Grant Notley

Grant Notley (January 19, 1939 - October 19 1984) was a politician in Alberta, Canada.

Notley gratuated from the University of Alberta in 1960 with a history degree. After having been involved with the Alberta New Democratic Party in campus politics, he became the party's provincial secretary in 1962. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 1963 and 1967 provincial elections, and in a 1969 by-election. Notley was elected leader of the Alberta NDP in 1968.

In the 1971 provincial election, he won a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Spirit River-Fairview, and was, for eleven years, the sole NDP MLA in the provincial legislature.

As a result of the 1982 provincial election, he was joined by a second NDP MLA, Ray Martin, and became leader of the opposition. Notley spent his political career patiently building the social democratic NDP in Canada's most conservative province.

In October 1984, Notley and five other passengers were killed in a plane crash. His death came shortly before the party's breakthrough in the 1986 provincial election in which the NDP won 16 seats with 29% of the vote.

Notley's daughter, Rachel Notley, ran for the NDP and was elected in the provincial riding of Edmonton Strathcona in the 27th Alberta general election. His son, Stephen Notley, writes the popular newspaper and web comic strip "Bob the Angry Flower".