Murray Smith (Alberta politician)

Last updated
Murray D. Smith
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
In office
June 15, 1993 –November 22, 2004
Preceded byNew district
Succeeded by Harry Chase
Constituency Calgary-Varsity
Personal details
Political party Progressive Conservative
Spouse(s)Barbara Smith
OccupationLawyer, businessman, politician

Murray D. Smith is a businessman and former provincial-level politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1993 until 2004 sitting with the governing Progressive Conservative caucus. During his time in office he served as a cabinet minister under the government of Ralph Klein serving various cabinet portfolios from 1994 to 2004.

Contents

Early life

Smith took his post secondary education as the University of Calgary where he earned a B.A. (Economics & Political Science). He also attended London Business School's Senior Executive Program and went to Notre Dame College in Wilcox, Saskatchewan.

After university he worked in the Alberta energy sector with a number of Alberta-based energy service companies including drilling fluids, service rigs, oilfield contracting and consulting. [1] In addition to his involvement in the private sector, he was an active community volunteer. Political Career

Smith ran for political office on the provincial level. He ran for a seat to the Alberta Legislature in the electoral district of Calgary-Varsity in the 1993 Alberta general election. He won the new electoral district winning a hotly contested race against Liberal candidate Carrol Jaques and three other candidates to pick up the district for the provincial Progressive Conservatives. [2]

After the election Premier Ralph Klein appointed Smith to the Executive Council of Alberta. He served as the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. During his tenure of the portfolio he phased out the Machinery and Equipment Tax. This was the largest industrial tax reduction in the province's history. Klein would shuffle his cabinet on May 31, 1996 and Smith became the Minister of Labour.

Smith ran for re-election in the 1997 Alberta general election with ministerial advantage. He faced off against Jaques for the second time and ended up returning to his second term with a larger majority over the other four candidates. Jaques saw her popular vote fall from her 1993 result. [3]

Klein would shuffle his cabinet on May 26, 1999. Smith was given a new portfolio he became the first Minister of Gaming for the province. [1] He ran for a third term in office in the 2001 Alberta general election and faced Jaques for the third time. He defeated three other candidates including Jaques with a landslide majority to win his third term, while Jaques popular vote collapsed. [4]

After the election in 2001 Klein would assign Smith to another portfolio he would become the Minister of Energy on March 16, 2001. Smith was responsible in that portfolio for gaining international recognition of Alberta's 176 billion barrels of established oil reserves—including 174 billion barrels of oil sands. During his tenure, Alberta annual oil and gas royalty revenue rose to over $9 billion, a record number of wells were drilled (over 20,000), and over $60 billion in investment was committed to Alberta oil sands projects.

Smith was also responsible for Alberta's electricity sector, guiding the $5 billion market move to a competitive wholesale generation market. Increased investment added over 5000 megawatts in new generation, and Alberta became the top wind generation province in Canada. He retired from provincial politics at dissolution of the legislature in 2004.

Washington appointment

After leaving provincial politics Smith was appointed in January 2005 as the Official Representative of the Province of Alberta to the United States of America. He led the Alberta Office in Washington, DC, until returning to Canada in the fall of 2007. Smith is a member of the Board at Williams(WMB.nyse) He is also a member of the board at N-Solv, a private company with Hatch as the majority shareholder. N-Solv is a in situ oilsands technology company that produces oil with 85% reduction in GHG emissions and uses no water

As Alberta's representative in Washington DC, Smith was a Congressional Nominee for Securing America's Future Energy, a Presidential Commission, (The Energy Policy Act of 2005). Smith also built a partnership with the Smithsonian Institution that featured Alberta on the National Mall in Washington DC in 2006, as part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival that attracted over a million visitors and garnered national media attention. During his tenure in Washington DC, Smith testified in Senate and Congressional Committees on Energy, was a frequent commentator and source for energy analysis for US print and electronic media. Smith is also a frequent presenter and speaker to investor organizations, conferences and numerous seminars.

Late life

Smith is a current member of Energy Advisory Board of TD Securities Inc. He serves on various energy-related corporate boards, and is president of a private consulting company, Murray Smith and Associates.

Smith has been the recipient of numerous awards, including being named as one of the top 40 alumni in the past 40 years at the University of Calgary (where an endowment exists in his name). In 2006 Smith was recognized as one of Alberta Venture newsmagazine's 50 most influential Albertans. Smith was also recently recognized for his work with the First Nations of Alberta and made an honorary chief and given the name “Seven War Bonnets Man”. Smith is a contributor to many community organizations and is a past Director of the Calgary Stampede Board.

Smith is married to Barbara Smith and has two daughters. He is a golfer and a lifetime member of the Riley Park Cricket Club.

Related Research Articles

Don Getty Premier of Alberta, Canada, from 1985 to 1992

Donald Ross Getty, was a Canadian politician who served as the 11th Premier of Alberta between 1985 and 1992. A member of the Progressive Conservatives, he served as Energy Minister and Federal and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister in the government of Peter Lougheed before leaving politics for the private sector in 1979. He returned to politics six years later to contest the leadership contest resulting from Lougheed's retirement. He defeated two other candidates, and became Premier November 1, 1985.

The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta was a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta. 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.

Nancy MacBeth, née Elliott 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.

Calgary-Varsity

Calgary-Varsity is a provincial electoral district in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The district was created in 1993 and returns a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.

Calgary-Fish Creek

Calgary-Fish Creek is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The district is one of 87 mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting.

Calgary-Elbow

Calgary-Elbow is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada. Its current MLA is Doug Schweitzer, the Minister of Justice and Solicitor General, who won the seat in the 2019 provincial election.

Calgary-North West

Calgary-North West is a provincial electoral district in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The district was created in 1979 and is mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.

Calgary-Foothills

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.

Dave Hancock Canadian politician

David Graeme Hancock, is a Canadian lawyer and was the 15th Premier of Alberta in 2014. Since 2017, he has served as a judge of the Provincial Court of Alberta. From 1997 to 2014, he was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing Edmonton-Whitemud as a Progressive Conservative until announcing resigning from the legislature on September 12, 2014.

Ed Stelmach Premier of Alberta, Canada, from 2006

Edward Michael Stelmach is a Canadian politician and served as the 13th Premier of Alberta, Canada, from 2006 to 2011. The grandson of Ukrainian immigrants, Stelmach was born and raised on a farm near Lamont and speaks fluent 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.

Ronald Liepert is a Canadian politician and the current Member of Parliament for Calgary Signal Hill. He was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing the constituency of Calgary-West as a Progressive Conservative, from 2004 to 2012. On April 12, 2014, Liepert won the federal Conservative nomination in Calgary Signal Hill, defeating incumbent Rob Anders.

Gregory Knowles "Greg" Melchin is a politician and accountant who formerly served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and Cabinet Minister in the Alberta government.

Ray Danyluk Canadian politician

Raymond Bruce "Ray" Danyluk is a farmer and former provincial politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 2001 to 2012 with the Progressive Conservative caucus before being defeated by Wildrose Party candidate Shayne Saskiw in the 2012 election. During his time in office Danyluk served as a cabinet minister in the government of Premier Ed Stelmach, serving in various portfolios since 2006.

Jeffrey David Johnson is a Canadian business man and politician who was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta (MLA) and Minister in three senior cabinet positions.

Robert Arnold "Butch" Fischer is a long-serving Canadian provincial level politician from Alberta. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1982 until 2001 sitting with the governing Progressive Conservative caucus. He was investigated for a conflict of interest in 2001 that led to his resignation. During his time in office he served a couple different cabinet portfolio's under the Ralph Klein government.

Rick Orman Canadian politician

Richard D. "Rick" Orman is a businessman and former Canadian politician. Orman was born in Calgary, Alberta in 1948 as a fourth generation Albertan. He studied at the University of Calgary before graduating with honours from Eastern Washington University in 1971. Orman served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1986 to 1993. Since 1993, he has been active within the business community, both provincially and internationally.

Stephen Carlyle "Steve" West is a business man, 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.

Norman "Norm" Allen Weiss was a provincial level politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1979 to 1993 sitting with the governing Progressive Conservative caucus. During his time in office he served a couple different cabinet portfolios under the government of Don Getty.

Stewart Alden McCrae was a provincial level politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1973 to 1982 sitting with the governing Progressive Conservative caucus. During his time in office he served a couple different cabinet portfolio's in the Peter Lougheed government.

Clarence Mervin "Merv" Leitch was a former lawyer and provincial level politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1971 to 1982 sitting with the governing Progressive Conservative caucus. During his time in office he served numerous cabinet portfolios in the government of Peter Lougheed.

References

  1. 1 2 "Murray Smith bio". Foster Learning Inc. Archived from the original on May 3, 2003. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
  2. ↑ "Calgary-Varsity results 1993". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Calgary-Varsity results 1997". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Calgary-Varsity results 2001". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.