- Mike Cardinal
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Mike Cardinal 
MLA for Athabasca-Redwater In office
November 22, 2004 – March 3, 2008Preceded by New district Succeeded by Jeff Johnson MLA for Athabasca-Wabasca In office
June 15, 1993 – November 22, 2004Preceded by New district Succeeded by District abolished MLA for Athabasca-Lac La Biche In office
March 20, 1989 – June 15, 1993Preceded by Leo Piquette Succeeded by District Abolished Alberta Minister of Human Resources and Employment In office
November 24, 2004 – December 15, 2006Preceded by Clint Dunford Succeeded by Iris Evans (as Minister of Employment, Immigration and Industry) Alberta Minister of Sustainable Resource Development In office
March 15, 2001 – November 24, 2004Preceded by New portfolio Succeeded by David Coutts Alberta Minister of Resource Development In office
June 2, 2000 – March 15, 2001Preceded by Steve West Succeeded by Murray Smith (as Minister of Energy) Alberta Associate Minister of Forestry In office
May 26, 1999 – June 2, 2000Preceded by New portfolio Succeeded by Portfolio abolished Minister of Family and Social Services In office
December 14, 1992 – May 31, 1996Preceded by John Oldring Succeeded by Stockwell Day Personal details Born 1941
Northern AlbertaPolitical party Progressive Conservative Mike Cardinal is a politician from Alberta, Canada and a former member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, having served in that capacity from 1989 until 2008. He sat as a Progressive Conservative and represented the districts of Athabasca-Lac La Biche, Athabasca-Wabasca, and Athabasca-Redwater. He also held five cabinet posts in the government of Ralph Klein.
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Early life
Mike Cardinal was born into a family of 13 in 1941 in northern Alberta, the son of a trapper and a homemaker. He dropped out of school in grade 8 to work, but eventually returned to school and graduated from grade 12. He spent ten years in the forestry and sawmill industries before entering the public sector. He worked as a mortgage officer with the Alberta Housing Corporation before transferring to the Alberta Human Resources Development Authority. There he developed a native housing/relocation program before moving to the department of Advanced Education and Manpower, where he served as regional supervisor of Employment/Counselling Services for ten years. He served a further three years as a regional manager of Employment and Relocation Counselling Services, and three more as a senior consultant to the Assistant Deputy Minister of Advanced Education and Manpower.
Municipal politics
Cardinal served as a town councillor in Slave Lake and on the school board of the Northland School Division No. 61, where he chaired the board for three of his six years of service.
Provincial politics
Electoral record
Cardinal first sought provincial office in the 1989 election, when ran as a Progressive Conservative against incumbent New Democrat Leo Piquette in the riding of Athabasca-Lac La Biche. He defeated Piquette by more than 900 votes. When electoral boundaries were re-drawn in advance of the 1993 election, Cardinal ran in the new riding of Athabasca-Wabasca. He was elected here not only in 1993, but also in 1997 and 2001, taking well over fifty percent of the vote each time. In 2004 this riding too was abolished, and Cardinal served his last term as the member for Athabasca-Redwater, which he won handily in the 2004 election. He did not seek re-election at the conclusion of this term.
Backbencher
Cardinal served as a backbencher from the time of his election until Ralph Klein became premier in December 1992. During this time, he sponsored the Metis Settlements Land Protection Act of 1990, a government bill designed to give Metis settlements ownership over the land. It passed without significant controversy, though Liberal Nicholas Taylor questioned a portion of the bill that stipulated that the land, as it was communally owned, could not be mortgaged.[1]
Minister of Family and Social Services
Upon Ralph Klein's ascendancy to the Premiership in December 1992, Cardinal was brought into cabinet as the Minister of Family and Social Services. He was the first treaty Indian to be named to Alberta's cabinet,[2] and, in addition to his portfolio, was given cabinet responsibility for aboriginal issues.[3]
Election results
2004 Alberta general election results (Athabasca-Redwater) Turnout 49.9% Affiliation Candidate Votes % Progressive Conservative Mike Cardinal 5,707 47.7% Liberal Nicole Belland 3,253 27.2% NDP Peter Opryshko 1,397 11.7% Alberta Alliance Sean Whelan 1,184 9.9% Green Luke de Smet 252 2.1% Social Credit Leonard Fish 177 1.5% 2001 Alberta general election results (Athabasca-Wabasca) Turnout 50.4% Progressive Conservative Mike Cardinal 4,238 66.7% Liberal Al Wurfel 1,264 19.9% NDP Colin Piquette 606 9.5% Social Credit David Klassen 153 2.4% Green Ian Hopfe 94 1.5% 1997 Alberta general election results (Athabasca-Wabasca) Turnout 47.7% Progressive Conservative Mike Cardinal 3,380 59.0% Liberal Tony Mercredi 1,481 25.9% Social Credit Curtis Gunderson 468 8.2% NDP Dean Patriquin 300 5.2% Green Harlan Light 100 1.7% 1993 Alberta general election results (Athabasca-Wabasca) Turnout 62.2% Progressive Conservative Mike Cardinal 4,144 60.0% Liberal Simon Waquan 1,921 27.8% NDP Emil Zachkewich 843 12.2% 1989 Alberta general election results (Athabasca-Lac La Biche) Turnout 67.5% Progressive Conservative Mike Cardinal 4,237 45.2% NDP Leo Piquette 3,342 35.7% Liberal Tom Maccagno 1,791 19.1% References
- ^ Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly of Alberta, June 5, 1990.
- ^ Quaid, Maeve (2002). Workfare: Why Good Social Policy Ideas Go Bad. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 148. ISBN 9780802081018.
- ^ Fraser, Fil (March 27, 1993). "Cardinal ready to settle Lubicon claim". Edmonton Journal.
12th Ministry - Government of Ralph Klein Cabinet Posts (5) Predecessor Office Successor Clint Dunford Minister of Human Resources and Employment
2004–2006Iris Evans (as Minister of Employment, Immigration and Industry) New portfolio Minister of Sustainable Resource Development
2001–2004David Coutts Steve West Minister of Resource Development
2000–2001Murray Smith (as Minister of Energy) New portfolio Associate Minister of Forestry
1999–2000Portfolio abolished John Oldring Minister of Family and Social Services
1992–1996Stockwell Day Categories:- 1941 births
- Living people
- Cree people
- Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta MLAs
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