Rebecca Blaikie

Rebecca Blaikie
Blaikie addressing the 2013 federal NDP convention in Montreal
President of the New Democratic Party
In office September 12, 2011 – April 10, 2016
Preceded by	Brian Topp
Succeeded by	Marit Stiles
Treasurer of the New Democratic Party
In office 2009–2011
Personal details
Born	(1978-05-25) May 25, 1978 (age 38) Winnipeg, Manitoba
Political party	New Democratic Party
Relations	Daniel Blaikie (brother)
Parents	Bill Blaikie (father) Brenda Blaikie (mother)
Alma mater	Concordia University University of Winnipeg

Rebecca Blaikie (born May 25, 1978 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian politician, who served as president of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2011 to 2016.

She is the daughter of Bill Blaikie, a former NDP Member of Parliament from Winnipeg, deputy leader of the party, and provincial cabinet minister. Her brother Daniel Blaikie was elected as Member of Parliament for their father's former riding of Elmwood-Transcona in 2015.

She has an undergraduate degree in Canadian social history from the University of Winnipeg and a graduate degree in community economic development from Concordia University's School of Community and Public Affairs.

Blaikie was a candidate for the NDP in the 2004 Canadian federal election in then-Prime Minister Paul Martin's electoral district of LaSalle—Émard in Montreal, Quebec. She received 4.97% of the vote share, and was not elected. She did however receive a large amount of press coverage.

As executive director of the party's Quebec wing, she was one of the architects of Thomas Mulcair's historic victory in the 2007 Outremont by-election and was widely credited with setting the groundwork for the party's historic breakthrough in the province in the 2011 election.

She then returned to Manitoba to work for the provincial government. She ran in the 2011 federal election in the district of Winnipeg North, receiving 35.41% of the vote, narrowly losing to Kevin Lamoureux of the Liberal Party by 44 votes (0.17%).