Moe Amery

Moe Amery
MLA for Calgary-East
Incumbent
Assumed office
June 15, 1993
Preceded by New district
Personal details
Born September 20, 1954 (1954-09-20) (age 57)
Lebanon
Political party Progressive Conservative
Spouse(s) Mary
Children Mickey, Lila, Leena, Laura, and Malaak
Residence Calgary, Alberta
Occupation realtor

Moe Amery (September 20, 1954 in Lebanon) is a Canadian politician and current member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing the constituency of Calgary-East as a Progressive Conservative.

Contents

Early life

Amery was born Moe Amiri (he changed his name sometime between 1989 and 1993)[1] in Lebanon on September 20, 1954, and came to Canada in 1974.[2] He studied at the University of Alberta from 1975 until 1977, after which time he relocated to Calgary to become a realtor until his election to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in 1993.[2]

Political career

Electoral record

Amery's first two bids for elected office were unsuccessful; he sought provincial election in Calgary-Forest Lawn in the 1986 and 1989 elections, but was defeated both times, finishing second to New Democrat Barry Pashak each time.[3] He was more successful in 1993, when he more than doubled Pashak's vote count in the newly-formed Calgary-East.[3] He was handily re-elected in each of the 1997, 2001, 2004, and 2008 elections.[3]

Legislative initiatives

In 1994, Amery introduced two different bills called the Maintenance Enforcement Amendment Act.[4] The first, a private member's bill, would have made it impossible for individuals in arrears on child support payments to register their vehicles or renew their drivers' licenses. The second, a government bill, included the objectives of the first, but also took other measures, including ending a provision by which money held in a joint bank account could not be drawn upon to satisfy child support payments owed by one of the account-holders.[5] The government bill passed with the support of the Progressive Conservatives and some Liberals, including Sine Chadi and Michael Henry.[5][6] Other Liberals - including Gary Dickson, Debby Carlson, Bettie Hewes, Mike Percy, Percy Wickman, Ken Nicol, Nicholas Taylor, and Colleen Soetaert - opposed the bill on the grounds that it didn't go far enough in taking measures to recover payments, promoted animosity in an already adversarial process, and was written with insufficient consultation with the recently-privatized registries centres.[5][6][7] After the government bill passed, the private member's bill was ruled redundant by Speaker Stanley Schumacher.[8]

Amery has introduced a number of private member's bills designed to extend primary education to include kindergarten, requiring school boards to provide it and making attendance compulsory. The first two of these - both called the School Amendment Act, sponsored in 1995 and 1997 - failed to reach second reading before the legislature adjourned.[9][10] Amery's third attempt, the School (Early Childhood Services) Amendment Act, was defeated on second reading.[11] Liberals were unanimous in their support of the bill, pointing to similar bills that had previously been sponsored by Liberal MLAs Grant Mitchell and Michael Henry.[12][13][14][15] Several of Amery's Progressive Conservative Colleagues, including Mary O'Neill,[12][13] Albert Klapstein,[14] and Wayne Cao,[14] also lent their support.[15] However, the bill was defeated on second reading with a majority of the P.C. caucus voting against.[15] Victor Doerksen, the only Conservative to speak in opposition to the bill, expressed concern that instituting mandatory attendance at the kindergarten level constituted an infringement on parental autonomy.[13] New Democrat Raj Pannu, the only member of his caucus present for the vote, also opposed the bill, on the grounds that it would allow private groups to provide kindergarten with the approval of the Minister of Learning.[13][15]

In 1996, Amery sponsored the Wildlife Amendment Act,[16] a government bill that created a scientific committee to make recommendations on the designation of endangered and threatened species, expanded fish and wildlife agents' abilities to check for infractions of firearms regulations by hunters, and downloaded several government powers that had previously resided with the Lieutenant Governor by Order in Council to the Minister of Environmental Protection.[17] Some Liberals, including Duco Van Binsbergen and Bruce Collingwood, raised concerns that the bill didn't go far enough,[18][19] but it was passed into law.[16]

Committee duties

Amery has sat on numerous committees since being elected. In addition to his regular responsibilities as an MLA, he has served as chair of the Environmental Protection Advisory Committee and co-chair of the Secondary Suites Committee as well as a member of the Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, Standing Orders and Printing, the Standing Committee on Private Bills, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, the Standing Committee on the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund, the Standing Committee on Government Services, the Standing Policy Committee on Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, the Standing Policy Committee on Energy and Sustainable Development, and the Cabinet Policy Committee on Community Services in addition to serving as a member of the International Governance Office Advisory Committee, the Glenbow-Museum Advisory Committee, the MLA Committee To Review Low-income Programs, and the MLA Implementation Team on the Future Selection of RHA Members. He was also the MLA representative on the City of Calgary’s 2005 World Fair bid. Currently, Amery serves as a member of the Standing Committee on the Economy, the Standing Committee on Private Bills, and the Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, Standing Orders and Printing.[2]

Political views

Amery has broken with his party on several occasions regarding issues that mattered to his constituents. In March 2006 he was critical of the Ralph Klein government for insufficiently funding school maintenance after the roof of a school in his riding collapsed.[20] In 2007 and during the 2008 election campaign, he advocated rent controls to deal with the tight housing market in urban Alberta, although the position of the Ed Stelmach government was that they would be unhelpful.[21]

Passport incident

In 2002, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police began investigating whether Amery acted as guarantor for the passport application of a constituent who he had not known for the required two years.[22] He was charged with doing so in 2004.[22] The case went to trial in March 2005, when Amery alleged that, by telling him not to use character references from his colleagues, P.C. whip Denis Ducharme undermined "Amery's ability to make full answer and defence".[23] The charges were ultimately stayed.[21]

Personal life

Amery is married to Mary, and the couple has five children: Mickey, Lila, Leena, Laura, and Malaak.[2] He has been involved in his community, including the community associations in Calgary-East.[2] He identifies Winston Churchill as his political hero.[24]

Election results

2008 Alberta general election results ( Calgary-East ) Turnout 32.3%
Affiliation Candidate Votes %
     Progressive Conservative Moe Amery 4,584 53.9%
     Liberal Bill Harvey 2,431 28.6%
     Wildrose Alliance Mike McCraken 681 8.0%
     NDP Christopher Dovey 427 5.0%
     Green Ross Cameron 331 3.9%
     Communist Bonnie-Jean Collins 55 0.6%
2004 Alberta general election results ( Calgary-East ) Turnout 36.9%
Affiliation Candidate Votes %
     Progressive Conservative Moe Amery 4,492 53.9%
     Liberal Bill Harvey 2,359 28.3%
     Alberta Alliance Brad Berard 605 7.3%
     NDP Paul Vargis 461 5.5%
     Green Rich Michelenko 367 4.4%
     Communist Bonnie-Jean Collins 56 0.7%
2001 Alberta general election results ( Calgary-East ) Turnout 41.9%
Affiliation Candidate Votes %
     Progressive Conservative Moe Amery 6,038 70.8%
     Liberal Brendan Dunphy 2,010 23.6%
     NDP Giorgio Cattabeni 328 3.9%
     Social Credit Alan Schoonover 109 1.3%
     Communist Jason Devine 41 0.5%
1997 Alberta general election results ( Calgary-East ) Turnout 38.0%
Affiliation Candidate Votes %
     Progressive Conservative Moe Amery 4,857 60.2%
     Liberal Kelly McDonnell 1,990 24.7%
     NDP Marg Elliot 609 7.6%
     Social Credit Raymond Hurst 613 1.3%
1993 Alberta general election results ( Calgary-East ) Turnout 49.1%
Affiliation Candidate Votes %
     Progressive Conservative Moe Amery 5,503 54.5%
     NDP Barry Pashak 2,306 22.8%
     Liberal Dale Muti 1,689 16.7%
     Social Credit Lera Shirley 366 3.6%
     Independent Alain Horchower 237 2.4%
1989 Alberta general election results ( Calgary-Forest Lawn ) Turnout 37.9%
Affiliation Candidate Votes %
     NDP Barry Pashak 3,994 44.1%
     Progressive Conservative Moe Amiri 3,177 35.1%
     Liberal Gene Czaprowski 1,584 17.5%
     Independent Jim Othen 294 3.2%
1986 Alberta general election results ( Calgary-Forest Lawn ) Turnout 30.8%
Affiliation Candidate Votes %
     NDP Barry Pashak 2,512 36.0%
     Progressive Conservative Moe Amiri 2,410 34.6%
     Liberal Gene Czaprowski 1,111 15.9%
     Independent Mikey Graham 271 3.9%
     Representative Douglas Williams 237 3.4%
     Independent Gerald Lee 224 3.2%
     Independent Dorothy Bohdan 109 1.6%
     Independent Jim Othen 67 1.0%
     Communist Bruce Potter 28 0.4%

References

  1. ^ "Politics1 Canada:Moe Amery". http://www.gunzburger.com/Amery-Moe.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-13. 
  2. ^ a b c d e [1] Amery's Legislative Assembly of Alberta biography
  3. ^ a b c "Alberta's past election results". http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/process/election_results.html. Retrieved 2008-03-06. 
  4. ^ "Bill Status Report for the 23rd Legislature - 2nd Session (1994)". http://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/19940210_1200_01_bsr.pdf. Retrieved 2008-03-14. 
  5. ^ a b c Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly of Alberta, April 19, 1994.
  6. ^ a b Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly of Alberta, May 11, 1994.
  7. ^ Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly of Alberta, May 4, 1994.
  8. ^ Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly of Alberta, October 26, 1994.
  9. ^ "Bill Status Report for the 23rd Legislature - 3rd Session (1995)". http://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/19950213_1200_01_bsr.pdf. Retrieved 2008-03-14. 
  10. ^ "Bill Status Report for the 24th Legislature - 1st Session (1997)". http://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/s-bill97.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-14. 
  11. ^ "Bill Status Report for the 24th Legislature - 3rd Session (1999)". http://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/s-b99_p.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-14. 
  12. ^ a b Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly of Alberta, April 13, 1999.
  13. ^ a b c d Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly of Alberta, April 20, 1999.
  14. ^ a b c Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly of Alberta, April 21, 1999.
  15. ^ a b c d Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly of Alberta, April 27, 1999.
  16. ^ a b "Bill Status Report for the 23rd Legislature - 3rd Session (1996)". http://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/s-bill96.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-14. 
  17. ^ Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly of Alberta, May 14, 1996.
  18. ^ Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly of Alberta, May 14, 1996.
  19. ^ Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly of Alberta, May 22, 1996.
  20. ^ Fekete, Jason (March 27, 2006). "Klein faces murky future: Premier's party ready to vote on his record". Calgary Herald. http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/govrel/news.cfm?story=44670. Retrieved 2008-03-13. 
  21. ^ a b Myers, Sean (March 4, 2008). "Amery hails PC mandate". Calgary Herald. http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=c433d69e-2c35-4b0d-9f5a-32283bf99885. Retrieved 2008-03-13. 
  22. ^ a b "Alberta MLA denies committing passport offence". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. August 5, 2004. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2004/08/04/amery_040804.html. Retrieved 2008-03-13. 
  23. ^ "Alberta politician alleges political meddling in court case". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. March 31, 2005. http://origin.www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2005/03/31/passportcase0331.html. Retrieved 2008-03-13. 
  24. ^ "Calgary candidate profiles, Alberta election 2008". Calgary Sun. Archived from the original on 2008-03-04. http://web.archive.org/web/20080304160950/http://www.calgarysun.com/election/candidates.html. Retrieved 2008-04-16.