Alison Redford
Alison Redford is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the fourteenth premier of Alberta from October 7, 2011, to March 23, 2014. Born on March 7, 1965, in Kitimat, British Columbia, she grew up in various locations due to her father's work in the oil industry before settling in Calgary. Redford graduated from the College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan in 1988 and embarked on a career that included roles as a policy advisor and a consultant in international law, notably working with Nelson Mandela in South Africa.
Redford entered politics in 2008 and won a seat as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for Calgary-Elbow. After serving in Ed Stelmach's cabinet as minister of justice, she won the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Association in 2011. Her premiership was marked by efforts to improve healthcare and education, as well as to advance energy initiatives like the Keystone XL Pipeline. However, Redford's time in office was marred by controversies, including a conflict of interest scandal and criticisms over spending taxpayer money.
She resigned in March 2014 amid party infighting and has since remained active in community organizations and international advisory roles. In 2022, she addressed issues of sexism and discrimination in political environments, reflecting on her experiences during her tenure.
On this Page
Alison Redford
Politician, lawyer
- Born: March 7, 1965
- Place of Birth: Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada
Significance: Alison Redford is a Canadian lawyer who served as the fourteenth premier of the province of Alberta in Canada. She was in office from October 7, 2011, to March 23, 2014.
Background
Politician, lawyer. Alison Redford was born March 7, 1965, in the town of Kitimat in British Columbia, Canada. Her mother Helen Redford emigrated from Scotland, and her father, Merrill Redford, was born in Canada. She has two younger sisters, Melody and Lynn.
During her childhood, the family lived in different parts of the world, including both Nova Scotia and Borneo in Southeast Asia. Redford's father was an electrician who worked on oil rigs and had to move for his profession. When she was a preteen, the family settled in Calgary, where she attended high school. There, Alison was elected president of the Progressive Conservative Youth of Alberta after taking an interest in politics. In 1988, Redford graduated from the College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan.
After graduation, Redford briefly worked as a policy advisor for Joe Clark, who was the minister of External Affairs. Then, from 1988 to 1990, she served in the office of Brian Mulroney, who was the prime minister of Canada at the time. During her tenure, she organized a series of consultations that enabled the public to weigh in on federal white papers about foreign policy and defense.
During the 1990s, Redford worked in a small law firm that she had started. Then she decided to become a consultant and technical advisor. Her work took her to South Africa, where she met with Nelson Mandela to assist in negotiations with the apartheid regime. She also addressed legal/reform issues in Europe, Australia, and the Philippines. In particular, Redford focused on education, human rights, election issues, and policy reform related to gender. In 2005, the secretary-general of the United Nations named Redford as an International Elections Commissioner for the first parliamentary elections held in Afghanistan.
Life’s Work
Alison Redford had been active in politics since the late 1980s on both the federal and provincial levels. However, she had never run for office before 2004. That year, she challenged Member of Parliament (MP) Rob Anders of Calgary West for his seat. However, Redford lost her bid.
In 2008, Redford mounted another bid for office, this time on the provincial level. She competed for a seat as Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the Calgary-Elbow district and won. After taking office, she served in the cabinet of Ed Stelmach, who was the premier of Alberta. Redford became the minister of justice and attorney general.
In 2011, Stelmach announced he would step down as the leader of his party, the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta. As a result, Redford resigned from his cabinet to run for his seat in a leadership race. The first round of voting was held on September 18. Redford placed second behind frontrunner Gary Mar. However, no candidate gained the necessary 50 percent of the vote to become the party leader, so a vote was held again on October 1.
Redford won 51 percent of the vote on the second ballot, beating Mar and succeeding Stelmach. "Make no mistake," she stated in her victory speech, "we are going to do things differently." Toward the end of her campaign, Redford faced a difficult loss when her mother died on September 27 from a long-term illness.
Alison Redford was sworn in as the Alberta premier on October 7 at a ceremony held at the Alberta legislature in Edmonton. Entering office, she vowed to improve the quality of life for the people of her province. She promised to address health care issues, establish education reforms, and develop the area’s energy industries. As premier, she created the position of associate minister of accountability, transparency, and transformation to make the provincial government more open. She also worked to gain approval of the U.S. government for the Keystone XL Pipeline.
In April 2012, Redford ran to hold her position in a provincial election and beat Danielle Smith of the Wildrose Party. The Progressive Conservatives secured sixty-one out of eighty-seven seats and achieved a mandate, the full authority to represent the people.
While in office, Redford faced a conflict of interest scandal. During her tenure as minister of justice and attorney general in Stelmach’s cabinet, she chose her former husband’s law firm for a litigation case on tobacco. This was a government contract that was potentially worth tens of millions of dollars in legal fees. As a result of this revelation, Redford faced an ethics probe. She was cleared of any wrongdoing in February 2014. In addition, she faced complaints after spending $45,000 in taxpayer money to attend Mandela’s funeral. She later repaid the money.
Redford faced more difficulties due to infighting within her party. Several key party members expressed displeasure with her leadership. Some quit their positions, while others threatened to abandon the caucus. In the end, Redford decided to leave office. On March 19, 2014, she announced that she was resigning. She formally left office four days later. Deputy Premier Dave Hancock succeeded her on an interim basis. Redford also later resigned her position as MLA on August 6, 2014.
In 2022, Redford revealed she was subjected to sexism and witnessed racism and homophobia in the government she served and referred to those in office in 2022 as the old boy's club. Though she noted progress in such discrimination, she warned of its prevalence in modern government. In 2024, Redford was appointed to the board of directors of Invest Alberta Corporation.
Impact
In 2012, Redford received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. After leaving the premier’s office, Redford became an active member of community boards and other organizations. In 2017, Redford began working as a policy advisor to the government of Afghanistan, helping the country develop its oil and gas industry.
Personal Life
In 1986, Alison Redford married her first husband, Robert Hawkes, who is an attorney. He is the son of Jim Hawkes, a former MP of the Calgary West district. Redford and Hawkes divorced five years after they married. However, they remained close, and he led her transition team when she assumed the office of Alberta Premier.
Redford eventually wed a second time, marrying attorney Glen Jermyn. They have one child, a daughter named Sarah, who was born in 2002. Following her resignation from office, Redford revealed she was no longer affiliated with any political party but continued to practice law in her private practice into the early 2020s.
Bibliography
"Alison Redford." The Canadian Encyclopedia, 24 Sept. 2019, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/alison-redford. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
"Alison Redford’s Turbulent Time as Alberta Premier." CBCNews Edmonton. CBC/Radio-Canada, 19 Mar. 2014, www.cbc.ca/edmonton/interactive/alison-redford-timeline. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
Antoneshyn, Alex. "Alison Redford Appointed to Crown Corporation by Premier Smith." CTV News, 7 June 2024, edmonton.ctvnews.ca/alison-redford-appointed-to-crown-corporation-by-premier-smith-1.6918072. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
Bellefontaine, Michelle, and Daniel Schwartz. "Profile: Alison Redford, Alberta Premier." CBCNews Edmonton. CBC/Radio-Canada, 3 Oct. 2011, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/profile-alison-redford-alberta-premier-1.1006393. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
Coyne, Todd. "From Calgary to Kabul: Former Alberta Premier Alison Redford Lands Job in Afghanistan." CBC News, 27 Nov. 2017, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alison-redford-afganistan-energy-1.4419170. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
"Honorable Alison M. Redford, QC, MLA, Premier of Alberta." Wilsoncenter.org. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Oct. 2011, www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/person/Biography%20-%20Premier%20Redford.pdf. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
Leavitt, Kieran. "Alberta’s First Female Premier Recalls ‘Horrible’ Sexism, Racism and Homophobia in Government she Served." Toronto Star, 27 June 2022, www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/06/27/albertas-first-female-premier-recalls-horrible-sexism-racism-and-homophobia-in-government-she-served.html. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
Martin, Sandra. "Alison Redford: A Leader on the Brink." The Globe and Mail, 31 Mar. 2012, www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/alison-redford-a-leader-on-the-brink/article4178483. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
Walton, Dawn, and Josh Wingrove. "Alberta to Get First Female Premier." The Globe and Mail, 1 Oct. 2011, www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/alberta-to-get-first-female-premier/article4247953. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
Wood, James. "Alison Redford Is ‘Trying to Get on with Her Life’ One Year after Resigning as Alberta’s Premier." National Post, 20 Mar. 2015, nationalpost.com/news/canada/alison-redford-is-trying-to-get-on-with-her-life-one-year-after-resigning-as-albertas-premier. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.