journalist, Politician

Margaret-Ann (née O'Rourke) Blaney, (born in Corner Brook, Newfoundland) is a Canadian journalist and politician. She was a member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1999 until May 2012, representing Rothesay (formerly Saint John-Kings) as member of the Progressive Conservative Party.

An honours graduate with a Bachelor's degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's, Newfoundland, Blaney worked as a reporter for both television and radio from 1982–1993, when she met Wayne Gretzky and became a candidate against Brian Tobin in the 1993 Canadian federal election, finishing a distant second. Shortly thereafter she married and moved to Rothesay, New Brunswick where she managed her husband's veterinary practice. In 1994, Ms. Blaney and her husband started their own small business, the Atlantic Veterinary Hospital in Rothesay, N.B. She was active in the business as co-owner / general manager until June 1999. In 1997, she was a candidate for leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick, losing to Bernard Lord.

She was elected to the New Brunswick legislature in the 1999 election and was named to cabinet as Minister of Transportation. While minister, her riding executive solicited donations from highway contractors, implying that Blaney would favour those who donated. There was briefly a large amount of controversy surrounding this, however; the Moncton Times & Transcript newspaper ran an editorial cartoon with one contractor asking another, while referring to a bulge in his pocket, "Is that Margaret-Ann Blaney in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" This cartoon was derided as sexist and both Blaney and Bernard Lord cried in the legislature when commenting on it. The legislature unanimously passed a motion condemning the cartoon and the controversy soon shifted from Blaney to the paper.

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