Myrna’s path in life is rooted in her strong desire to make a difference.  Having served as a nurse, a leader in the area of missing and exploited children, and as an elected Member of the Legislative Assembly in Manitoba, Myrna’s many roles have reflected this calling to help make her community a better place. 

Myrna was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba on May 16, 2016. She  has held a number of diverse critic roles in the past including that of Interim Leader of the PC Party of Manitoba, Deputy Leader, Critic for Health, Status of Women,  Finance, Civil Service & Crown Corporations Council, Child & Family Services, and Education.  During her first year  she was the Legislative Assistant to the Minister of Health. She has been a member of the Public Accounts Committee and  the Standing Committees of WCB & Children’s Advocate.

Myrna was also the chair of the Northern Lights Committee of Caucus which worked towards the development of an economic strategy for northern Manitoba. 

Myrna has had the rare success of having five Private Members’ Bills passed. 

In 2011, Myrna was elected for a three year term as Chair of the Canadian Region of Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) by her peers from across the country. In September, 2012, Myrna was also elected the Vice-Chair CWP International. CWP works for better representation of women in legislatures throughout Canada and the Commonwealth as well as strategizes and acts on gender-related issues in Canada and internationally. In 2022, Myrna took on the role of CWP President of CWP International.

Before entering public life, Myrna had a successful and rewarding career as a registered nurse with experience in general duty, nursing education, quality assurance, medical and nursing research, patient education, and nursing administration. Her nursing experience has led her to have a passionate voice for a better health care system.  

As President and Executive Director of Child Find Manitoba, Myrna was a leading advocate for the protection of children.  Her fierce determination and leadership were the driving force behind the early development of Child Find Manitoba, which as the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, is now recognized across Canada as a key player in child protection issues. 

Myrna’s professional achievements have earned her recognition in the "Canadian Who’s Who".  For service to her community, Myrna was presented the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal as well as being made an honourary Rotarian. She is a member of Women of Winnipeg, an organization of women leaders identified as leaders in the community. 

Not afraid to take on a challenge, Myrna has been a strong voice for health, education, justice, and economic issues, and is a champion of youth, seniors’ and women’s issues.  Her persistence, as well as her strong belief in the power and ability of women, led to the establishment of the Nellie McClung Foundation and the monument of Nellie and the Famous Five on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislature. She currently is a Board Member of the Foundation and was the Co-Chair of The Centennial Gala: Celebrating 100 Years of Manitoba Women’s Right to Vote.

As Speaker, Myrna chairs the Legislative Assembly Management Commission. She is also on the MLC Midwest- Canada Relations Committee as well as the Honourary President of the Association of Former Manitoba MLA's. Recently Myrna was also named as First Vice President, Regional Executive Committee, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association - Canadian Region.

Myrna and her husband, Hal live in Charleswood. She enjoys the company of friends, gardening, reading, photography, horseback riding, and the occasional round of golf.

Honourable Nontembeko Nothemba Boyce is a seasoned gender activist, champion of the working class and the poor.

Born and raised in Flagstaff, in Eastern Cape, Honourable Boyce became politically conscious at a very early age and she participated in the student politics during the 1990s. In 1996 she came to work in the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal as a teacher.

She possesses the following academic qualifications: a Senior Primary Teacher’s Diploma, BTech in Education Management from TUT, Advanced Certificate in Leadership and a Post Graduate Diploma from Wits. She is currently registered for a Masters Management with Wits

Nontembeko Boyce has served in various positions of the branch of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) in Ezingolweni before being elected into the Regional Structure where she served as a Regional Secretary of the union in then Lower South Coast Region, now Mbuso Shabalala as well as also having served in various structures of the Mass democratic Movement including being Regional Chairperson of ANC Youth League and Young Communist League of South Africa as well as in ANC Women’s League Regional Executive Committee.

She is currently a serving member of the African National Congress PEC / PWC and its Women’s League in KwaZulu-Natal. She has served as Councillor in the Ugu District Municipality whilst also working as ANC KZN Legislature Caucus Manager.

In 2014 she was sworn in as a Member of the KZN Legislature and deployed as Deputy Chief Whip of the ANC and the Legislature. In 2016 she was deployed as Chief Whip. During the 5^th Legislature term of she has represented the Legislature in various international delegations including the Commonwealth Parliamentary Associations Africa Regional Meeting in Nigeria as well in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Bangladesh both held in 2017.

Following the 2019 general elections, Honourable Boyce was elected as the Speaker of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature and is serving in the National Speaker’s Forum Core Business Reference Group. She also led the KZN Legislature delegation to the CPA Africa Regional Meeting in Zanzibar as well as the CPC held in Uganda. She serves in the Project Advisory Group as a Chairperson representing the CPA and the Associated Organisations

In 2022 at the CPA Africa Region, Honourable Boyce was elected as a member of the Budget Committee.

Julie Green was re-elected to the 19^th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly representing the constituency of Yellowknife Centre. She is the Minister of Health and Social Services, Minister responsible for Seniors and Minister responsible for Disabilities. She has a particular interest in assisting seniors to age in place, and providing harm reduction services to the homeless population. She is proud to serve on the seven-member Executive Council with four other women, including a female Premier.

Ms. Green was first elected to the 18^th Assembly in 2015 and was the Chair of Caucus as well as the Chair of the Special Committee to Increase the Representation of Women in the Legislative Assembly. In the 2019 election, the representation of women increased from two of 19 members to nine, with an additional woman member added during a bi-election.

Ms. Green spent 16 years reporting for CBC, leaving in 2009 to focus on advocating and fundraising for services centered on women, families and children in need at the YWCA NWT. Working with representatives from the GNWT, Indigenous governments, municipal governments and the business sector, she helped create the territorial anti-poverty strategy and action plan, Building on the Strengths of Northerners.

Ms. Green holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Saskatchewan, a Master of Arts in History from the University of Calgary, and a Master of Arts in Journalism from the University of Western Ontario. As well, she holds a Certificate in Fundraising Management from Ryerson University.

Ms. Green is married and has one grown daughter.

Sarah Childs joined the University of Edinburgh, Scotland in May 2022. With a background in political science and women’s studies, her research centres on the theory and practice of women’s representation, gender and political parties, parliaments, and institutional change. She has published four research books (New Labour’s Women MPs 2004, Women and British Party Politics, 2008, and Sex Gender and the Conservative Party, 2012 with Paul Webb), with the most recent, Feminist Democratic Representation published by Oxford University Press in 2020 (with Karen Celis). FDR won the 2022 UK Political Studies Association best book in political science. Childs is also the author of The Good Parliament Report (TGP 2016), which followed a secondment to the House of Commons, and which identified a series of reforms to make the House diversity sensitive. As a formal adviser to the former Speaker, Childs was actively involved in the introduction of proxy voting for babyleave in 2018-20; some 18 of her 43 recommendations have been implemented in part or in full. Following a 2020/1 Leverhulme Fellowship, Childs is finalizing her new book, based on her time in the House, with the working title: Designing and Building Feminist Institutions which will be published in 2023.