Alaina Lockhart

Alaina Lockhart (born May 26, 1974) is a Canadian Liberal politician who represented the riding of Fundy Royal in the House of Commons of Canada from 2015 to 2019. She took on the role of Parliamentary Secretary to Small Business and Tourism, as well as Official Languages and La Francophonie. She has served as a member of the Agriculture and Agri-food Standing Committee, and the Veterans Affairs Standing Committee. Lockhart lost her seat in the 2019 Canadian federal election to Rob Moore.

Early life and education As a child, Lockhart was a member of the Girl Guides of Canada for eight years, and her daughter has registered with the program as well.

Lockhart graduated from the University of New Brunswick in Saint John, New Brunswick with a bachelor's degree in business administration, majoring in human resource management.

Business career After graduating from university, Lockhart worked as a manager for a corporate company, up until the birth of her first child. In 2010, Lockhart was presented with the Chamber of Commerce Woman Entrepreneur Award, for her success with her business. The business was sold in June 2017 to Sherry McCormick. Lockhart also became the first female MP for the Fundy Royal riding. Whilst making history for her riding, many were critical of her candidacy during the 2015 election. Lockhart elaborated on the sexism faced from reporters in a 2019 interview with Chatelaine (magazine):“I understand how I was a bit of a novelty being the first woman ever elected in Fundy Royal, but I am guessing no one ever asked my predecessors who would care for their children when they went to Ottawa.” In March 2019 on International Women's Day, Lockhart participated in a roundtable hosted by the Women's Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC) in Kelowna, BC. The purpose of the roundtable was to discuss the future of women entrepreneurs.

Committees and Roles During her time in parliament, Lockhart was part of many committees and had many roles as a member of parliament. She was a member of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Committee and a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee from January 2016 to September 2017. Also, Lockhart was a Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Tourism from September 2017 to August 2018, as well as Parliamentary Secretary of Official Languages and La Francophone from August 2018 to September 2019. According to Lockhart, "hen Atlantic Canada does better, all of Canada does better".

Following her defeat in the 2019 Canadian Federal Election, Lockhart took to Twitter to congratulate Rob Moore, and thank the voting district for allowing her the opportunity to serve. Despite the defeat, Lockhart takes great pride in making history as the first woman to represent the region at the federal level.

Parliamentary Secretary to Small Business and Tourism Lockhart was Canada's Parliamentary Secretary to Small Business and Tourism

In May 2019, Lockhart met with tourism companies to discuss growth in the Canadian tourism industry, which includes the Canadian Experiences Fund. The CEF, created in 2019, has given many communities across the country to host events and generate tourism; events, who have been possible due to the $1.7 million federal grant, and an anti-racism conference in Hamilton. Following the creation of the 2019 Federal Tourism Growth Strategy, Lockhart has expressed her excitement in saying:"I look forward to seeing how it will impact the province by increasing visitors, strengthening our communities and growing the economy." The federal government invested $6.6 million, announced Lockhart, to upgrade many aspects of Fundy National Park, including supporting the restoration of Atlantic salmon. The family currently lives in the Sussex area.

Electoral record