Ted Morton
Encyclopedia
Frederick Lee Morton known commonly as Ted Morton, is a Canadian politician and Minister of Energy for the Province of Alberta
. As a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
he represents the constituency of Foothills-Rocky View
as a Progressive Conservative
. He was a candidate for the leadership of the PC Party in its 2011 leadership election
.
, Wyoming, where his father, Warren A. Morton
(1924–2002), worked in the oil and natural gas exploration business and was the Republican
Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives
from 1979–1980 and his party's gubernatorial nominee in 1982. Morton's mother, Katharine Allen Morton (born 1926), was the daughter of former U.S. Representative Robert G. Allen
, a Democrat
from western Pennsylvania
.
Morton moved to Canada in 1981 and became a Canadian citizen in 1991. Morton and his wife, Patricia Morton, have three children.
and earned his Masters
and PhD in political economy
from the University of Toronto
. During his time in college, Morton was involved in protests against the Vietnam War
. In 1981, Morton joined the faculty of the University of Calgary
as a political science
professor. He is currently on an extended leave of absence so that he can carry out his elected duties.
Morton is part of a group of academics called the Calgary School
, whose influence is credited with shaping modern conservatism in Canada
.
He has published several books, often focusing on criticisms of the role of the judiciary and Charter of Rights
jurisprudence, including The Charter Revolution and the Court Party (with Rainer Knopff, 2000), Morgentaler v. Borowski: Abortion, the Charter and the Courts (1992, winner of the 1993 Writer Guild of Alberta's Wilfred Eggleston Award for Non-Fiction), and Law, politics, and the judicial process in Canada (1984). Morton has published more than fifty scholarly articles, and his columns have appeared in the National Post
, the Calgary Herald
, the Globe and Mail and the Calgary Sun
.
Senator-in-Waiting in the 1998 Alberta Senate nominee election
.
In 2001, Canadian Alliance
leader Stockwell Day
appointed him Parliamentary Director of Policy and Research for the party. That same year, he was one of a group of six Albertans (including Stephen Harper
—later to become Prime Minister
in 2006) who authored the "Alberta Agenda
," also known as the "firewall letter," a manifesto that calls on the government of Alberta to use all of its constitutional
powers to reduce the influence of the Federal government
in the province, including the creation of a provincial police force to replace the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
and withdrawal from the Canada Pension Plan
in favour of a provincial pension plan.
, Morton won the newly created seat of Foothills-Rocky View
and now sits as an MLA
for the Progressive Conservatives
. In that role, he has advocated for tax cut
s, for increased saving of energy revenues, for a lobbyist
registry, for fixed election dates
, against the 2005 Prosperity Bonus
, and against same-sex marriage
. He introduced Bill 208 (2006), which would have legislated protections for individuals who oppose gay marriage, allowed provincial marriage commissioners to refuse to perform same-sex marriages, and added an opt-out clause for students and teachers where same-sex marriage is included in the curriculum. This Bill was criticized by some public figures as legalizing discrimination against gays and lesbians, and failed to come to a vote due to procedural tactics employed by Opposition Members.
on the first ballot, and third behind Dinning and winner Ed Stelmach
on the second ballot. His platform included implementing the components of the Firewall letter, opposing judicial activism, implementing the provision of Bill 208, introducing fixed election dates, lowering taxes and capping public spending growth, and introducing private health insurance and clinics.
Morton also introduced an online licensing system and community website for fishing and hunting, and expanded youth hunting opportunities by allowing Sunday hunting and introducing an official Provincial Hunting Day and Waterfowler Heritage Days. He also oversaw the opening of the Bow Habitat Station, an aquatic ecosystem interpretive centre that promotes the education of stewardship to youth. With the government's 2007 cancellation of the Interim Métis Harvesting Agreement, SRD adopted a replacement policy which Morton contended complied with Métis
hunting rights as set out in the Supreme Court of Canada's Powley decision, but which Métis organizations contend is a violation of their constitutional harvesting rights. Controversy also surrounded logging in the Kananaskis region, and whether this was an appropriate method to control the mountain pine beetle
infestation from spreading.
in a major cabinet shuffle. In this position, Morton discussed plans for dealing with Alberta's large deficit, criticized the Canada Health Transfer
, and released a joint statement with Québec Minister of Finances and Revenue Raymond Bachand
opposing the creation of a federal securities regulator.
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...
. As a Member of 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...
he represents the constituency of Foothills-Rocky View
Foothills-Rocky View
Foothills-Rocky View is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The district is one of 83 current districts in the province mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting....
as a 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...
. He was a candidate for the leadership of the PC Party in its 2011 leadership election
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta leadership election, 2011
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta leadership election, 2011 was prompted by Ed Stelmach's announcement that he would not be seeking re-election in the 28th general election and therefore would be resigning as leader of the Progressive Conservatives...
.
Personal life
Morton was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1949. In 1952, Morton moved with his parents to CasperCasper, Wyoming
Casper is the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States.. Casper is the second-largest city in Wyoming , according to the 2010 census, with a population of 55,316...
, Wyoming, where his father, Warren A. Morton
Warren A. Morton
Warren Allen Morton was a Casper oilman and engineer who served as Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives from 1979 to 1980, prior to mounting a Republican gubernatorial campaign in 1982. He served in the Wyoming House from Natrona County from January 1, 1967, to December 31, 1980...
(1924–2002), worked in the oil and natural gas exploration business and was the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives
Wyoming House of Representatives
The Wyoming House of Representatives is the lower house of the Wyoming State Legislature. There are 60 Representatives in the House, representing an equal amount of single-member constituent districts across the state, each with a population of at least 9,000. The House convenes at the Wyoming...
from 1979–1980 and his party's gubernatorial nominee in 1982. Morton's mother, Katharine Allen Morton (born 1926), was the daughter of former U.S. Representative Robert G. Allen
Robert G. Allen
Robert Gray Allen was an American businessman and a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.-Biography:...
, a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
from western Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Morton moved to Canada in 1981 and became a Canadian citizen in 1991. Morton and his wife, Patricia Morton, have three children.
Academic career
Morton obtained his B.A. from Colorado CollegeColorado College
The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...
and earned his Masters
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
and PhD in political economy
Political economy
Political economy originally was the term for studying production, buying, and selling, and their relations with law, custom, and government, as well as with the distribution of national income and wealth, including through the budget process. Political economy originated in moral philosophy...
from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
. During his time in college, Morton was involved in protests against the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. In 1981, Morton joined the faculty of the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
as a political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
professor. He is currently on an extended leave of absence so that he can carry out his elected duties.
Morton is part of a group of academics called the Calgary School
Calgary School
The Calgary School is a name used to refer to a group of like-minded academics from the University of Calgary’s Political Science, Economics, and History departments in Calgary, Alberta, Canada...
, whose influence is credited with shaping modern conservatism in Canada
Canadian conservatism
Conservatism in Canada is generally considered to be primarily represented by the Conservative Party of Canada at the federal level, and by various right-wing parties at the provincial level...
.
He has published several books, often focusing on criticisms of the role of the judiciary and Charter of Rights
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada. It forms the first part of the Constitution Act, 1982...
jurisprudence, including The Charter Revolution and the Court Party (with Rainer Knopff, 2000), Morgentaler v. Borowski: Abortion, the Charter and the Courts (1992, winner of the 1993 Writer Guild of Alberta's Wilfred Eggleston Award for Non-Fiction), and Law, politics, and the judicial process in Canada (1984). Morton has published more than fifty scholarly articles, and his columns have appeared in the National Post
National Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
, the Calgary Herald
Calgary Herald
The Calgary Herald is a daily newspaper published in the Canadian city of Calgary, Alberta.- History :The paper was first published on August 31, 1883 by Andrew Armour and Thomas Braden as The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate and General Advertiser. It started as a weekly paper with only...
, the Globe and Mail and the Calgary Sun
Calgary Sun
The Calgary Sun is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is a division of Sun Media, a Quebecor company.First published in 1980, the tabloid-format daily replaced the long-running broadsheet newspaper, The Albertan soon after it was acquired by the publishers of the Toronto...
.
Political career
Morton was elected as a Reform PartyReform Party of Alberta
The Reform Party of Alberta is a defunct provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, that was registered with Elections Alberta. Its leader was David Salmon.-Early history:...
Senator-in-Waiting in the 1998 Alberta Senate nominee election
Alberta Senate nominee election, 1998
The 2nd Alberta Senate nominee election was held in Alberta, Canada, on October 19, 1998 in conjunction with the Alberta Municipal Elections. It was held to elect Alberta's candidates for appointment to the Canadian Senate....
.
In 2001, Canadian Alliance
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. The party was the successor to the Reform Party of Canada and inherited its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and held...
leader Stockwell Day
Stockwell Day
Stockwell Burt Day, Jr., PC, MP is a former Canadian politician, and a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. He is a former cabinet minister in Alberta, and a former leader of the Canadian Alliance. Day was MP for the riding of Okanagan—Coquihalla in British Columbia and the president of...
appointed him Parliamentary Director of Policy and Research for the party. That same year, he was one of a group of six Albertans (including Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
—later to become Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
in 2006) who authored the "Alberta Agenda
Alberta Agenda
The Alberta Agenda is a loosely-organized political movement initiated by a letter written by prominent Albertans, including future Prime Minister Stephen Harper and 2006 Alberta PC leadership candidate Ted Morton, urging Albertan Premier Ralph Klein to fully exercise Alberta's constitutional powers...
," also known as the "firewall letter," a manifesto that calls on the government of Alberta to use all of its constitutional
Constitution of Canada
The Constitution of Canada is the supreme law in Canada; the country's constitution is an amalgamation of codified acts and uncodified traditions and conventions. It outlines Canada's system of government, as well as the civil rights of all Canadian citizens and those in Canada...
powers to reduce the influence of the Federal government
Politics of Canada
The politics of Canada function within a framework of parliamentary democracy and a federal system of parliamentary government with strong democratic traditions. Canada is a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is head of state...
in the province, including the creation of a provincial police force to replace the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
and withdrawal from the Canada Pension Plan
Canada Pension Plan
The Canada Pension Plan is a contributory, earnings-related social insurance program. It forms one of the two major components of Canada's public retirement income system, the other component being Old Age Security...
in favour of a provincial pension plan.
MLA for Foothills-Rocky View
In the 2004 Alberta general electionAlberta 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....
, Morton won the newly created seat of Foothills-Rocky View
Foothills-Rocky View
Foothills-Rocky View is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The district is one of 83 current districts in the province mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting....
and now sits as an MLA
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
for the Progressive Conservatives
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta...
. In that role, he has advocated for tax cut
Tax cut
A tax cut is a reduction in taxes. The immediate effects of a tax cut are a decrease in the real income of the government and an increase in the real income of those whose tax rate has been lowered. Due to the perceived benefit in growing real incomes among tax payers politicians have sought to...
s, for increased saving of energy revenues, for a lobbyist
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
registry, for fixed election dates
Fixed-term election
A Fixed-term election is an election that occurs on a set date, and cannot be changed by the incumbent politician.Fixed-term elections are common for most mayors and for directly elected governors and presidents, but less common for prime ministers and parliaments in a parliamentary system of...
, against the 2005 Prosperity Bonus
Prosperity Bonus
The Prosperity Bonus, also nicknamed Ralph bucks, announced in September 2005, is the name given to a program designed to pay money back to residents of the Canadian province of Alberta as a result of a massive oil-fuelled provincial budget surplus....
, and against same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage in Alberta
Same-sex marriage in Alberta has been available since July 20, 2005, upon the granting of Royal Assent to the federal Civil Marriage Act.-Amendment to the Provincial Marriage Act:...
. He introduced Bill 208 (2006), which would have legislated protections for individuals who oppose gay marriage, allowed provincial marriage commissioners to refuse to perform same-sex marriages, and added an opt-out clause for students and teachers where same-sex marriage is included in the curriculum. This Bill was criticized by some public figures as legalizing discrimination against gays and lesbians, and failed to come to a vote due to procedural tactics employed by Opposition Members.
PC leadership candidate, 2006
As a candidate in the 2006 PC leadership election to replace Ralph Klein, Morton placed second to front runner Jim DinningJim Dinning
Jim Dinning is a Canadian Progressive Conservative politician and businessman. He was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta , and now serves on the board of directors of a variety of Canadian companies. Dinning ran for the leadership of the Alberta Progressive Conservatives to replace...
on the first ballot, and third behind Dinning and winner 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...
on the second ballot. His platform included implementing the components of the Firewall letter, opposing judicial activism, implementing the provision of Bill 208, introducing fixed election dates, lowering taxes and capping public spending growth, and introducing private health insurance and clinics.
Minister of Sustainable Resource Development
On December 15, 2006, Morton was named Minister of Sustainable Resource Development (SRD). In this position, Morton developed a Land Use Framework in 2008 and the legislation that implemented this policy, the Alberta Land Stewardship Act, which passed in the 2009 Spring session of the Alberta Legislature.Morton also introduced an online licensing system and community website for fishing and hunting, and expanded youth hunting opportunities by allowing Sunday hunting and introducing an official Provincial Hunting Day and Waterfowler Heritage Days. He also oversaw the opening of the Bow Habitat Station, an aquatic ecosystem interpretive centre that promotes the education of stewardship to youth. With the government's 2007 cancellation of the Interim Métis Harvesting Agreement, SRD adopted a replacement policy which Morton contended complied with 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...
hunting rights as set out in the Supreme Court of Canada's Powley decision, but which Métis organizations contend is a violation of their constitutional harvesting rights. Controversy also surrounded logging in the Kananaskis region, and whether this was an appropriate method to control the mountain pine beetle
Mountain pine beetle
The mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae, is a species of bark beetle native to the forests of western North America from Mexico to central British Columbia. It has a hard black exoskeleton, and measures about 5 millimeters, about the size of a grain of rice.Mountain pine beetles inhabit...
infestation from spreading.
Minister of Finance
On January 15, 2010, Morton was sworn in as Minister of Finance and Enterprise by Premier Ed StelmachEd 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...
in a major cabinet shuffle. In this position, Morton discussed plans for dealing with Alberta's large deficit, criticized the Canada Health Transfer
Canada Health Transfer
The Canada Health Transfer is the Canadian government's transfer payment program in support of the health systems of the provinces and territories of Canada...
, and released a joint statement with Québec Minister of Finances and Revenue Raymond Bachand
Raymond Bachand
Raymond Bachand is a politician, a businessman and a lawyer in Quebec, Canada. He is the Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for the riding of Outremont, and a member of the Quebec Liberal Party caucus. He is also the current minister of Finances and Revenue in the cabinet of Premier of...
opposing the creation of a federal securities regulator.
PC leadership candidate, 2011
On January 27, 2011 he resigned his cabinet post as Minister of Finance to seek the leadership of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party. His renewed leadership bid coupled with his 2006 support for bringing private health care into Alberta's public health care system has raised concerns by Friends of Medicare, and others about the negative consequences of American-style health care being brought to Alberta. He finished with 11.7% of the vote and in fourth place of the six candidates. This means Morton won't be continuing onto the second ballot.Election results
| 2008 Alberta general election results ( Foothills-Rocky View Foothills-Rocky View Foothills-Rocky View is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The district is one of 83 current districts in the province mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting.... ) |
Turnout 48.0% | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
Progressive Conservative | Ted Morton | 6,916 | 57.4% |
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... |
Herb Coburn | 2,200 | 18.3% |
Wildrose Alliance Wildrose Alliance Party of Alberta The Wildrose Party, formerly Wildrose Alliance Party, is a conservative provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. It includes free market conservative, libertarian and socially conservative factions and was formed in 2008 following a merger of the Wildrose Party of Alberta and the Alberta... |
Joseph McMaster | 1,797 | 14.9% |
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... |
Larry Ashmore | 937 | 7.8% |
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... |
Ricardo de Menezes | 196 | 1.6% | |
| 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 ( Foothills-Rocky View Foothills-Rocky View Foothills-Rocky View is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The district is one of 83 current districts in the province mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting.... ) |
Turnout 50.5% | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
Progressive Conservative | Ted Morton | 6,782 | 60.3% |
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... |
Herb Coburn | 1,956 | 17.4% |
Alberta Alliance | Jason Herasemluk | 1,088 | 9.7% |
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... |
Shelley Willson | 1,188 | 10.6% |
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... |
Roland Schmidt | 232 | 2.1% | |