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The University of Alberta Press
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www.uap.ualberta.ca
Copyright 2015 Howard Leeson
LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION
Leeson, Howard A., 1942-, author
Grant Notley, the social conscience of Alberta / Howard Leeson. Second edition.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-1-77212-125-4 (paperback). ISBN 978-1-77212-128-5 (PDF). ISBN 978-1-77212-126-1 (EPUB). ISBN 978-1-77212-127-8 (kindle)
1. Notley, Grant, 1939-1984. 2. PoliticiansAlbertaBiography. 3. Alberta New Democratic PartyHistory. 4. AlbertaPolitics and government1935-1971. 5. AlbertaPolitics and government1971-2015. I. Title.
| FC3675.1.N68L44 2015 | 971.2303092 | C2015-906022-2 |
| C2015-906023-0 |
Second edition, first printing, 2015.
First electronic edition, 2015.
Digital conversion by Transforma Pvt. Ltd.
Proofreading by Brian Mlazgar.
Fact checking by Jim Gurnett, Keith Wright and Kathy Wright.
Indexing by Judy Dunlop.
Cover design by Alan Brownoff.
Front cover photo: Grant Notley, 1982, by Arnaud Maggs. Library and Archives Canada, R7959-1323-5-E. Used by permission.
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Ede and I would like to dedicate this book to Nancy Eng. Like Grant Notley, Nancy was taken from us too early in life .
A Note on the Text
THE SECOND EDITION of Grant Notley: The Social Conscience of Alberta contains a new Introduction by the author, a Foreword by Rachel Notley, a new selection of photographs and a new Index. The main text of the book reproduces the original 1992 edition, with minor corrections.
Foreword
MANY PEOPLE I MEET describe my dad as having been a great public speaker; however as Howard writes in this book, my dad was quite shy. Public speaking often made him nervous, but he believed that anything could be overcome with a little (or a lot) of hard work. As I nervously prepared for the leaders debate in the 2015 election, I thought of my dads example: if I prepared enough, I knew I could do it too.
It has been suggested that the election of Albertas first New Democrat government came out of nowhere, that it was due to voter fatigue with forty-four years of Progressive Conservatives, or hinged on that key leaders debate. I disagree. Our victory was a result of many, many decades of work by many, many people who built the reputation and integrity of the New Democrat Party in Alberta. While that work didnt always reflect in popular support for the party, it was reflected in underlying levels of credibility.
This book outlines much of the hard work that was done by Dad, but which unfortunately didnt translate into popular support until after his death. It was then that Albertans experienced a collective recognition of how much they valued his contribution. In fact, when I talk to people who remember my dad now, theyre often surprised to learn that the height of his political career involved winning two seatsboth by very small margins. So what was it about him that had such a profound impact? I think the subtitle of this book holds the answer: he was the governments critical social conscience. They knew they could rely on him for that.
Im often asked about his impact on my own career. Certainly I have felt the pressure that most children do to carry on their parents legacy; however, I got involved in politics because I enjoyed the camaraderie and the issues. I grew up in a campaign office and, unlike many other New Democrats in Alberta at that time, I took part in winning campaigns. I loved these elections and our family watching the results come in was a bit like Hockey Night in Canada , made even more important because winning and losing was about issues that mattered.
My political life has been significantly shaped by the fact that I grew up in a house where politics was not about fame and fortune, but about hard work and the reward of feeling like youve done the right thing. Dad taught me about political work and, together with my mom, taught me my political values: justice, determination, and integrity. Through both my parents I learned that if you actually care about something, you better get up and do something about it.
This book is a biography of my dads political life. However, it is also a primer for would-be politicians. Its most salient message? Political victory worth having rarely comes easy.
RACHEL NOTLEY
September 2015
Preface
to the First Edition
WHEN THE EUROPEAN SETTLERS streamed into this land a hundred years ago, the prairies seemed a vast almost unending region, a tabula rasa awaiting only the imprint of their collective hands. It was virtually unspoiled and unresisting. Over the years the settlers changed the prairies dramatically, building farms, homes, towns, and eventually cities. Just as importantly, they also built new social structures. The experiences of isolation, oppression, and alienation plowed new social furrows beside those in the land. These cultural roots remain with us today. They nourish us, providing us with a sense of heritage, a stability, a sense of place in a world which constantly seeks to change our values and norms.
As you might expect, we look to our community leaders for verification of these values, for personification of what we hold closest. Some leaders stand out in this respect. They are almost archetypal, so vividly familiar that we immediately identify with them. Somehow they reflect a truth about ourselves which demands our attention.
Such a man was Grant Notley. In the society and politics of Alberta he stood out. Albertans felt intuitively that he represented a part of their collective being, and his untimely death touched them deeply. When he died, a bit of Alberta died. He was us, and we miss him.
Acknowledgements
I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE a number of people who have contributed significantly to the second edition of Grant Notley: The Social Conscience of Alberta . First, and foremost, I would like to thank Rachel Notley for taking time out of an incredibly busy schedule to write the Foreword for the new edition. That she would do so amongst the minor tasks of setting up a new government, putting together a throne speech, crafting a new budget and generally adapting to the job of premier of Alberta tells us much about her feelings toward her father.
