Don Getty

Donald ( "Don" ) Ross Getty, OC, AOE ( born August 30, 1933, Westmount, Quebec ) is a Canadian politician, businessman and former Canadian football player. In the 1950s he played in the Canadian Football League and was with the Edmonton Eskimos twice champion. 1 November 1985 to 13 December 1992, he was Prime Minister of the Alberta Progressive Conservative and chairman of the Association of Alberta.

Studies, sports and occupational

Getty grew up in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and London ( Ontario). In London, he was captain of the basketball and football teams as well as student chairman of the student council. At the University of Western Ontario, he completed a business degree and led the Mustangs, the sports club of the University, to two football and four basketball championships the Province of Ontario ( 1952-53 and 1952-55 ). Getty completed his studies in 1955 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in business management. In the same year he married Margaret Mitchell. They have four sons.

After graduating Getty played as a semi- professional for the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League and was one of the best quarterbacks in the country. 1955 and 1956 his team won the championship, the Grey Cup. 1960 the Eskimos lost the final.

In addition to his sports, he also devoted himself to professional career. From 1955 he worked for Imperial Oil, 1961 in Management from Midwestern Industrial gas. In 1964 he founded the company Baldonnel Oil and Gas, 1967, he became a partner of the investment undertaking Doherty, Road House and McCuaig.

Provincial policy

Getty occurred in 1965 at the request of Peter Lougheed Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta at. In May 1967 he was MP for the constituency Strathcona West elected in the elections to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. After the electoral victory of the Progressive Conservatives in August 1971 appointed him Getty Minister for External Relations, that he was responsible for contacts with other provincial governments and the federal government. As of April 1975, he was Minister of Energy.

In order to have more time for the family, Getty joined in March 1979 not to seek re-election. He founded an investment company and sat on the boards of several companies, including the Royal Bank of Canada. As Lougheed announced his imminent resignation, to Getty decided to return to politics. He was elected party chairman and appointed by Deputy Governor Helen Hunley the new Prime Minister on 1 November 1985. Six weeks later, he won a by-election in the constituency of Edmonton Whitemud.

Prime minister

Falling oil prices negatively affected the economic development of the province and the government seemed to have no more spending under control. While Getty's first term in office in Calgary were held the 1988 Winter Olympics. Although his party won again in the elections in March 1989, but with a much reduced majority. Getty itself was voted as a complete surprise in his constituency. Brian C. Downey, the deputy to the security constituency Stettler, then stepped back. Getty was six weeks later to win the election and move back into parliament.

Gettys government tried to bring the economy back on track by froze the salaries of state employees and services degraded. He tried to divert attention from the problems in Alberta by for the vigorous reform of the Senate. Getty arranged in 1989, the first election of a " Senator on call " in to his demand for directly elected senators emphasis. However, these elections are not binding, and so far the Governor-General sent only one of them actually in the Senate. On December 13, 1992 Getty resigned finally, his successor as Prime Minister was Ralph Klein.