In 2003 Mavis Taillieu and I were both rookie MLAs. She was the MLA for Morris and I was the MLA for Steinbach. Like all new MLAs we were assigned our seats in the Legislature and as is usually the case for new MLAs, we were in the back row, seated beside each other. A decade later, Mavis and I were still sitting next to each other but had worked our way down to the front row.
This week, she announced that she was resigning her seat as the MLA for Morris effective immediately. She has made the decision to dedicate more time to her family. For a decade she spent many evenings away from home attending events and meeting with constituents. Mavis was always, from her first day in office, a very hard working and dedicated person. She held senior and difficult jobs in the Legislature serving as both the House Leader and Caucus Whip.
I will miss serving with Mavis and her departure is a loss for our Caucus but I wish her well as she is able to dedicate more time to family and her many friends. On behalf of the residents of the Steinbach constituency, I thank her for her service to the province.
