Alison Redford

Alison Redford Merrilla, QC ( born March 7, 1965 in Kitimat, British Columbia ) is a Canadian politician and lawyer. From 7 October 2011 to 23 April 2014, she was the 14th Premier of the Province of Alberta and the first woman to hold this office. She was also chairman of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta. Since March 2008, she represents the constituency of Calgary - Elbow in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, in the Cabinet of her predecessor Ed Stelmach she was Minister of Justice.

Biography

Studies and career

Redford spent her childhood in Nova Scotia and Borneo, with twelve years she came to Calgary with her family. In 1988, she completed her legal studies at the University of Saskatchewan and worked as an adviser to the then Foreign Minister Joe Clark. In Calgary, she opened her own law office. From the 1990s, Redford worked in various capacities for the Canadian federal government, the European Union, the Government of Australia and the Secretariat of the Commonwealth of Nations, primarily as a consultant on constitutional and judicial reforms in various African countries. Your work areas included the enforcement of human rights, problems of gender equality and the development of educational programs.

Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General appointed Redford to one of four International Election Commissioners of the parliamentary election in Afghanistan in 2005. Further consultancy work they perform, among others, to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Namibia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and the Philippines. Before the start of her political career, she led a training and judicial reform project in Vietnam.

Political career

Before the general election of 2004 Redford sought to be nominated in the constituency of Calgary West as a candidate of the Conservative Party of Canada, but could not prevail. Four years later, on 3 March 2008, she stepped on to the elections to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, and was elected in the constituency of Calgary - Elbow. Prime Minister Ed Stelmach they then took on in his cabinet, he appointed her Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

In January 2011, Stelmach announced his imminent resignation. A month later, Redford announced that she would run for the vacant chair of the Progressive Conservative Party Association of Alberta. As prescribed in the party statutes, they subsequently went back from their ministerial posts. The first round of voting on 18 September 2011 came Redford behind the favorite Gary Mar on the second place. In the decision on October 2, they prevailed with 51 % of votes. On October 7, she was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Alberta.

Already during the tenure position of Mach, the Progressive Conservative strong competition had received by the far-right Wildrose Party, which unlocked in opinion polls for the ruling party. On 26 March 2012, the lieutenant governor ended the current legislative period and set for April 23 elections to. The approval for the US-led Danielle Smith Wildrose Party then rose abruptly and throughout the election campaign, it seemed as if going to the reign of the Progressive Conservatives after 41 years to end. However, contrary to all forecasts Redford could lead her party to victory, which won 61 of the 87 seats. Observers attributed this to " strategic voting " of leftists and liberals who gave their voice to the Progressive Conservatives to prevent a wild rose - election victory. In addition, the party was moved closer to the political center under Redford.

Prime Minister

In December 2013 Redford brought the influential Alberta Union of Provincial Employees ( AUPE ), the union representing public employees, on against him. With a draft bill, the government proposed to increase penalties for illegal strikes, also the AUPE should be unilaterally deprived of the right to arbitration. The AUPE filed a lawsuit against the government and was able to obtain a perpetual injunction two months later in court. The court considered it proven that the new law could damage the working relationship irreparably, bargaining and would make impossible the AUPE effectively incapacitated.

Also in December 2013, Redford was present at the funeral for the death of Nelson Mandela, as they had worked with once. For negative hit the headlines, the fact that their trip to South Africa with $ 45,000 slammed beech, of which $ 10,000 for a charter flight. Later it became public that she had flown government aircraft on vacation; their twelve year old daughter and her friend cautionary traveled this way. Several weeks Redford refused to refund the cost of the holiday in South Africa, to her finally because of public pressure had no more choice in mid-March. Were also criticized the high salaries of their staff employees who were even higher than those in the Canadian Prime Minister 's office.

Due to the controversy fell Redford's approval ratings in opinion polls at 18 % as deep as with any other Prime Minister before. This devastating poll numbers broke on the weekend of 15-16. March, an internal party revolt. The backbenchers Len Webber resigned from the group and threw Redford bullying before. Ten other Members also considered the exit and Vice - Minister of Energy Donna Kennedy - Glans followed on March 17, Webber's example. Faced with the loss of retention in the fraction Redford was on March 19, her resignation, which took place four days later. As an interim successor to Education Minister Dave Hancock was determined.