Lorne Calvert

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Reverend
 Lorne Albert Calvert
 MLA BA
Lorne Calvert

Lorne Calvert


In office
February 8, 2001 – November 21, 2007
Preceded by Roy Romanow
Succeeded by Brad Wall

Incumbent
Assumed office 
November 21, 2007
Preceded by Brad Wall

Born December 24, 1952 (1952-12-24) (age 55)
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
Political party NDP
Spouse Betty Sluzalo
Religion United Church of Canada

Lorne Albert Calvert MLA (born December 24, 1952 in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan) is the former premier of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and current leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. He is the leader of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party.

In 1975, Calvert married Betty Sluzalo of Perdue, Saskatchewan. After attending the St. Andrew's College seminary in Saskatoon, he was ordained as minister of the United Church of Canada in 1976 and served as minister of several rural congregations. From 1979 to 1986, Calvert was the minister of the substantial pastoral charge of Zion United Church in Moose Jaw.

He entered provincial politics in the 1986 provincial election, running as a New Democrat on a platform of prohibiting the construction of a proposed casino in Moose Jaw. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the constituency of Moose Jaw South.

He was re-elected in the 1991 and 1995 elections in the riding of Moose Jaw Wakamow, and in a 2001 by-election in former premier Roy Romanow's riding of Saskatoon Riversdale.

Following the resignation of NDP leader and Premier Roy Romanow, Calvert won the NDP leadership, and became premier on February 8, 2001.

Calvert and the NDP narrowly defeated the centre-right opposition Saskatchewan Party in the 2003 provincial election. The NDP won 30 seats of the 58 seats in the election.

He has been featured in one of the episodes of Corner Gas, a comedy series set in Saskatchewan.

Calvert and his government were defeated in the 2007 provincial election, dropping to 20 seats while the Saskatchewan Party under Brad Wall won a majority government with 38. He has not yet made any formal announcement about his future in politics, although federal New Democratic Party spokesman Brad Lavigne told reporters that the party had asked Calvert to consider standing as a candidate in the 40th Canadian federal election. [1] Calvert declined the offer, although he stated that he would work hard to assist the party's federal candidates [2].

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