Rachel Notley, Premier of Alberta | October 2, 2015

The Empire Club of Canada Presents:

Rachel Notley, Premier of Alberta With State of the Province and Its Economy

Premier Rachel Notley will speak on the state of the province and its economy, and will discuss the Government of Alberta's key fiscal, economic, social and environmental priorities at a time of both remarkable challenge and opportunity for Alberta. Premier of Alberta biography: Rachel Notley was sworn in as Alberta's 17th Premier on May 24, 2015. She leads Alberta's first New Democratic government, with a strong majority and a diverse caucus, including the highest percentage of women of any government in Canada. She also serves as Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations. Rachel Anne Notley was born on April 17, 1964, in Edmonton, Alberta, and raised in Fairview. The area is part of a constituency now named for her father, Grant Notley, a long time and well respected MLA who served as the leader of the province's first NDP Opposition. Her mother, Sandy, was also a strong influence in Rachel's life, taking her to protest marches before her tenth birthday and shaping a social conscience that continues to guide her. Rachel Notley completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science at the University of Alberta, and earned a law degree at Osgoode Hall Law School. Her legal career focused on labour law, workers' compensation advocacy, and workplace health and safety issues. She worked for several labour unions in Alberta and British Columbia, and also served as an advisor to BC's Attorney General. In 2008, Rachel followed in her father's footsteps and was elected as an NDP MLA, serving the constituency of Edmonton Strathcona. She was subsequently re elected in 2012 with the highest share of the vote of any MLA in the province. She became party leader on October 18, 2014, and was elected to her third term as MLA on May 5, 2015, in the same historic election that saw the NDP sweep the Progressive Conservative party from office after almost 44 years. Rachel Notley represents a new generation of Albertans. Her party ran on a platform of creating jobs, restoring honest and open government, preserving and building the health care and education systems, and rebalancing government revenues to make them more fair. This vision, with a balance between a strong economy, environmental responsible justice, was welcomed by Albertans, who elected NDP candidates in more than 50 of Alberta's 87 ridings. Rachel and her husband, Lou Arab, live with their two teenage children in Edmonton.

Speaker: The Hon. Rachel Notley, Premier of Alberta

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