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Allister Surette

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The Honourable
Allister Surette
Canadian Senator
from Nova Scotia
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 19, 2024
Nominated byJustin Trudeau
Appointed byMary Simon
President of Université Sainte-Anne
In office
July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2024
Preceded byAndré Roberge
Succeeded byKenneth Deveau
Member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly
for Argyle
In office
May 25, 1993 – March 24, 1998
Preceded byNeil LeBlanc
Succeeded byNeil LeBlanc
Personal details
Born (1961-09-21) September 21, 1961 (age 63)
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia[1]
Political partyIndependent
Other political
affiliations		Liberal (until 1998)

Allister Wilbert Surette (born September 21, 1961) is a Canadian politician who has served as a senator from Nova Scotia since December 2024. He was the President and Vice-Chancellor of Université Sainte-Anne from 2011 to 2024 and previously represented the electoral district of Argyle in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1993 to 1998 as a member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party.[2]

Early life and education

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Born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Surette was raised in the Acadian community of Lower West Pubnico.[3] He graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Dalhousie University and a Bachelor of Education from Saint Mary's University in 1984. He was a high school teacher by career.[3]

Political career

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Surette entered provincial politics in the 1993 election, defeating Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Neil LeBlanc in the Argyle riding.[4][5] Surette served as Deputy Government House Leader prior to serving as the Special Policy Advisor on Acadian and Francophone governance for the public school system, in the Executive Council of Nova Scotia as Minister of Human Resources, Minister in charge of the Youth Secretariat and the Office of Acadian Affairs, and Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs.[6]

In a re-match from 1993,[7] Surette was defeated by LeBlanc when he ran for re-election in 1998.[8][9]

Collège de l'Acadie

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Between 1998 and 2003, he was chief executive officer of the Collège de l'Acadie, which was the only French-language community college in Nova Scotia.[6]

Université Sainte-Anne

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In 2003, Surette became vice-president of Development and Partnerships of Université Sainte-Anne.[10]

In December 2003, Surette was appointed facilitator by the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to lead discussions between herring fishers from Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and their respective provincial governments to seek solutions to the conflict in the herring fishery in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence.[11]

In March 2006, Surette was appointed by the Canadian Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to facilitate an independent process to resolve a dispute between fishers from Prince Edward Island and the Magdalen Islands regarding lobster fishing on MacLeod's Ledge.[11]

In November 2010, Surette was named president and Vice-Chancellor of Université Sainte-Anne.[6] He took office as president on July 1, 2011.[10]

In October 2019, Surette was appointed Chair of the Association of Atlantic Universities, an advocacy organization working on behalf of the region's 16 universities.[12]

During Surette's tenure, the university achieved a record full-time student population of 540 students for the 2019–2020 academic year, exceeding the previous record of 481 students in 2008.[13][14]

During the third term of Surette's presidency at Sainte-Anne, in 2022, the faculty union engaged in a strike[15] that was the longest university strike in Nova Scotia's history and one of the longest in Canadian history.

In September 2023, a student campaign, SA Change Now, posted anonymous survivors' and victims' accounts of sexual harassment, assault, and rape at Sainte-Anne on a website and on its Instagram account.[16] The campaign called on the university to acknowledge rape culture, apologize to its victims, and promise to enact the campaign's five suggested reforms. The university never acknowledged the rape culture, did not apologize to its victims, and enacted few of the reforms.

Surette ended his mandate as President and Vice-Chancellor of Sainte-Anne prematurely, on 30 June 2024. His resignation was publicly announced on 20 November 2023.

Senate

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On December 19, 2024, he was summoned to the Senate of Canada by Governor General Mary Simon, on the advice of prime minister Justin Trudeau.[17]

Other work

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From 1999 to 2003, Surette was a member of the Board of Trustees of du Réseau des cégeps et collèges francophones du Canada (RCCFC), serving as chair from September 2000 to November 2002.

In December 1999, Surette was elected chairman of the executive committee for the 2004 Acadian World Congress. Surette had previously served as President of the organizing committee and then served as chairman of the board of directors.[6][18]

In November 2000, Surette was appointed to a provincial advisory committee created help meet the needs of the Acadian community.[19]

From 2007 to 2018, Surette served as a member of the board of directors for Assumption Life.

In May 2011, Surette was appointed as a member of the board of trustees for the Voluntary Sector Professional Capacity Trust, a trust to support developing human resource policies, business planning and assessing the needs of an organization.[20]

In July 2012, Surette was one of three members appointed to serve on an expert panel reviewing the Regional Development Authority model.[21]

In February 2014, Surette was appointed to the inaugural Board of Directors of the Western Regional Enterprise Network (WREN).[22]

In May 2014, Surette was appointed transition co-ordinator to oversee the dissolution of the town of Bridgetown into the Municipality of the County of Annapolis.[10]

In December 2018, Surette was appointed to the inaugural Board of Directors of Research Nova Scotia.[23]

In December 2019, Surette was appointed chair of the organizing committee for the 2024 Acadian World Congress.[24]

In October 2020, Surette was named the Federal Special Representative, a neutral third-party whose responsibility was to communicate with and rebuild trust between commercial and Indigenous fishers in Southwestern Nova Scotia.[25] In March 2021, Surette released his Final Report as Federal Special Representative.[26]

Recognition and awards

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In 2004, Surette was awarded the Prix du Père Léger Comeau.[27]

In October 2008, Surette was awarded the Order of La Pléiade which recognizes parliamentarians and community leaders for outstanding work in advancing francophone causes.[28]

In 2010, Surette was made an honorary member of the Executive Council by the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.[27]

In October 2019, Surette was one of seven people named to the Order of the Francophones of America which recognizes commitment to the French language and culture in the Americas.[29]

Electoral record

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1998 Nova Scotia general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
  Progressive Conservative Neil LeBlanc 3,028 53.60 +9.32
Liberal Allister Surette 1,891 33.50 -18.48
  New Democratic Party Dianne Crowell 651 11.50 +7.77
Nova Scotia Party Oscar Harris 80 1.40
1993 Nova Scotia general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Allister Surette 3,091 51.98 +20.53
  Progressive Conservative Neil LeBlanc 2,633 44.28 -19.86
  New Democratic Party Dee Dee Daigle 222 3.73 -0.68

References

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  1. ^ "Mr. Jean-Douglas Comeau and Mr. Allister Surette named to the rank of Knight in the Order of the Palmes Académiques". Université Sainte-Anne. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  2. ^ "Electoral History for Argyle" (PDF). Nova Scotia Legislative Library. Retrieved 2015-06-19.
  3. ^ a b "Cabinet biography". Government of Nova Scotia. Archived from the original on January 28, 1998. Retrieved 2015-06-19.
  4. ^ "Returns of General Election for the House of Assembly 1993" (PDF). Elections Nova Scotia. 1993. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2014-10-06.
  5. ^ "Liberal sweep claims cabinet ministers". The Chronicle Herald. May 26, 1993. Archived from the original on March 9, 2000. Retrieved 2014-10-06.
  6. ^ a b c d "Surette to take helm of Université Sainte-Anne". The Digby Courier. November 25, 2010. Archived from the original on 2014-10-07. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  7. ^ "Heavyweights duke it out in Acadian ridings". The Chronicle Herald. March 7, 1998. Archived from the original on January 24, 2005. Retrieved 2014-10-06.
  8. ^ "Election Returns, 1998 (Argyle)" (PDF). Elections Nova Scotia. Retrieved 2014-10-06.
  9. ^ "Six cabinet ministers shelved". The Chronicle Herald. March 25, 1998. Archived from the original on November 25, 2004. Retrieved 2014-10-06.
  10. ^ a b c "Allister Surette appointed transition co-ordinator for Bridgetown". The Vanguard. May 9, 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-06.
  11. ^ a b Biography - Allister Surette Government of Canada
  12. ^ "Allister Surette Appointed Chair of Association of Atlantic Universities". Université Sainte-Anne. October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  13. ^ "A Record Number of Enrolments at Université Sainte-Anne". usainteanne.ca. Université Sainte-Anne. October 1, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  14. ^ "New record for enrolment at Université Sainte-Anne". thevanguard.ca. Tri-County Vanguard. October 2, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  15. ^ Palmeter, Paul. "No end in sight to Université Sainte-Anne faculty strike". CBC News. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  16. ^ Cooke, Alex. "Dozens of sexual assaults alleged at N.S. university, police investigating". Global News. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  17. ^ "Prime Minister announces the appointment of senators". Canadian Government. December 19, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  18. ^ "Press Release: Announcing Executive Committee". acadian.org. December 1999. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  19. ^ "Committee Created to Assist Acadian Community". novascotia.ca. Province of Nova Scotia. November 7, 2000. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  20. ^ "Voluntary Sector Funding Open for Applications". novascotia.ca. Province of Nova Scotia. May 11, 2011. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  21. ^ "Province Initiates Independent Review of Regional Development Authority Model". novascotia.ca. Province of Nova Scotia. July 19, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  22. ^ "Research Nova Scotia Inaugural Board Appointed". novascotia.ca. Province of Nova Scotia. February 13, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  23. ^ "Research Nova Scotia Inaugural Board Appointed". novascotia.ca. Province of Nova Scotia. December 4, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  24. ^ "Executive members appointed to CMA 2024 organizing committee, with Allister Surette as chair". thevanguard.ca. Tri-County Vanguard. December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  25. ^ Government of Canada appoints Federal Special Representative to facilitate discussions between commercial lobster industry and First Nations in Atlantic Canada newswire.ca
  26. ^ Implementing the right to fish in pursuit of a moderate livelihood: Rebuilding trust and establishing a constructive path forward Government of Canada
  27. ^ a b "Allister Surette to become Sainte-Anne president". Yarmouth Vanguard. November 30, 2010. Retrieved December 17, 2019 – via PressReader.
  28. ^ "Acadian, Francophone Parliamentarians, Community Leaders Honoured at Awards Ceremony". novascotia.ca. Province of Nova Scotia. October 23, 2008. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  29. ^ CNW Telbec. "Le Conseil supérieur de la langue française remet les insignes de l'Ordre des francophones d'Amérique et le Prix du 3-Juillet-1608". newswire.ca. Cision. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
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