Kelly Lamrock

Infobox_Politician


name = Kelly Lamrock
small| caption =
birth_date =
birth_place =
residence =
office1 = MLA for Fredericton-Fort Nashwaak (old boundaries)
term_start1 = 2003
term_end1 = 2006
predecessor1 = Eric MacKenzie
successor1 = riding dissolved
office2 = MLA for Fredericton-Fort Nashwaak
term_start2 = 2006
term_end2 =
predecessor2 = first member
successor2 = incumbent
party = Liberal
religion =
occupation =

Kelly Lamrock, is a Canadian lawyer and politician in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. He is currently a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick for Fredericton-Fort Nashwaak, and Minister of Education in the New Brunswick cabinet.

Before politics

Kelly Lamrock attended Fredericton High School. While there he competed in the World High School Public Speaking Championship, where he placed second, and was the winner of several national debating comptetitions.

He attended St. Thomas University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts and the University of New Brunswick, where he earned a Bachelor of Laws. He was president of the student unions at both institutions, the first and so far the only student to have occupied both posts. He was also involved in national student politics, he served as president of the Canadian Federation of Students and then was a leader in the split within that organization that led to the creation of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA). He was the founding president of the New Brunswick Student Alliance, a provincial wing of CASA, during which time he authored "Open Doors, Open Minds" and "No More Smoke and Mirrors" two reports which led to his appearing before committees of the Canadian House of Commons and Canadian Senate as well as to a tuition freeze in New Brunswick.

Following graduation from university, Lamrock briefly ran his own law practice before becoming the Director of Policy and Communications for the New Brunswick Healthcare Association in 1998. In 2001, he become Director of Student Affairs at St. Thomas University.

Political career

Though he had been often associated with the New Brunswick New Democratic Party and helped write that party's platform for the 1999 provincial election, he soon became active in the New Brunswick Liberal Party. Lamrock chaired the party's policy renewal process in 2001 and was nominated as candidate for Fredericton-Fort Nashwaak under the Liberal banner in 2002.

He was elected to the Legislature in the 2003 election and joined the shadow cabinet as co-critic for Education and critic for Post-Secondary Education. In November, following the resignation of veteran Liberal legislator Bernard Richard, Lamrock was given the high profile role of Opposition House Leader.

Throughout the remainder of the legislative session, Lamrock became one of the most high profile members of the Liberal caucus and carried several high profile critic portfolios in addition to his House Leader duties. In 2006, he delivered the opposition reply to the budget due to the absence of the finance critic for a family emergency.

Lamrock was easily re-elected in a largely different district, though still named Fredericton-Fort Nashwaak, in the 2006 election. Following the election he was named to cabinet as Minister of Education and was also given responsibilities for the Advisory Council on Youth and the Provincial Capital Commission.

French immersion controversy

On March 14, 2008, Minister Lamrock announced the elimination of all public school French Second Language training prior to Grade 5 in New Brunswick, including the popular Early French Immersion program which started in Grade 1. Instead all students would have five months of "intensive" French in Grade 5, and there would be an optional Late French Immersion program starting in Grade 6. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2008/03/14/nb-french.html CBC News: N.B. students won't begin French until Grade 5] - Retrieved 20 Mar 08] Public reaction has been highly critical of this move, and groups have called for his resignation over the matter. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2008/03/19/lamrock-react.html CBC News: Early French immersion advocates want minister to resign] Retrieved 20 Mar 08]

On June 11, 2008, Justice Hugh McLellan of the Court of Queen’s Bench of New Brunswick quashed Lamrock's decision of March 14, calling the decision of the minister unfair and unreasonable because he did not allow enough time for debate before making his decision. [ [http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2008/06/11/judge-quashes-nb-govt-plan-to-cut-early-french-immersion/] - Retrieved 21 June 08] In response, Minister Lamrock has announced a new consultation with a deadline of July 25, and has stated that he will make a final decision on August 5. Electronic submissions to this new consultation have been posted on the Government of New Brunswick website. [ http://www.gnb.ca/0000/comm/eng-commP1-e.asp Electronic submissions to Lamrock consultation, July 2008]

On June 18, 2008, the New Brunswick Ombudsman and Child and Youth Advocate, Bernard Richard, in his Report of the Ombudsman into the Minister of Education’s decision to modify the French Second Language Curriculum, recommended that the Government defer the consultation announced by Minister Lamrock and delay implementation of the elimination of early French immersion until September 2009, citing: Unfairness stemming from a lack of consultation, Unfairness due to insufficient notice prior to implementation, Decision premised upon a mistake of fact arising from errors in statistical analysis and other factual errors, Failure to consider all the evidence before the Commissioners and before the Minister, Bias arising from an alleged pre-determination of the consultation outcomes, Determination of FSL policy on the basis of irrelevant grounds or considerations, or for an improper purpose, and Failure to consider commitments of citizen engagement in the government response to the Commission on Legislative Democracy [ [http://www.gnb.ca/0073/PDF/FSLReport-e.pdf] - Retrieved 21 June 08]

On August 5, 2008, Minister Lamrock and Premier Shawn Graham announced a revised plan [ http://gnb.ca/cnb/news/edu/2008e1124ed.htm Consultation results in improved French second-language programming (08/08/05)] for French Second Language Education, subsequent to the public consultation. In this new plan French immersion will be offered starting in Grade 3, following an introduction to French language and culture for all students starting in kindergarten. Students who are not in the immersion program will have intensive French in Grade 5. A greater variety of options will be available in higher grades.

Cabinet posts

References