Ed Stelmach to Run for Alberta Leadership

Alberta’s Ukrainian-Canadian Inter-governmental Affairs Minister, Ed Stelmach, resigned from his cabinet post on March 21 in order to run for the leadership of the ruling provincial Progressive Conservative Party.

Stelmach stepped down from his post in keeping with Premier Ralph Klein’s order that MLAs who want to enter the leadership race should resign from their cabinet posts by June 1.

“Officially, there is no race. The campaign will kick off when the premier announces his resignation,” Stelmach told reporters after announcing his decision.

Klein said on April 4 that he would retire earlier than planned.  The announcement came after Klein received only 55 per cent support in a leadership review in Calgary on the weekend of April 1-2.

Stelmach said he resigned well before the June 1 deadline because he wanted to devote more time to pursuing his leadership bid and to allow for a smooth transition within his department.

First elected as an Alberta MLA in 1993, Stelmach has represented Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville for four terms.  In addition, Stelmach serves as Vice Chair of the Economic Development and Finance Standing Policy Committee and is a member of the Agenda and Priorities Committee. Stelmach has held many other government posts, including Deputy Whip and Chairman of the Alberta Agricultural Research Institute.

Stelmach and his wife, Marie, have been actively involved in the Ukrainian-Canadian cultural community in Alberta.  They raised four children and operate a farm on the homestead originally settled by his grandfather in 1898.