Shelly Glover
Shelly A. Glover, PC is a former member of the Winnipeg Police Service and is a former Canadian politician who served as the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages in the cabinet of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. She was a member of the Conservative Party and was the Member of Parliament for the electoral district of Saint Boniface, Manitoba from 2008 until 2015.
In January 2011, she was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance. She was appointed Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages on July 15, 2013. She was the first policewoman to become an MP in Canadian history. Glover served as a member of the Winnipeg Police Service for almost 19 years prior to her election, rising to the rank of sergeant. She was on leave of absence from the police force while serving in Ottawa.
Personal life
Glover is fluent in both English and French, and self-identifies as a Manitoba Métis. She is married to Bruce, a retired police officer and small business owner; they have five children.Political career
Glover won the riding in the 2008 federal election from incumbent Liberal Raymond Simard by over 4,500 votes. On November 7, 2008, Glover was named Parliamentary Secretary for Official Languages by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. She was re-elected in a rematch with Simard in the 2011 election, the first time in the riding's history that a centre-right MP had been reelected. Glover did not stand for re-election in 2015.Election spending controversy
The Speaker of the House of Commons received a request from Elections Canada to suspend Glover as an MP in June 2013. Glover failed to file documents related to the 2011 election campaign. Elections Canada spokesman John Enright said, "Those letters advised the speaker that an elected candidate shall not continue to sit or vote as members of the House of Commons pending the filing of complete and accurate returns." Glover filed a legal challenge in the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench. Liberal MP Scott Andrews indicated the suspension of Glover from Parliament should be immediate according to previous legal precedent.On July 22, 2014, it was reported in the media that Glover's staffers had attempted to remove the controversial election spending information from her Wikipedia page.
In July 2013 it was reported that Glover had filed a revised return, which Elections Canada accepted. Her campaign acknowledged that, as a result of "inadvertence and an honest misunderstanding of what constitutes an election expense", it exceeded the legal limit by $2,267. Glover promised to make up for the overspend by a corresponding underspend in the next election, and was not penalised.
Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
On October 8, 2013, "Daryl Kramp, Member of Parliament, on behalf of the Honourable Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, announced support for the Tsi Kionhnheht Ne Onkwawenna Language Circle to develop Mohawk language-learning tools."After politics
Glover resigned from the Winnipeg Police Service in April 2018, writing in her letter that the service became a "toxic workplace" for her and that "the WPS is no longer a healthy environment."Electoral record
Honours
| Ribbon | Description | Notes |
| Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal |
| |
| Police Exemplary Service Medal |
- On July 15, 2013 Glover was appointed as a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, giving her the honorific title "The Honourable" and post-nominal letters "PC" for life.