1. Lorna Slater was born on 27 September 1975 and is a Canadian-Scottish politician who served as Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity in the Scottish Government from 2021 to 2024.
29 Facts About Lorna Slater
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Lorna Slater has been co-leader of the Scottish Greens, alongside Patrick Harvie, since 2019, and was one of the first Green politicians in the UK to serve as government ministers.
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Lorna Slater was born in Calgary in the Canadian province of Alberta.
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Lorna Slater was educated at the Western Canada High School.
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Lorna Slater became politically involved following the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, where she campaigned in favour of Scottish independence and subsequently joined the Scottish Greens.
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Lorna Slater has been an election candidate for the Scottish Greens several times.
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Lorna Slater was co-convener of the Scottish Greens Operations Committee when she was named second on the list of the party's candidates for the 2019 European Parliament election.
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On 1 August 2019, the results were announced and Lorna Slater replaced Maggie Chapman as the female co-leader.
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Lorna Slater is serving alongside Patrick Harvie for a two-year term.
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Lorna Slater became a prominent figure in the lead up to the Scottish parliamentary election, with her being featured in TV Debates and interviews.
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Lorna Slater predicted the Greens "will have more influence than ever".
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Lorna Slater stood as the Greens' candidate for the Edinburgh Northern and Leith constituency in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.
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Lorna Slater was a member of the Scottish Parliament's Economy and Fair Work Committee as well as the Scottish Greens' Spokesperson on Economic Recovery and Green Industrial Strategy.
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On 18 May 2021, Lorna Slater delivered her maiden speech to the Scottish Parliament.
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Lorna Slater called on all the parties to "work constructively and across party lines" to make transformative change.
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Lorna Slater called on for the parliament to build a case for Scotland to leave the United Kingdom and believes the nation should vote again in another independence referendum.
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Lorna Slater responded, "This was an honest mistake, we're kicking ourselves and we apologise unreservedly".
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On 30 August 2021, Lorna Slater was appointed as a junior minister in the Scottish Government as Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity.
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Lorna Slater was re-appointed as a minister after Green MSPs supported the nomination of Humza Yousaf as First Minister.
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Lorna Slater joined First Minister Humza Yousaf and Minister for Independence Jamie Hepburn to launch the Scottish government's proposal for how citizenship would work in an independent Scotland in July 2023.
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Lorna Slater then took part in a question and answer session with local residents with the Scottish Cabinet.
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In November 2021 Lorna Slater announced that a flagship recycling scheme for drinks containers had been delayed yet again.
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Lorna Slater launched a consultation on the Scottish Government's biodiversity framework in September 2023.
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In October 2023, Lorna Slater reaffirmed the promise to create at least two new national parks.
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Lorna Slater's proposals were welcomed by Friends of the Earth Scotland.
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Lorna Slater was criticised for avoiding questions from MSPs about the Bill by some commentators.
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Some campaigners have advocated for the Lorna Slater to go further, and include provision for education about the circular economy.
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Lorna Slater is autistic, and has often discussed its effect on her life and work.
29.
Lorna Slater is a hobby aerialist and previously had a pet bearded dragon named Bellamy, after David Bellamy.