Diane Finley reflects on her dream come true as an MP

By Kaitlyn Clark

The Haldimand Press

HALDIMAND—Diane Finley was only nine years old when she first dreamed of winning political office, and as she says goodbye to her role as Member of Parliament for Haldimand Norfolk after six terms and 16 years in office, she’s thankful to have seen that dream become reality.

“When I was about nine, my mother sat me down right before an election and explained democracy to me, how important it is and how lucky we are to have it. From there on in I wanted to be an MP and have the opportunity to serve my riding and serve my country. It’s something that’s stayed with me my whole life,” said Finley, who got involved with politics early through model politics in high school and then through university politics.

Born and raised in Norfolk, Finley would go on to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Administrative Studies and then a master’s degree in Business Administration from Western University in London, Ontario. She stayed at the school after graduating as an administrator at Western’s French Immersion School.

Advertisement

 

From there, Finley worked in a variety of industries, which she said would become a great asset to her: “The biggest surprise when I got into the job (as an MP) was how much more there was; whether it was the range of issues or the depth of issues…. I had worked in a wide range of industries and that was very helpful because when the issues affecting those industries came up I actually knew something about those issues.”