Alison Redford facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Alison Redford KC
Redford in 2012
14th Premier of Alberta
In office October 7, 2011 – March 23, 2014
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Lieutenant Governor	Donald Ethell
Deputy	Doug Horner Thomas Lukaszuk Dave Hancock
Preceded by	Ed Stelmach
Succeeded by	Dave Hancock
Leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
In office October 1, 2011 – March 23, 2014
Preceded by	Ed Stelmach
Succeeded by	Dave Hancock (interim)
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Alberta
In office March 12, 2008 – February 18, 2011
Premier	Ed Stelmach
Preceded by	Ron Stevens
Succeeded by	Verlyn Olson
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Calgary-Elbow
In office March 3, 2008 – August 6, 2014
Preceded by	Craig Cheffins
Succeeded by	Gordon Dirks
Personal details
Born	Alison Merrilla Redford (1965-03-07) March 7, 1965 (age 60) Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada
Political party	Progressive Conservative (2008–2014)
Spouses	Robert Hawkes ​ ​ (m. 1985; div. 1991)​ Glen Jermyn
Children	1
Alma mater	University of Saskatchewan
Occupation	Politician Lawyer Civil Servant
Signature

Alison Merrilla Redford (born March 7, 1965) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician. She was the 14th premier of Alberta, serving from October 7, 2011, to March 23, 2014. A premier is like the head of the government for a province in Canada. Redford was born in Kitimat, British Columbia. She grew up in many places across Canada and even overseas before her family settled in Calgary when she was a teenager.

In the 2008 provincial election, Redford was chosen as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Calgary-Elbow. An MLA is a person elected to represent a specific area in the provincial government. She worked in the government's cabinet as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General. This means she was in charge of legal matters for the province.

Redford became premier after winning the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta party in 2011. On April 23, 2012, she led her party to win the 2012 provincial election. Alison Redford made history as the first female premier in Alberta. She was also the eighth woman to serve as a premier in Canada's history.

On March 19, 2014, Redford announced she would step down as premier of Alberta. Her last day was March 23, 2014. Dave Hancock, who was the deputy premier, took over temporarily. She also resigned from her role as an MLA on August 6, 2014.

Who is Alison Redford?

Early Life and Global Work

Alison Redford was born on March 7, 1965, in Kitimat, British Columbia. Her mother was from Glasgow, Scotland. Her family moved a lot, living in Nova Scotia and even Borneo before settling in Calgary when Alison was 12. She finished high school in Calgary and then studied law at the University of Saskatchewan in 1988.

In the 1990s, Redford worked as an expert on legal changes in different parts of Africa. She worked for groups like the European Union and the Commonwealth Secretariat. Her work in Africa focused on human rights, creating education programs, and improving policies for gender equality.

One of her important jobs was being chosen by the United Nations to help with Afghanistan's first parliamentary elections in 2005. She also advised the Canadian government on its future role in Afghanistan. Her work took her to many countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Namibia, and the Philippines. Before becoming a politician, Redford also managed a project to train judges and reform laws in Vietnam.

Alison Redford was also a member of the Girl Guides of Canada. She was even featured in a museum exhibit about famous Girl Guides.

Starting in Politics

From Justice Minister to Premier

In the 1980s, Redford worked for former Prime Minister Joe Clark, who was Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs. She also worked in the Prime Minister's Office from 1988 to 1990, under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. In this role, she helped gather public ideas on Canada's foreign policy.

On March 13, 2008, Alison Redford was elected as an MLA for Calgary-Elbow. Soon after, Premier Ed Stelmach named her the Minister of Justice and Attorney General. She was also part of important government committees. In early 2011, she left her cabinet job to focus on her campaign to become the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party.

Becoming Premier

Winning the 2012 Election

On February 16, 2011, Redford announced she wanted to become the leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta. The previous leader, Ed Stelmach, had decided to step down. Many people saw Redford as an outsider because she had support from only one other MLA at first.

In the first round of voting on September 18, 2011, Redford came in second. The person expected to win, Gary Mar, was ahead. However, many new members joined the party to support Redford. They liked her promise to reverse cuts to education. In the final round of voting on October 2, 2011, Redford won with 51 percent of the votes.

Alison Redford became Alberta's 14th Premier at the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton on October 7, 2011.

On March 26, 2012, Redford called for a provincial election, which happened on April 23, 2012. Many thought the Wildrose Party, led by Danielle Smith, would win. This would have ended the Progressive Conservatives' long time in power.

However, on election night, the Progressive Conservatives surprised everyone. They won 61 out of 87 seats, keeping their majority government. The Wildrose Party lost support in the last weeks of the campaign. This was partly because their leader, Danielle Smith, defended some candidates who had made controversial comments. Alison Redford became the fourth woman in Canadian history to lead a political party to victory in an election.

Redford campaigning during the 2012 provincial election

During her campaign, Redford promised to work with non-profit groups. She also promised to build 50 new schools and fix up 70 more over the next four years.

What She Did as Premier

Rules for Government Spending

One of Redford's first actions as Premier was to stop extra pay for MLAs who did committee work. There had been public anger about MLAs getting paid for committees that did little work. She also decided not to take a large pension for herself.

After some issues with government spending, Redford put in place new rules for how expenses were reported. This made spending more open to the public. In 2013, she announced a "sunshine list." This list would publicly show the salaries and severance payments for top public sector workers in Alberta.

Education and Worker Rights

Some worker groups were unhappy with the first budget under Redford. They said the government did not keep its promise to increase funding for colleges and universities. Instead, the budget for these areas was cut.

In 2013, Redford's government introduced Bill 45. This law increased fines for illegal strikes by workers. Many worker unions protested this bill. They felt it was unfair because some workers, like nurses, are not allowed to strike as they provide "essential services." After Redford resigned, this bill was later cancelled by the next premier.

Another law, Bill 46, took away the right of a major union to have their wages decided by an independent arbitrator. This right had been given to them by a previous premier. The union challenged this law in court and won a temporary order against it. The government had planned to appeal this decision. However, after Redford resigned, the new government reached an agreement with the union and dropped the appeal.

Energy and Pipelines

Alison Redford worked to support the oil industry in Alberta. She had a difficult relationship with the premier of British Columbia, Christy Clark. Their main disagreement was about building a pipeline to move oil from Alberta to the west coast. Redford wanted to move Alberta's oil to new markets.

After Being Premier

Working in Afghanistan

After she resigned as Premier, Redford did not immediately return to her seat in the Legislature. She later explained that she spent time with her family and worked in her local area. On August 6, 2014, she resigned as an MLA. She said she wanted to "start the next chapter of my life." In a public statement, she admitted that "mistakes were made" and took responsibility for her choices. She said she would continue to live in Alberta and planned to teach and work in international development.

In November 2015, an investigation looked into how Alberta chose a legal team for a big lawsuit. Some people claimed the process was unfair and that Alison Redford had chosen a team with close personal ties. However, on April 3, 2017, an independent ethics commissioner found that Alison Redford did not break any conflict of interest rules. The commissioner said she made a sensible choice based on good information.

In November 2017, Redford took a job as a policy advisor in Kabul, Afghanistan. She helps the Afghan government improve its Ministry of Mines and Petroleum and develop its natural resources. Her goals include restoring the power grid and attracting international investment.

Images for kids

• 

  Alison Redford's signature

Personal life

In July 2015, Alison Redford shared that she no longer belongs to any political party after resigning as premier.

Election results

Tribute

In 2016, Alison Redford's official portrait was revealed. It is now part of a collection displayed in the Alberta Legislature Building.