Kevin Taft
| |
| Rank: | Leader of the Alberta Official Opposition |
| Terms of Office: | March 27, 2004– |
| Predecessor: | Ken Nicol |
| Successor: | Incumbent |
| Birth: | September 9, 1955 |
| Place of Birth: | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
| Spouse: | Jeanette Boman |
| Profession: | Consultant |
| Political Party: | Alberta Liberal |
| Religion: | |
Kevin Taft (born September 9, 1955, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) is a politician in Alberta, Canada. He is leader of the Alberta Liberal Party and leader of the opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
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 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.
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%
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% (-)