Pearl Calahasen
Encyclopedia
Pearl Calahasen is a Canadian
politician, who currently represents the electoral district
of Lesser Slave Lake
in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
. A member of the Progressive Conservative
party and former cabinet minister (holding the positions of Minister without Portfolio in charge of Children's Services, Associate Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, and Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development). Calahasen was the first Métis
woman elected to public office in Alberta
.
, Alberta
. She attended the University of Alberta
, from which she received a Bachelor of Education
, and the University of Oregon
, from which she received a Master's degree.
, when she ran as the Progressive Conservative
candidates in the riding of Lesser Slave Lake
. She won a plurality of votes, capturing 47.6% and defeating her nearest rival, Liberal
Denise Wahlstrom, by nearly one thousand votes. This was the closest election of her political career to date; in subsequent elections, she won shares of the votes ranging from 55.5% (in the 1993 election
) to 74.2% (in the 2001 election
).
At the time of her election in 1989, Calahasen was the first Métis
woman elected to public office in Alberta.
in Ralph Klein's government until 1996, when Klein appointed her Minister without Portfolio responsible for Children's Services. She served in this capacity until 1999, when she was shuffled to the position of Associate Minister of Aboriginal Affairs. In 2001 she was promoted to full minister, of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development. Calahasen initially supported Lyle Oberg
in the 2006 P.C. leadership election, but switched her endorsement to Ed Stelmach
after Oberg dropped off the ballot; despite this support, she was not included in Stelmach's cabinet once he became premier in 2006.
Bob Hawkesworth
expressed concern that the settlements were not given sufficient autonomy from government. The same year, she sponsored the Nechi Community College Act, a private bill
that would have established the Nechi Community College, but which didn't reach second reading.
In 1995, Calahasen sponsored the Colin Chor Wee Chew Legal Articles Act, another private bill which didn't progress to second reading. She also sponsored the Public Health Amendment Act, which was designed to allow nurse practitioners to fulfill some of the functions of doctors in communities in which doctors were in short supply. The bill passed with the support of the opposition Liberals
, although some members - including Terry Kirkland
, Colleen Soetaert
, Percy Wickman
, Gary Dickson
, Lance White
, and Howard Sapers
- argued that the bill left out to many details, by leaving these details in the realm of legislation, inappropriately empowered bureaucrats at the expense of the legislature.
of first nations
artifacts. It passed with full opposition support.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician, who currently represents the electoral district
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
of Lesser Slave Lake
Lesser Slave Lake (electoral district)
Lesser Slave Lake is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada. It has existed since 1971.-Boundary history:- Members of the Legislative Assembly :...
in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
. A member of the Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta...
party and former cabinet minister (holding the positions of Minister without Portfolio in charge of Children's Services, Associate Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, and Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development). Calahasen was the first Métis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
woman elected to public office in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
.
Early life
Calahasen was born and raised in GrouardGrouard, Alberta
Grouard, also known as Grouard Mission, is a hamlet in northern Alberta within the Municipal District of Big Lakes. It is located north of Highway 2, approximately northeast of Grande Prairie....
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. She attended the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
, from which she received a Bachelor of Education
Bachelor of Education
A Bachelor of Education is an undergraduate academic degree which qualifies the graduate as a teacher in schools.-North America:...
, and the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
, from which she received a Master's degree.
Electoral record
Calahasen first sought election in the 1989 Alberta electionAlberta general election, 1989
The Alberta general election of 1989 was the twenty-second general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 20, 1989 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, when she ran as the Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta...
candidates in the riding of Lesser Slave Lake
Lesser Slave Lake (electoral district)
Lesser Slave Lake is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada. It has existed since 1971.-Boundary history:- Members of the Legislative Assembly :...
. She won a plurality of votes, capturing 47.6% and defeating her nearest rival, Liberal
Alberta Liberal Party
The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...
Denise Wahlstrom, by nearly one thousand votes. This was the closest election of her political career to date; in subsequent elections, she won shares of the votes ranging from 55.5% (in the 1993 election
Alberta general election, 1993
The Alberta general election of 1993 was the twenty-third general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on June 15, 1993 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta...
) to 74.2% (in the 2001 election
Alberta general election, 2001
The Alberta general election of 2001 was the twenty-fifth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 12, 2001 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
).
At the time of her election in 1989, Calahasen was the first Métis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
woman elected to public office in Alberta.
Cabinet roles
Calahasen served as a backbencherBackbencher
In Westminster parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a Member of Parliament or a legislator who does not hold governmental office and is not a Front Bench spokesperson in the Opposition...
in Ralph Klein's government until 1996, when Klein appointed her Minister without Portfolio responsible for Children's Services. She served in this capacity until 1999, when she was shuffled to the position of Associate Minister of Aboriginal Affairs. In 2001 she was promoted to full minister, of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development. Calahasen initially supported Lyle Oberg
Lyle Oberg
Lyle Oberg is an Albertan politician and former member of the Legislative Assembly.Oberg was born near Forestburg, Alberta in 1960. A physician by profession, Oberg was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta as an Progressive Conservative in 1993. He was first appointed to the...
in the 2006 P.C. leadership election, but switched her endorsement to Ed Stelmach
Ed Stelmach
Edward Michael "Ed" Stelmach, MLA is a Canadian politician and served as the 13th Premier of Alberta, Canada, from 2006 to 2011. The grandson of Ukrainian immigrants, Stelmach was born and raised on a farm near Lamont and speaks fluent Ukrainian. He spent his entire pre-political adult life as a...
after Oberg dropped off the ballot; despite this support, she was not included in Stelmach's cabinet once he became premier in 2006.
Legislative initiatives
Calahasen has sponsored a number of bills over her career in the legislature.As a backbencher
Despite not being a member of cabinet, in 1990 Calahasen sponsored the Metis Settlements Act, a government bill which incorporated Métis settlements as a new class of municipality. It passed with the support of the opposition, although New DemocratAlberta New Democratic Party
The Alberta New Democratic Party or Alberta NDP is a social-democratic political party in Alberta, Canada, which was originally founded as the Alberta section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
Bob Hawkesworth
Bob Hawkesworth
Robert "Bob" Andrew Hawkesworth is a Canadian politician and a former member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.Hawkesworth attended the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary before being elected in 1980 to Calgary City Council as alderman for Ward 3...
expressed concern that the settlements were not given sufficient autonomy from government. The same year, she sponsored the Nechi Community College Act, a private bill
Private bill
A private bill is a proposal for a law that would apply to a particular individual or group of individuals, or corporate entity. If enacted, it becomes a private Act . This is unlike public bills which apply to everyone within their jurisdiction...
that would have established the Nechi Community College, but which didn't reach second reading.
In 1995, Calahasen sponsored the Colin Chor Wee Chew Legal Articles Act, another private bill which didn't progress to second reading. She also sponsored the Public Health Amendment Act, which was designed to allow nurse practitioners to fulfill some of the functions of doctors in communities in which doctors were in short supply. The bill passed with the support of the opposition Liberals
Alberta Liberal Party
The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...
, although some members - including Terry Kirkland
Terry Kirkland
Terry Kirkland is a former provincial politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1993 to 1997.-Political career:...
, Colleen Soetaert
Colleen Soetaert
Colleen Soetaert is a former provincial politician from Alberta, Canada. She served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1993 until 2001 sitting with the Liberal caucus in opposition.-Political career:...
, Percy Wickman
Percy Wickman
Percy Dwight Wickman was a Canadian politician and well-known activist for people with disabilities. He was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario.Wickman served as an alderman on Edmonton City Council from 1977 to 1986...
, Gary Dickson
Gary Dickson
Robert Gary Dickson is a lawyer and former member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and the first Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commissioner....
, Lance White
Lance White (politician)
Lance Day White is a former Canadian municipal and provincial level politician. He served on the Edmonton city council from 1983 until 1992. He then moved on to provincial politics and served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1993 until 2001.-Municipal politics:White began his...
, and Howard Sapers
Howard Sapers
Howard Sapers, currently the Correctional Investigator for Canada, is a former public servant and former provincial politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing Edmonton-Glenora from 1993 until 2001....
- argued that the bill left out to many details, by leaving these details in the realm of legislation, inappropriately empowered bureaucrats at the expense of the legislature.
As a minister
As Associate Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, Calahasen sponsored the First Nations Sacred Ceremonial Objects Repatriation Act, a 2000 government bill that allowed for the repatriationRepatriation
Repatriation is the process of returning a person back to one's place of origin or citizenship. This includes the process of returning refugees or soldiers to their place of origin following a war...
of first nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
artifacts. It passed with full opposition support.
Election results
| 2008 Alberta general election results (Lesser Slave Lake) | font style="font-size: 90%;">Turnout 26.7% | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
Progressive Conservative | Pearl Calahasen | 3,390 | 65.2% |
Liberal Alberta Liberal Party The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time... |
Steve Noskey | 1,114 | 21.4% |
NDP Alberta New Democratic Party The Alberta New Democratic Party or Alberta NDP is a social-democratic political party in Alberta, Canada, which was originally founded as the Alberta section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation... |
Habby Sharkawi | 423 | 8.1% |
Green Green Party of Alberta The Green Party of Alberta, also known as the Alberta Greens, was a provincial political party in the province of Alberta, Canada.The Alberta Greens were formed in 1986 and received official party status on April 6, 1990... |
Bonnie Raho | 269 | 5.2% | |||||
| 2004 Alberta general election Alberta general election, 2004 The Alberta general election of 2004 was the twenty-sixth general election for the province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on November 22, 2004 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.... results (Lesser Slave Lake) |
font style="font-size: 90%;">Turnout 31.4% | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
Progressive Conservative | Pearl Calahasen | 3,903 | 64.9% |
Alberta Alliance | Valerie Rahn | 969 | 16.1% |
Liberal Alberta Liberal Party The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time... |
Jonathan Plackaitis | 530 | 8.8% |
NDP Alberta New Democratic Party The Alberta New Democratic Party or Alberta NDP is a social-democratic political party in Alberta, Canada, which was originally founded as the Alberta section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation... |
Doris Bannister | 354 | 5.9% |
Green Green Party of Alberta The Green Party of Alberta, also known as the Alberta Greens, was a provincial political party in the province of Alberta, Canada.The Alberta Greens were formed in 1986 and received official party status on April 6, 1990... |
Ian Hopfe | 254 | 4.2% | |
| 2001 Alberta general election Alberta general election, 2001 The Alberta general election of 2001 was the twenty-fifth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 12, 2001 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.... results (Lesser Slave Lake) |
font style="font-size: 90%;">Turnout 45.5% | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
Progressive Conservative | Pearl Calahasen | 4,766 | 74.2% |
Liberal Alberta Liberal Party The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time... |
Rick Noel | 1,429 | 22.2% |
NDP Alberta New Democratic Party The Alberta New Democratic Party or Alberta NDP is a social-democratic political party in Alberta, Canada, which was originally founded as the Alberta section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation... |
Doris Bannister | 232 | 3.6% | |||||||||
| 1997 Alberta general election Alberta general election, 1997 The Alberta general election of 1997 was the twenty-fourth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 11, 1997 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.... results (Lesser Slave Lake) |
font style="font-size: 90%;">Turnout 41.8% | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
Progressive Conservative | Pearl Calahasen | 3,389 | 60.6% |
Liberal Alberta Liberal Party The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time... |
Ralph Chalifoux | 1,139 | 20.4% |
Social Credit Social Credit Party of Alberta The Alberta Social Credit Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, that was founded on the social credit monetary policy and conservative Christian social values.... |
Robert Alford Robert Alford Robert Alford in Edson, Alberta, Canada, and is a politician. He married in 1975 and raised two daughters.-Education:... |
624 | 11.2% |
NDP Alberta New Democratic Party The Alberta New Democratic Party or Alberta NDP is a social-democratic political party in Alberta, Canada, which was originally founded as the Alberta section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation... |
Glenn Laboucan | 442 | 7.9% | |||||
| 1993 Alberta general election Alberta general election, 1993 The Alberta general election of 1993 was the twenty-third general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on June 15, 1993 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta... results (Lesser Slave Lake) |
font style="font-size: 90%;">Turnout 60.5% | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
Progressive Conservative | Pearl Calahasen | 4,260 | 55.5% |
Liberal Alberta Liberal Party The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time... |
Denise Wahlstrom | 3,093 | 40.3% |
NDP Alberta New Democratic Party The Alberta New Democratic Party or Alberta NDP is a social-democratic political party in Alberta, Canada, which was originally founded as the Alberta section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation... |
Larry Sakaluk | 326 | 4.2% | |||||||||
| 1989 Alberta general election Alberta general election, 1989 The Alberta general election of 1989 was the twenty-second general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 20, 1989 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.... results (Lesser Slave Lake) |
font style="font-size: 90%;">Turnout 56.6% | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
Progressive Conservative | Pearl Calahasen | 3,249 | 47.6% |
Liberal Alberta Liberal Party The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time... |
Denise Wahlstrom | 2,286 | 33.5% |
NDP Alberta New Democratic Party The Alberta New Democratic Party or Alberta NDP is a social-democratic political party in Alberta, Canada, which was originally founded as the Alberta section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation... |
Philip Lukken | 1,294 | 18.9% | |||||||||