Kaycee Madu facts for kids

Kelechi "Kaycee" Madu is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He was born in Nigeria on April 10, 1974. Kaycee Madu was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 2019 to 2023. He represented the area of Edmonton-South West.

Madu was part of the United Conservative Party (UCP). He served as Alberta's Minister of Municipal Affairs from 2019 to 2020. From 2020 to 2022, he was the Minister of Justice and Solicitor General. He was the first Black person to hold a justice minister role in any Canadian province.

In 2022, Madu became the Minister of Labour and Immigration. This happened after a review of a phone call he made to a police chief. The review found that his call created a "reasonable perception of interference." Later that year, he was named Deputy Premier under Premier Danielle Smith. Madu lost his seat in the 2023 election to Nathan Ip.

Early Life and Career

Kaycee Madu grew up in southeastern Nigeria. He studied law at the University of Lagos and became a lawyer in Nigeria. In 2005, he moved to Edmonton, Canada, with his wife Emem. She was studying at the University of Alberta.

After moving to Canada, Madu worked in different legal roles. He worked for Alberta Hospital, Legal Aid Alberta, and the Government of Alberta. These experiences helped him understand the legal system.

Political Journey

Kaycee Madu was very involved in politics. He supported the merger of two political parties in Alberta. These were the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta and the Wildrose Party. They joined together to form the United Conservative Party (UCP) in 2017.

In the 2019 Alberta general election, Madu ran for a seat. He wanted to represent the area of Edmonton-South West. He won the election with 10,245 votes. He was the only UCP candidate elected in the city of Edmonton that year.

In the 2023 Alberta general election, Madu ran again. However, he was defeated by Nathan Ip. Ip was the candidate for the New Democratic Party of Alberta.

Minister of Municipal Affairs

On April 30, 2019, Kaycee Madu became the Minister of Municipal Affairs. This role means he worked with cities and towns across Alberta. He held this position until August 25, 2020.

Early in his time as minister, Madu wrote an article. He suggested that cities like Calgary and Edmonton spent too much money. He asked them to lower their spending and taxes. City leaders disagreed with his claims.

During his term, Madu made some changes to how cities received money. He reduced funding for important programs. These programs helped cities pay for things like infrastructure. This caused concern among many local leaders.

Madu also introduced a new law called Bill 29 in June 2020. This bill changed rules for local elections. It removed rules about sharing who donated money to campaigns. It also removed limits on how much third-party groups could spend on advertising. Many municipal leaders were unhappy with these changes. They felt their relationship with the minister was "broken." About a month later, Madu was moved to a different role.

On March 4, 2020, Kaycee Madu received a special honor. He was named a Queen's Counsel. This is a high award for lawyers who have greatly helped the law and society.

Minister of Justice and Solicitor General

In August 2020, Madu became the Minister of Justice and Solicitor General. This was an important step, as he was the first Black person in Canada to hold this role. People praised his appointment. They felt his background would bring new ideas to the justice system.

Traffic Ticket Incident

In March 2021, Madu received a traffic ticket. He was using his cellphone while driving in a school zone. After getting the ticket, he called the Chief of Police. He said he was concerned about how people of color are stopped by police. The Chief later said Madu did not ask for the ticket to be cancelled.

This incident became public in January 2022. Premier Jason Kenney asked Madu to take a leave from his job. An investigation looked into the phone call. The investigation found that Madu did not try to stop justice. However, his call created a "reasonable perception of interference." This means it looked like he might have tried to interfere.

Minister of Labour and Immigration

On February 25, 2022, Madu changed roles. He became the Minister of Labour and Immigration. This role focuses on jobs and welcoming new people to Alberta.

Deputy Premier and Minister of Skilled Trades

On October 24, 2022, Kaycee Madu received another important role. He was named Deputy Premier by Premier Danielle Smith. He also became the Minister of Skilled Trades and Professions. He served in these roles until May 1, 2023.

Electoral History

2023 General Election

2019 General Election