Mark Norris ECA (born 1962) is an Alberta politician, former MLA and candidate for the leadership of the Progressive Conservatives.
Norris was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta and earned his Bachelor of Arts in political science from St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia.
He returned to Edmonton following his university years and purchased from his father Paul J. Norris, in 1990, an advertising and sign manufacturing company.
Norris won a seat in the Alberta legislature in 2001 provincial election as the MLA for Edmonton McClung, becoming a celebrated figure within the party for doing so because he had defeated former Tory leadership candidate-turned-Liberal leader Nancy MacBeth. Norris served as the Minister of Economic Development in the Albertan Cabinet under Premier Ralph Klein, but became the only cabinet minister to lose his seat in the 2004 provincial election.
Norris does not rule Alberta separatism out as an option. He told the Calgary Sun in March 2006 that under his leadership, if a future federal government persisted in bringing in policies harmful to Alberta such as a carbon tax, "(Alberta is) going to take steps to secede."[ citation needed ]
On May 30, 2006, Norris became an official candidate in the race to replace Ralph Klein as Premier of Alberta. [1] On the first ballot, he finished sixth of eight candidates, capturing 6.9% of the vote, and was required to withdraw from the race. He subsequently endorsed eventual winner Ed Stelmach.
Ralph Philip Klein was a Canadian politician and journalist who served as the 12th premier of Alberta and leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta from 1992 until his retirement in 2006. Klein also served as the 32nd mayor of Calgary from 1980 to 1989.
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta was a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta that existed from 1905 to 2020. The party formed the provincial government, without interruption, from 1971 until the party's defeat in the 2015 provincial election under premiers Peter Lougheed, Don Getty, Ralph Klein, Ed Stelmach, Alison Redford, Dave Hancock and Jim Prentice. At 44 years, this was the longest unbroken run in government at the provincial or federal level in Canadian history.
The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1905, it is the oldest active political party in Alberta and was the dominant political party until the 1921 election, with the first three provincial Premiers being Liberals. Since 1921, it has formed the official opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta several times, most recently from 1993 until 2012. Fourteen Liberals have served as Leader of the Opposition of Alberta.
The 2004 Alberta general election was held on November 22, 2004 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
Nancy MacBeth is a Canadian politician who was the leader of the Alberta Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1998 to 2001. She was the first female opposition leader in the province's history.
Edmonton-McClung is a provincial electoral district in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The district was created in 1993 and is named after Nellie McClung. The current MLA is Lorne Dach of the NDP, who was first elected in 2015.
Sherwood Park is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada.
Calgary-Elbow is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada. Its most recent MLA was Doug Schweitzer, who won the seat in the 2019 provincial election, stepped down on August 31, 2022 and the electoral district was unrepresented until May 2023, when Samir Kayande from the NDP was elected in a general election.
Calgary-Foothills is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the northwest corner of Calgary. It elected six consecutive Progressive Conservative MLAs from its creation in 1971 until ousted Premier Jim Prentice disclaimed his winning seat on the 2015 general election night, later electing a member of the Wildrose in the following by-election.
Lawrence "Larry" Ralph Shaben was a Canadian politician of Lebanese descent and the first Muslim Cabinet Minister in Canada. He was also one of the first Muslims to be elected to higher office in North America. He held a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1975 to 1989 sitting with the governing Progressive Conservative Caucus. During his time in office he served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Premier Peter Lougheed and Don Getty occupying various portfolios from 1979 to 1989.
Mo Elsalhy is a politician, pharmacist and businessman from Alberta, Canada. He received his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Alberta in 1994.
The 2006 Alberta Progressive Conservative leadership election was held in November and December 2006 to choose a new leader for the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta to replace the retiring Ralph Klein. Ed Stelmach emerged as the winner of an eight candidate field, despite placing third on the first ballot.
Edward Michael Stelmach is a Canadian politician who served as the 13th premier of Alberta, from 2006 to 2011. The grandson of Ukrainian immigrants, Stelmach was born and raised on a farm near Lamont and fluently speaks the distinctive Canadian dialect of Ukrainian. He spent his entire pre-political adult life as a farmer, except for some time spent studying at the University of Alberta. His first foray into politics was a 1986 municipal election, when he was elected to Lamont County council. A year into his term, he was appointed reeve. He continued in this position until his entry into provincial politics.
Guy Carleton Boutilier is a Canadian politician, who sat as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1997 to 2012. He was elected as a Progressive Conservative, and served in several capacities in the Cabinet of Alberta under Premiers Ralph Klein and Ed Stelmach before being ejected from the PC caucus in July 2009; he joined the Wildrose Alliance Party after sitting as an independent for a year.
Douglas Alan Horner is a former Canadian politician, who represented the electoral district of Spruce Grove-St. Albert in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 2001 until January 31, 2015. He was the President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Finance until Jim Prentice's cabinet was sworn in on September 15, 2014. He was a candidate for the leadership of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party in its 2011 leadership election, placing third.
Stephen Carlyle "Steve" West is a Canadian businessman, and a former veterinary doctor, teacher, farmer and former provincial level politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1986 to 2001. He served numerous portfolios in the cabinet for the Alberta government during his political career.
Edwin LeRoy Fjordbotten was a Canadian provincial level politician, farmer and auctioneer. He served as cabinet minister in the government of Alberta serving various portfolios from 1982 to 1992. He held as seat in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta as an MLA in the governing Progressive Conservative caucus from 1979 to 1993.
Edmonton-Glenora is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada. It is located north of the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton.
The United Conservative Party of Alberta (UCP) is a conservative political party in the province of Alberta, Canada. It was established in July 2017 as a merger between the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta and the Wildrose Party. When established, the UCP immediately formed the Official Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The UCP won a majority mandate in the 2019 Alberta general election to form the government of Alberta. UCP leader Jason Kenney became premier on April 30, 2019, when he and his first cabinet were appointed and sworn in by the lieutenant governor of Alberta, Lois Mitchell.