{{Short description|Canadian politician}} {{For| the Australian artist |Olive Kathleen Crane}} {{Use Canadian English|date=September 2021}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = | name = M. Olive Crane | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1957|10|28}} | birth_place = | office1 = MLA for Morell-Fortune Bay | term_start1 = March 20, 2006 | term_end1 = June 12, 2007 | predecessor1 = Kevin MacAdam | successor1 = riding dissolved | office2 = MLA for Morell-Mermaid | term_start2 = June 12, 2007 | term_end2 = May 4, 2015 | predecessor2 = new district | successor2 = Sidney MacEwen | office3 = Interim leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island | term_start3 = September 4, 2007 | term_end3 = May 26, 2010 | predecessor3 = Pat Binns | successor3 = Jim Bagnall <small>(interim)</small> | office4 = Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island | term_start4 = October 2, 2010 | term_end4 = January 31, 2013 | predecessor4 = Jim Bagnall <small>(interim)</small> | successor4 = Steven Myers <small>(interim)</small> | party = }} '''Mary Olive Crane''' (born 28 October 1957)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.assembly.pe.ca/sites/www.assembly.pe.ca/files/Historical%20MLA%20Bios/C-2.pdf |publisher=Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island |title=Minding the House: a biographical guide to Prince Edward Island MLAs (Volume 2), 1993-2017 (Cassandra Bernard & Sean McQuaid, Eds.) |accessdate=2021-04-04}}</ref> is a Canadian politician and social worker from Douglas Station, Prince Edward Island. She was the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island from 2007 to 2010 on an interim basis and 2010 to 2013 on a permanent basis. She was also leader of the Official Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island from 2007 to 2010 and 2010 to 2013.
==Biography== A native of Morell, Prince Edward Island, Crane is a graduate of Dalhousie University. She is a career civil servant, working as a social worker for the provincial government since 1979. She has worked in a variety of departments from Health & Social Services, Office of the Attorney General to Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture. She was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island on March 20, 2006 in the by-election for District 2, Morell-Fortune Bay,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/conservatives-win-pei-by-election/article705356/|title=Conservatives win PEI by-election|work=The Globe and Mail|date=March 21, 2006|access-date=2017-03-04}}</ref> and re-elected to the Legislature on May 28, 2007 representing District 7, Morell-Mermaid. Following the 2007 election, she was appointed the Opposition Critic for Health, Education, the Status of Women, and Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour.
On September 4, 2007 she was appointed the interim leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/crane-to-lead-p-e-i-pcs-1.682417|title=Crane to lead P.E.I. PCs|publisher=CBC News|date=September 5, 2007|access-date=2017-03-04}}</ref> She was the fifth woman to serve as leader/interim leader of a PEI political party (after Leone Bagnall, Pat Mella, Catherine Callbeck and Sharon Labchuk).
On May 26, 2010, Olive Crane resigned as interim leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island and announced her intentions to seek the permanent leadership. On October 2, 2010, she won the leadership of the PEI Progressive Conservative Party on the second ballot, defeating her main opponent, Jamie Ballem.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/crane-wins-p-e-i-tory-leadership-1.897757|title=Crane wins P.E.I. Tory leadership|publisher=CBC News|date=October 1, 2010|access-date=2017-03-04}}</ref> Crane led the party in the 2011 election, receiving 40 per cent of the vote and winning five seats. She was also re-elected in her Morell-Mermaid riding.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/crane-and-4-tories-voted-in-1.1066759|title=Crane and 4 Tories voted in|publisher=CBC News|date=October 3, 2011|access-date=2017-03-04}}</ref>
On December 5, 2012, Crane announced her resignation as leader of the party effective January 31, 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/p-e-i-pc-leader-olive-crane-resigns-1.1170938|title=P.E.I. PC Leader Olive Crane resigns|publisher=CBC News|date=December 5, 2012|access-date=2017-03-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/News/Local/2012-12-05/article-3134101/PC-Leader-Olive-Crane-resigns/1|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130115115009/http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/News/Local/2012-12-05/article-3134101/PC-Leader-Olive-Crane-resigns/1|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 15, 2013|title=PC Leader Olive Crane resigns|work=The Guardian|location=Charlottetown|date=December 5, 2012}}</ref>
On October 4, 2013, Crane was ejected from the Progressive Conservative caucus, one day after giving an interview concerning the defection of Hal Perry, the Progressive Conservative MLA for Tignish-Palmer Road, to the Liberals. According to Steven Myers, the interim Progressive Conservative leader, this interview was a violation of a promise, made at a meeting prior to the interview, that Progressive Conservative MLAs would not speak to the media about Perry's defection.<ref>[https://archive.today/20131022130013/http://www.journalpioneer.com/News/Local/2013-10-04/article-3418442/Olive-Crane-kicked-out-of-PC-caucus/1 "Olive Crane kicked out of PC caucus"]. Journal Pioneer. 4 October 2013. Archived from [https://www.saltwire.com/gallery/1 the original] on 22 October 2013.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170305192209/http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/news/local/2013/10/4/olive-crane-kicked-out-of-pc-caucus-3418414.html "Olive Crane kicked out of PC caucus"]. The Guardian. Charlottetown. 3 October 2013. Archived from [https://www.saltwire.com/category/prince-edward-island/ the original] on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2025.</ref>
Crane did not reoffer as a candidate in the 2015 election.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/olive-crane-not-reoffering-in-coming-election-1.2927697|title=Olive Crane not reoffering in coming election|publisher=CBC News|date=January 22, 2015|access-date=2017-03-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/news/local/2015/1/22/olive-crane-bows-out-of-next-provincial-4016839.html|title=Olive Crane bows out of next provincial election|work=The Guardian|date=January 22, 2015|access-date=2024-06-30|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305114258/http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/news/local/2015/1/22/olive-crane-bows-out-of-next-provincial-4016839.html|archivedate=March 5, 2017}}</ref> In July 2015, Crane was hired by the Liberal government as a labour market specialist in the Department of Workforce and Advanced Learning.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/olive-crane-former-p-e-i-pc-leader-hired-by-the-liberals-1.3164579|title=Olive Crane, former P.E.I. PC leader, hired by the Liberals|publisher=CBC News|date=July 23, 2015|access-date=2017-03-04}}</ref>
In 2018, Crane began working for the Abegweit First Nation. As of 2025, Crane serves as the First Nation's Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and Strategic Planning.<ref>"[https://abegweit.ca/our-team/ Our Team]" Abegweit First Nation. Retrieved 18 December 2025.</ref>
==Personal life== Crane married Paul Affleck in 1983. They have three children.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.assembly.pe.ca/sites/www.assembly.pe.ca/files/Historical%20MLA%20Bios/C-2.pdf |publisher=Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island |title=Minding the House: a biographical guide to Prince Edward Island MLAs (Volume 2), 1993-2017 (Cassandra Bernard & Sean McQuaid, Eds.) |accessdate=2021-04-04}}</ref>
She is the sister of Dody Crane, the former leader of the Prince Edward Island New Democratic Party.<ref>[https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/battlegrounds-canada-liberals-seem-safe-in-p-e-i-but-momentum-could-shift "Battlegrounds Canada: Liberals seem safe in P.E.I., but momentum could shift"]. ''National Post'', August 4, 2011.</ref>
==Election results== {{2007 Prince Edward Island general election/Morell-Mermaid}} {{2011 Prince Edward Island general election/Morell-Mermaid}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070926221352/http://www.gov.pe.ca/phone/makebio.php3?number=46630 Olive Crane profile at Government of PEI] (copy archived September 2007)
{{Prince Edward Island Conservative and Progressive Conservative leaders}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Crane, Olive}} Category:Politicians from Kings County, Prince Edward Island Category:Living people Category:Dalhousie University alumni Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island MLAs Category:Women MLAs in Prince Edward Island Category:Female Canadian political party leaders Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island leaders Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island Category:21st-century Canadian women politicians Category:1957 births