Joan Beatty facts for kids

Joan Beatty is a Canadian politician who has worked in both provincial and federal politics. She was a member of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party (NDP). She served in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan for the area of Cumberland. Later, she became a candidate for the Liberal Party of Canada in federal elections.

Who is Joan Beatty?

Joan Beatty is known for her work as a journalist before she entered politics. She worked for the CBC. In 2003, she made history. She became the first Aboriginal woman to be elected to the Saskatchewan legislature.

Her Start in Provincial Politics

After being elected on November 5, 2003, Joan Beatty quickly took on important roles. Just one month later, she was chosen to be a cabinet minister. This meant she was in charge of specific government departments. She became the Minister of Culture, Youth, and Recreation. She was also the Provincial Secretary.

In 2007, she was re-elected in the 2007 Saskatchewan general election. However, her party, the NDP government, lost the election. So, Joan Beatty then served as an Opposition Critic. This role meant she would question the government on issues. She focused on Women's Issues and Northern Affairs.

Moving to Federal Politics

In 2007, Joan Beatty was asked to run in federal politics. Both the federal NDP and the federal Liberal party wanted her to join them. She had to decide which party to support.

Why the Switch?

On January 3, 2008, Joan Beatty decided to join the Liberal Party. Their leader, Stéphane Dion, officially named her as their candidate. She explained her choice to switch from the provincial NDP to the federal Liberals. She believed the Liberals had a better chance of forming the government. She felt that being in government was important. It allowed her to have a say in big decisions. These included policy and budget choices.

A Challenging Nomination

Joan Beatty's appointment as the Liberal candidate caused some debate. Some supporters of another candidate, David Orchard, were not happy. They felt that party members should have voted to choose the candidate. Instead, the leader appointed Joan Beatty directly.

A Métis leader named Jim Durocher wrote a letter. He complained to Stéphane Dion about this decision. He felt that people from the riding (the election area) should have had a vote. He believed that outsiders should not decide what was best for their area.

However, a Liberal campaign leader, David Smith, defended the choice. He said that the party wanted more women in politics. He explained that Joan Beatty was a very qualified candidate. He said the party was willing to make tough choices to show this commitment.

Despite the debate, Joan Beatty ran in the by-election. She lost the election. Later, she tried again to become the Liberal candidate for the next federal election. This time, there was an open vote among party members. However, David Orchard won the nomination instead.

Election Results

Joan Beatty ran in several elections during her political career. In the 2007 Saskatchewan general election for Cumberland, she won with 3,124 votes. This was about 65.96% of the votes. In the 2003 Saskatchewan general election for Cumberland, she also won. She received 3,268 votes, which was about 69.00% of the total.