After graduating from university, Lockhart worked as a manager for a corporate company, up until the birth of her first child. In 2004, she founded her own bridal salon business, Lockhart Weddings and Special Occasions located in Sussex, New Brunswick. 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.
Political career
Her political involvement began with service as a town councilor in Norton from 2004 to 2008. Lockhart was also a Director of the Royal District Planning Commission, prior to her involvement in federal politics.
She was the Liberal Party's nominee in Fundy Royalin the 2015 election. As a small business owner, Lockhart's campaign appealed to working, middle-class individuals. Lockhart is encouraged by "strengthening the middle class to put more money in their pockets to then stimulate the economy". On October 19, 2015, Lockhart defeated Rob Moore and became the MP for her riding. She is only the second non-Conservative to represent Fundy Royal in its century-long history, the first being Paul Zed, who served a single term from 1993to 1997. Previously holding only one seat in New Brunswick, Lockhart's success was a result of a province-wide wave of liberal support, who held all ten seats for the province following the 2015 election. 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 :
“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.”
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. Lockhart is also a strong advocate for immigration, proposing a private motion M-39 to increase immigration to Canada, specifically to Atlantic Canada. According to Lockhart, "hen Atlantic Canada does better, all of Canada does better".
43rd Canadian Government
During the campaign, Lockhart was commended by Justin Trudeauas being a hard-working, connected member of her community with a passion for growing business and tourism. 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 Tourismfrom September 2017 to September 2019. This is a subject near to Lockhart's heart, as a previous small business owner herself. Since becoming MP in 2015, Lockhart has made many contributions to Canada's small business and tourism sector. In June 2018, Lockhart announced a federal grant of $180,000 to support business growth in rural communities. 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, include a Pride festival in Kelownaand 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."
In July 2019, Lockhart participating in the announcement to upgrade the Fundy Trail Parkway. Lockhart says the upgrade are essential to tourism in order to "make sure that people have a greater experience when they come here and not just the drive". The federal government invested $6.6 million, announced Lockhart, to upgrade many aspects of Fundy National Park, including supporting the restoration of Atlantic salmon.
Personal life
Lockhart is married to her husband Rick and has a daughter, Lauren. The family currently lives in the Sussex area. Since 2014, Lockhart is an active member of the Rotary Club of Sussex.
