Premier of Alberta

Premier of Alberta
Ministry
Provincial

Logo of the Government of Alberta
Incumbent
Alison Redford


Style The Honourable
Appointed by Don Ethell
as Lieutenant Governor of Alberta
First Alexander Cameron Rutherford
Formation September 2, 1905
Term length At the lieutenant governor's pleasure

The Premier of Alberta is the first minister for the Canadian province of Alberta. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. The current Premier of Alberta is Alison Redford. She became Premier by winning the Progressive Conservative leadership elections on October 2, 2011. Redford replaced Ed Stelmach, who retired after serving as Premier for over four years.

The Premier of the province deals with specific areas relating to Alberta and Alberta's relation on the national scene. The Premier acts as a representative for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) are in turn the representatives of the people of Alberta. The Premier also acts as the MLA for a riding, and are elected as the MLA by the constituents of that particular riding. As with most government leaders in a parliamentary system, the Premier usually wins his or her riding's election quite easily. However, some Premiers have not won their seat, forcing them to run in a by-election in another riding. The most recent case of this was Don Getty, who lost his Edmonton-Whitemud seat in the 1989 election and had to run in Drumheller-Stettler.

The Premier of Alberta's responsibilities include administering provincial laws, enacting legislation, and regulating industry. The Premier is responsible for promoting Alberta's interests via the federal government and serves as the chief representative of Alberta to the rest of Canada.

Timeline of Alberta Premiers


See also

External links