Jim Prentice facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Jim Prentice PC QC
Prentice in 2014
16th Premier of Alberta
In office September 15, 2014 – May 24, 2015
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Lieutenant Governor	Donald Ethell
Preceded by	Dave Hancock
Succeeded by	Rachel Notley
Leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
In office September 6, 2014 – May 5, 2015
Preceded by	Dave Hancock (interim)
Succeeded by	Ric McIver (interim)
28th Canadian Ministry Minister of the Environment In office October 30, 2008 – November 4, 2010 Prime Minister Stephen Harper Preceded by John Baird Succeeded by John Baird Minister of Western Economic Diversification In office October 30, 2008 – November 4, 2010 Prime Minister Stephen Harper Preceded by Rona Ambrose Succeeded by Rona Ambrose Minister of Industry In office August 14, 2007 – October 30, 2008 Prime Minister Stephen Harper Preceded by Maxime Bernier Succeeded by Tony Clement Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development In office February 6, 2006 – August 14, 2007 Prime Minister Stephen Harper Preceded by Andy Scott Succeeded by Chuck Strahl
Parliamentary constituencies Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Calgary-Foothills In office October 27, 2014 – May 5, 2015 Preceded by Len Webber Succeeded by Prasad Panda Member of Parliament for Calgary Centre-North In office June 28, 2004 – November 14, 2010 Preceded by Riding established Succeeded by Michelle Rempel Garner (2011)
Personal details
Born	Peter Eric James Prentice (1956-07-20)July 20, 1956 South Porcupine, Ontario, Canada
Died	October 13, 2016(2016-10-13) (aged 60) Lake Country, British Columbia, Canada
Cause of death	Plane crash
Political party	Provincial: Progressive Conservative Federal: Progressive Conservative (1976–2003) Conservative (2003–his death)
Spouse	Karen Prentice
Children	3
Residences	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Alma mater	University of Alberta Dalhousie University
Profession	Lawyer

Peter Eric James Prentice (July 20, 1956 – October 13, 2016) was an important Canadian politician. He served as the 16th premier of Alberta from 2014 to 2015. Before that, he was a Member of Parliament (MP) in Canada's federal government. He held several important jobs, including Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Minister of Industry, and Minister of Environment. Jim Prentice was known for his work in both federal and provincial politics. He sadly passed away in a plane crash in 2016.

Early Life and Education

Jim Prentice was born in South Porcupine, Ontario, in 1956. His family moved to Alberta in 1969. His father, Eric Prentice, was a professional hockey player. His uncle, Dean Prentice, also played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for over 20 years.

Prentice studied at the University of Alberta and Dalhousie University. He worked as a coal miner during the summers to pay for his schooling. After becoming a lawyer, he worked as a Law Commissioner for the Indian Claims Commission of Canada. He was married to Karen Prentice and they had three daughters.

Starting in Politics

Prentice joined the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 1976. He was active in politics for many years. In 2002, he was a candidate for a federal election in Calgary Southwest. However, he stepped aside to allow Stephen Harper, a new party leader, to run for the seat without competition.

In 2003, Prentice ran for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party. He wanted to unite the conservative parties in Canada. He believed that a divided conservative group could not defeat the Liberal Party. He came in second place in that leadership race.

Later, the Progressive Conservative Party and the Canadian Alliance merged. This created the new Conservative Party of Canada. Prentice was the first person to announce he would run for the leadership of this new party in December 2003. However, he decided to withdraw from the race in January 2004. Stephen Harper eventually won the leadership and became Prime Minister of Canada in 2006.

Federal Political Career

In the 2004 Canadian federal election, Prentice was elected as an MP for Calgary Centre-North. He won with 54% of the votes. As an MP, he became the Official Opposition Critic for Indian and Northern Affairs. He supported the proposed Mackenzie Valley pipeline.

Prentice was known as a "Red Tory" within the Conservative Party. He surprised many people when he voted in favour of Bill C-38, which supported same-sex marriage.

Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development

In 2006, Prentice became the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. This was a very important role. One of his main goals was to improve services for Inuit people in Nunavut.

He worked on addressing the Indian residential schools issue. These schools caused much harm to Indigenous children in the past. Prime Minister Stephen Harper thanked Prentice for his work on this issue before giving a government apology for the residential school system in 2008.

Minister of Industry and Environment

In August 2007, Prentice became the Minister of Industry. In this role, he focused on Canada's economy and businesses. After the 2008 election, he became the Minister of Environment in October 2008.

In November 2010, Prentice announced he was leaving his job as a minister and as an MP. He then worked in the private sector for a company called CIBC.

Premier of Alberta

Jim Prentice decided to enter provincial politics in Alberta. He ran to become the leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta. This was after Alison Redford resigned as Premier.

On September 6, 2014, Prentice won the leadership election. This made him the leader of the Progressive Conservatives. Because his party had the most seats in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, he also became the Premier of Alberta.

As Premier, Prentice formed a new cabinet. Some members were from the previous government, and some were new. He and two other new ministers won by-elections in October 2014. Prentice became the MLA for Calgary-Foothills.

In 2015, Prentice called an early provincial election for May 5. In this election, his party suffered a big defeat. They dropped to third place in the legislature with only 10 seats. This ended 44 years of Progressive Conservative rule in Alberta, which was the longest time any party had governed a province in Canada.

Even though Prentice won his own seat in Calgary-Foothills, he resigned as both PC leader and MLA on election night. He then retired from politics. The Alberta NDP won a majority government in that election.

A Sad Farewell

On October 13, 2016, Jim Prentice and three other people died in a plane crash. The plane crashed shortly after taking off from Kelowna, British Columbia. The flight was on its way to Springbank Airport, near Calgary.