Ron Stevens

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For the comedian/radio personality, see Stevens & Grdnic.

Ron Stevens (born 1949) is an Albertan MLA who is currently that province's Deputy Premier and Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

Ron Stevens was born in Empress, Alberta, in 1949. He obtained his post-secondary education in Alberta: Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) at the University of Calgary in 1971 and Bachelor of Laws at the University of Alberta in 1975.

Stevens is serving his third term as MLA for Calgary Glenmore. He was elected to his first term on March 11, 1997 and his second term on March 12, 2001. On March 15, 2001, he was appointed Minister of Gaming, responsible for the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission and the Alberta Lottery Fund.

Following the Alberta general election, 2004, Stevens was elected for a third term. On November 25, 2004, he was sworn in as Minister of Justice and Attorney General. In addition to his duties as MLA and as a Minister, he also serves as Deputy Government House Leader, Vice Chair of the Justice and Government Services Standing Policy Committee, Chair of the Legislative Review Committee, Minister responsible for the Oil Sands Secretariat, and as a Member of the Agenda and Priorities Committee. On June 27 2007 he was named Alberta's Deputy Premier.

Prior to becoming an MLA, Mr. Stevens practiced civil litigation law and acted as a mediator with a major Calgary law firm. He was appointed [Queens Counsel] in 1996. He was also very active in community affairs and served as President of the Palliser Bayview Pumphill Community Association, Director of the Federation of Calgary Communities, Director and Vice-Chairman of the Calgary Housing Authority, and Director of Community Mediation Calgary Society.

Additionally, as an MLA, Stevens successfully sponsored two government bills, the Holocaust Memorial Day and Genocide Remembrance Act and the Irrigation Districts Act, and one private members bill, the Emblems of Alberta (Alberta Dress Tartan) Amendment Act.

He and his wife Phyllis have two children. The Stevens family have lived in Calgary Glenmore for 25 years.

[edit] Hawaiian Stopover Controversy

In October 2007, CBC News Calgary reported that Ron Stevens had used his government credit card to pay for drinks and meals for his wife and four other people while on a stopover in Hawaii in 2003 (CBC News).

At the time, Stevens was serving as Alberta's Gaming Minister. His three-day Hawaiin stopover occurred as he was returning from Australia where he had been studying that country's gaming system.

"I don't recall whether it was a three-day stop or not," Stevens said when questioned about the trip.

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