Alexa Ann McDonough, née Shaw (born August 11, 1944) is a Canadian politician who led the New Democratic Party of Nova Scotia from 1980 to 1994, and was subsequently elected leader of the federal New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1995. She was succeeded by Jack Layton as NDP leader after she stepped down in 2003. McDonough remained in office as the Member of Parliament for Halifax until 2008.
McDonough was born in Ottawa, Ontario. Her father, Lloyd S...
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Alexa Ann McDonough, née Shaw (born August 11, 1944) is a Canadian politician who led the New Democratic Party of Nova Scotia from 1980 to 1994, and was subsequently elected leader of the federal New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1995. She was succeeded by Jack Layton as NDP leader after she stepped down in 2003. McDonough remained in office as the Member of Parliament for Halifax until 2008.
McDonough was born in Ottawa, Ontario. Her father, Lloyd Shaw, was a wealthy businessman, but was committed to progressive politics. He served as the first research director for the NDP's predecessor, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and an early financial backer of the NDP when it formed in 1961.
McDonough was involved in social activism from an early age, when, at 14, she led her church youth group in publicizing the conditions of Africville, a low-income neighbourhood in Halifax. She attended Dalhousie University in Halifax, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1965 and a Masters of Social...
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