Pearl Calahasen

Infobox_Politician
name = Pearl Calahasen
small

---

caption =
birth_date =
birth_place =
residence =
office = MLA for Lesser Slave Lake
term_start = March 20, 1989
term_end =
predecessor = Larry Shaben
successor =
office1 = Alberta Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development
term_start1 = March 15, 2001
term_end1 = December 15, 2006
predecessor1 = New portfolio
successor1 = Guy Boutilier
note1 = Boutilier held the combined portfolio of International, Intergovernmental, and Aboriginal Relations
office2 = Alberta Associate Minister of Aboriginal Affairs
term_start2 = May 26, 1999
term_end2 = March 15, 2001
predecessor2 =
successor2 = Position abolished
office3 = Alberta Minister without Portfolio in charge of Children's Services
term_start3 = May 31, 1996
term_end3 = May 26, 1999
predecessor3 =
successor3 = Iris Evans
party = Progressive Conservative
alma_mater = University of Alberta
University of Oregon
religion =
occupation =

Pearl Calahasen is a Canadian politician, who currently represents the electoral district of Lesser Slave Lake in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. A member of the Progressive Conservative party and former cabinet minister (holding the positions of Minister without Portfolio in charge of Children's Services, Associate Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, and Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development). Calahasen was the first Métis woman elected to public office in the Alberta.

Early life

Calahasen was born and raised in Grouard, Alberta.archive.org |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20061005091108/http://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_bio&rnumber=63 |title=Pearl Calahasen's Legislative Assembly of Alberta biography] She attended the University of Alberta, from which she received a Bachelor of Education, and the University of Oregon, from which she received a Master's degree.

Political career

Electoral record

Calahasen first sought election in the 1989 Alberta election, when she ran as the Progressive Conservative candidates in the riding of Lesser Slave Lake. She won a plurality of votes, capturing 47.6% and defeating her nearest rival, Liberal Denise Wahlstrom, by nearly one thousand votes. This was the closest election of her political career to date; in subsequent elections, she won shares of the votes ranging from 55.5% (in the 1993 election) to 74.2% (in the 2001 election).cite web |url=http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/process/election_results.html |title=Alberta's past election results |accessdate=2008-03-06]

At the time of her election in 1989, Calahasen was the first Métis elected to public office in Alberta. [cite web |url=http://www.naaf.ca/html/p_calahasen_e.html |title=National Aboriginal Achievement Awards biography of Pearl Calahasen |accessdate=2008-04-15]

Cabinet roles

Calahasen served as a backbencher in Ralph Klein's government until 1996, when Klein appointed her Minister without Portfolio responsible for Children's Services. [cite web |url=http://www.teachers.ab.ca/Albertas+Education+System/Eye+on+Education+in+Alberta/Education+Scan/1996/May/Cabinet.htm |title=Alberta Teacher's Association account of the 1996 cabinet shuffle |accessdate=2008-04-14] She served in this capacity until 1999, when she was shuffled to the position of Associate Minister of Aboriginal Affairs. [cite web |url=http://www.teachers.ab.ca/Albertas+Education+System/Eye+on+Education+in+Alberta/Education+Scan/1999/May/Cabinet.htm |title=Alberta Teachers' Association account of the 1999 cabinet shuffle |accessdate-2008-04-14] In 2001 she was promoted to full minister, of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development. [cite journal |year=2001 |month=Summer |title=Legislative Reports (Alberta) |journal=Canadian Parliamentary Review |volume=24 |issue=2 |url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/Infoparl/english/issue.htm?param=79&art=220#1 |accessdate= 2008-04-15] Calahasen initially supported Lyle Oberg in the 2006 P.C. leadership contest, [cite web |url=http://www.turtleisland.org/discussion/viewtopic.php?t=5064 |title=News and Comment, Turtle Island Native Network |accessdate= 2008-04-15] but switched her endorsement to Ed Stelmach after Oberg dropped off the ballot; [cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2006/11/28/tory-endorse.html |title=Artists for Dinning, MLA Pham for Morton |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |date=November 29, 2006 |accessdate= 2008-04-15] despite this support, she was not included in Stelmach's cabinet once he became premier in 2006. [cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2006/12/15/cabinet-stelmach.html |title=Stelmach names smaller cabinet |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |date=December 15, 2006 |accessdate= 2008-04-15]

Legislative initiatives

Calahasen has sponsored a number of bills over her career in the legislature.

As a backbencher

Despite not being a member of cabinet, in 1990 Calahasen sponsored the "Metis Settlements Act", a government bill which incorporated Métis settlements as a new class of municipality. [cite hansard | url=http://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_22%5Csession_2%5C19900605_2000_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=June 5, 1990] It passed with the support of the opposition, although New Democrat Bob Hawkesworth expressed concern that the settlements were not given sufficient autonomy from government. [cite hansard | url=http://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_22%5Csession_2%5C19900626_2000_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=June 26, 1990] The same year, she sponsored the "Nechi Community College Act", a private bill that would have established the Nechi Community College, but which didn't reach second reading. [cite hansard | url=http://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_22%5Csession_2%5C19900424_1430_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=April 24, 1990] [cite web |url=http://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/19900308_1200_01_bsr.pdf |title=Bill Status Report for the 22nd Legislature - 2nd Session (1990) |accessdate=2008-04-15]

In 1995, Calahasen sponsored the "Colin Chor Wee Chew Legal Articles Act", another private bill which didn't progress to second reading. [cite web |url=http://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/19950213_1200_01_bsr.pdf |title=Bill Status Report for the 23rd Legislature - 3rd Session (1995) |accessdate=2008-04-15] She also sponsored the "Public Health Amendment Act", which was designed to allow nurse practitioners to fulfill some of the functions of doctors in communities in which doctors were in short supply.cite hansard | url=http://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_23%5Csession_3%5C19950411_2000_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=April 11, 1995] The bill passed with the support of the opposition Liberals, although some members - including Terry Kirkland, Colleen Soetaert, Percy Wickman, Gary Dickson, Lance White, and Howard Sapers - argued that the bill left out to many details, by leaving these details in the realm of legislation, inappropriately empowered bureaucrats at the expense of the legislature. [cite hansard | url=http://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_23%5Csession_3%5C19950426_2000_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=April 26, 1995]

As a minister

As Associate Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, Calahasen sponsored the "First Nations Sacred Ceremonial Objects Repatriation Act", a 2000 government bill that allowed for the repatriation of first nations artifacts. [cite hansard | url=http://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_24%5Csession_4%5C20000306_1330_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=March 6, 2000] It passed with full opposition support. [cite hansard | url=http://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_24%5Csession_4%5C20000418_2000_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=April 18, 2000]

Election results

External links

* [http://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_bio&rnumber=63 Legislative Assembly of Alberta biography of Pearl Calahasen]

References