Kevin Taft (born September 9, 1955, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) is a Liberal-Conservative politician in Alberta, Canada. He is leader of the Alberta Liberal Party and leader of the opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... is the 86th day of the year (87th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ken Nicol is a Canadian politician and academic. ... is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... Saskatoon is a city located in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... “Political Parties” redirects here. ... The Alberta Liberal Party is a political party in Alberta, Canada. ... is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... Saskatoon is a city located in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Motto: Fortis et liber(Latin) Strong and free Capital Edmonton Largest city Calgary Official languages English (see below) Government - Lieutenant-Governor Norman Kwong - Premier Ed Stelmach (PC) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 28 - Senate seats 6 Confederation September 1, 1905 (split from Northwest Territories) (8th [Province]) Area Ranked... The Alberta Liberal Party is a political party in Alberta, Canada. ... Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. ... The Legislative Assembly of Alberta meets in the provincial capital, Edmonton. ...

Taft was raised in Edmonton, Alberta. He has a B.A. and Master's Degree in Community Development from the University of Alberta, and a Ph.D. in Business from the University of Warwick in England. Prior to entering politics, Taft was a researcher and consultant for the provincial government. He was propelled into the public eye as the author of Shredding the Public Interest, a book published in 1997 that accused the Ralph Klein government of unnecessarily cutting funding for public services; Klein responded by accusing Taft of being a communist. The book spent 12 weeks on the Financial Post bestseller list, and was chosen as "Alberta Trade Title of the Year" by the Book Publisher's Association of Alberta. In 2000, Taft co-authored a book with Calgarian journalist Gillian Steward, titled Clear Answers: The Economics and Politics of For-Profit Medicine. In 2006 he authored a book titled Democracy Derailed which details his observations and criticisms of the present government in Alberta. Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta, situated in the north central region of the province, an area with some of the most fertile farm land on the prairies. ... A Bachelor of Arts (B.A. or A.B.) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or program in the arts and/or sciences. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The University of Alberta (U of A) is a public coeducational research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. ... Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated Ph. ... In economics, a business is a legally-recognized organizational entity existing within an economically free country designed to sell goods and/or services to consumers, usually in an effort to generate profit. ... The University of Warwick is a British campus university located on the outskirts of Coventry, West Midlands, England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Ralph Phillip Klein (born November 1, 1942) was the premier of the Canadian province of Alberta and leader of the Alberta Progressive Conservatives from 1992 until his retirement in 2006. ... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... The National Post is a large Canadian English language national newspaper based in Toronto. ... For other uses, see Journalist (disambiguation). ...

In 2001, Taft entered politics and was elected to the legislature as an Alberta Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the riding of Edmonton Riverview, defeating Progressive Conservative star candidate and former city councillor Wendy Kinsella. Three years later in the spring of 2004, Ken Nicol resigned as leader of the Alberta Liberal Party, and Taft was elected as leader. Taft was generally given credit for being more tenacious than the soft-spoken Nicol in his performance in the legislature during the lead-up to the 2004 election, especially on issues such as public auto insurance, public accounts, and government contracts. Despite leading a party saddled with a $900,000 debt, he helped his party more than double its seats in the election from 7 before the election call to 16, regaining seats in Edmonton, and making a breakthrough in the traditionally conservative city of Calgary. Taft also saw his support in Riverview solidify; he received more votes than any other candidate, of any party, in the 2004 election. The Alberta Liberal Party is a political party in Alberta, Canada. ... A Member of the Legislative Assembly, or MLA, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to the Legislature or legislative assembly of a subnational jurisdiction. ... Edmonton Riverview is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada. ... The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial right-of-centre party in the Canadian province of Alberta. ... Ken Nicol is a Canadian politician and academic. ... Alberta riding map showing the winning parties and their vote percentage in each won riding. ... This article is about the Canadian city. ...

In December of 2006, Taft expelled a Liberal MLA from his caucus.

With the resignation of 14 year incumbent premier Ralph Klein, an opinion piece in the Edmonton Journal, written by an Ontario academic, suggested that Taft could be the "next Lougheed." ^[1] This is a reference to the 1971 election of Progressive Conservative Leader Peter Lougheed after 36 years of "one party" rule. Mr. Lougheed was elected after longtime Social Credit Premier Ernest Manning stepped down to be replaced by the relatively unknown Harry Strom... a situation some commentators find could be analogous to the current Alberta political situation (Klein stepping down in favour of Ed Stelmach).

Electoral record

2001

Edmonton--Riverview

• Kevin Taft (Lib) 7,420 49.7%
• Wendy Kinsella (PC) 5,883 39.4%
• Doug McLachlan (NDP) 1,469 9.8%
• Jerry Paschen (AG) 165 1.1%

The Alberta Liberal Party is a political party in Alberta, Canada. ... The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial right-of-centre party in the Canadian province of Alberta. ... The Alberta New Democrats or Alberta NDP is a social democratic political party in Canada that was founded as the Alberta section of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation. ... The Alberta Greens or Green Party of Alberta is a provincial political party in the province of Alberta, Canada. ...

2004

Edmonton--Riverview

• Kevin Taft (Lib) 10,280 65.5% (+15.8%)
• Fred Horne (PC) 3,575 22.8% (-16.6%)
• Donna Martyn (NDP) 1,058 6.7% (-3.1%)
• John Lackey (AG) 357 2.3% (+1.2%)
• David Edgar (AA) 313 2.0% (-)
• David W. Power (SC) 116 0.7% (-)

The Alberta Liberal Party is a political party in Alberta, Canada. ... The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial right-of-centre party in the Canadian province of Alberta. ... The Alberta New Democrats or Alberta NDP is a social democratic political party in Canada that was founded as the Alberta section of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation. ... The Alberta Greens or Green Party of Alberta is a provincial political party in the province of Alberta, Canada. ... The Alberta Alliance is a right wing political party in Alberta. ... The Social Credit Party of Alberta is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada that was founded on the social credit monetary policy and conservative Christian social values. ...

External links

• Kevin Taft's Official Site
• Kevin Taft on the Alberta Liberal Party website
• Biography for Mr. Kevin Taft on the website of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta

Notes and references