New Conservative MP Laila Goodridge hopes to be a strong voice for Alberta's energy sector
Laila Goodridge, the newly elected Conservative MP for Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, says changing the narrative around Canada’s oil and gas sector is of utmost importance to her as she takes on her new role in Ottawa.
Goodridge has called Fort McMurray home her entire life. Her dad’s family moved there in the 1970s to make a better life for themselves. Both her grandfather and dad worked in the oil sands.
Goodridge, too, worked for mining giant Syncrude as a student through university and then for North American Construction Group in health and safety for nearly five years after graduation.
“I love the innovation and ingenuity of the oil sands. They have provided so much opportunity for my family and so many others over the years,” she told CTVNews.ca.
Goodridge says she’s always had a keen interest in politics and was a member of the Conservative Party since its inception.
In 2018, she was elected as a United Conservative MLA in the Fort McMurray-Conklin riding. A year later, she won her second election, this time in the newly formed Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche riding.
The Alberta government named the bilingual Goodridge as the parliamentary secretary for the Francophonie, aimed at ensuring the implementation of Alberta’s French policy.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney congratulated his former teammate on her appointment as the federal Conservative Fort McMurray-Cold Lake candidate, praising her dedication to her community.
“Laila is a true champion for her city and was a relentless advocate for her constituents as an MLA on issues like health care, child care and economic growth,” he wrote on Facebook on Aug. 15.
Goodridge says she’s hoping to showcase her home town to her new colleagues in Ottawa.
“As the newly elected member of Parliament, I’m excited to be able to show my home town, the community that I absolutely love, to politicians from all different political parties to clear up some of the misconceptions that sometimes exist around the oil sands,” she said.
“As someone who grew up here, I live 10 minutes away from the home that I grew up in, that my dad bought from my grandparents. There are people who have roots, it’s not just a boomtown, it’s a home town.”
Goodridge is one of 50 rookie MPs elected in the 2021 federal election. CTVNews.ca is profiling five—one from each party with a seat in the Commons— in the lead up to the first sitting day of the 44th Parliament.
Securing a win on election night – she won her riding with 67.8 per cent of the votes – wasn’t her only badge of honour during the campaign.
Goodridge also gave birth mid-way through the campaign, to a baby boy named Eoghan. It’s her and her husband Niall’s first child together.
Asked how she managed to juggle it all, Goodridge replied: “Because I’m a first-time mom, I don’t have a lot to compare it to, but you know what, it was spectacular. I must give credit where credit is due, I have an exceptionally supportive spouse, wonderful family and friends, and truly the best campaign team anyone could ever ask for.”
She also gave credit to Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole who made sure she was well-supported through the process.
“It was his belief that a pregnant mom could be a candidate, that was really exciting, and his support for working families,” she said, adding that access to child-care services was a major concern she heard about from voters while door knocking.
Goodridge says her perspective as a new mom has helped her prioritize what matters most in life and work.
“You have a finite amount of time as a person, and as a mom that time gets divided a little bit differently, and so it’s about making sure that everything that I’m doing is towards my purpose and my goal,” she said.
Fellow Alberta-based Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner says Goodridge will be a “game changer” for the party.
“I was ecstatic that she ran for us. There aren’t enough women in Alberta caucus on the Conservative side and now we’ve got a woman who first of all has legislative experience, is dynamic, is a new mom, is bilingual. She’s just going to bring a wealth of experience from an area of the country that really needs a strong voice,” the Calgary Nose Hill MP said.
In a statement to CTVNews.ca, O’Toole said he’s “very excited” for Goodridge to join the team.
“She will be a strong voice for the Conservative Party and the people of her riding. I look forward to seeing the amazing things she will accomplish as a member of Parliament,” he said.
O’Toole welcomed more than just Goodridge on her first official visit to Parliament Hill for the party’s October caucus meeting.
Rempel Garner says her being a new mom “sends a message to women that this is a path that’s available to them, and not only available to them, but vital we have those voices in senior halls of power in Canada.”
“She’s a huge pickup for our team.”
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Local Spotlight
Twin Alberta Ballet dancers retire after 15 years with company
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
Here's how one of Sask.'s largest power plants was knocked out for 73 days, and what it took to fix it
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
Quebec police officer anonymously donates kidney, changes schoolteacher's life
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Canada's oldest hat store still going strong after 90 years
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Road closed in Oak Bay, B.C., so elephant seal can cross
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
B.C. breweries take home awards at World Beer Cup
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Kitchener family says their 10-year-old needs life-saving drug that cost $600,000
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.