Donna Kennedy-Glans

Donna Kennedy-Glans
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Calgary Varsity
In office
23 April 2012 – 5 May 2015
Preceded byHarry B. Chase
Succeeded byStephanie McLean
Personal details
Born (1960-05-05) 5 May 1960 (age 64)
near Tillsonburg, Ontario
Political partyProgressive Conservative (2012–2014)
Independent (2014)
Progressive Conservative (2014-present)
Alma materWilfrid Laurier University
University of Western Ontario
ProfessionBusinesswoman, Philanthropist

Donna Marie Kennedy-Glans (born 5 May 1960) is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the electoral district of Calgary-Varsity from April 2012 to May 2015.[1][2] She was elected initially as a member of the Progressive Conservative caucus, and chaired the all-party Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship. On 13 December 2013, she was sworn into the Cabinet of Alberta to fill the newly created post of Associate Minister – Electricity and Renewable Energy.[3][4]

On 25 October 2012, Kennedy-Glans was one of eight PC MLA and cabinet members who accompanied then Premier Allison Redford on a flight in a government fleet aircraft to attend a PC party fundraiser in Grande Prairie on 25 October 2012.[5] In his 2014 report, then provincial Auditor General Merwan Saher found Redford's use of government fleet aircraft for partisan purposes to be inappropriate.[5]

Kennedy-Glans announced that she was resigning from cabinet and leaving the PC caucus to sit as an independent on 17 March 2014, in protest against the leadership of Alison Redford.[6] She officially rejoined the PC caucus on 17 September 2014, after Jim Prentice assumed the leadership of the party.[7]

Kennedy-Glans declared as a candidate for the leadership of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party. She withdrew her candidacy in a letter to supporters on 8 November 2016, following the party's Annual General Meeting, saying: "Right now, politics in Alberta is polarizing and there is limited opportunity for centrist voices to be heard."[8] Following Jason Kenney's Progressive Conservative leadership victory Kennedy-Glans announced, that 10 days prior to the vote, she had been named to his transition team.[9]

Election results

2012 Alberta general election: Calgary-Varsity
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Donna Kennedy-Glans 8,099 45.90 +9.22
Wildrose Rob Solinger 4,624 26.21 +19.06
Liberal Bruce Payne 3,614 20.48 -26.85
New Democratic Jackie Seidel 817 4.63 +1.00
Alberta Party Alex McBrien 255 1.45
Evergreen Carl Svoboda 234 1.33 -3.87
Total valid votes 17,643 99.30 -0.11
Rejected, spoiled and declined 124 0.70 +0.11
Eligible electors / turnout 29,688 59.85 +15.21
Progressive Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +18.04
Source(s)
Elections Alberta. "Electoral Division Results: Calgary-Varsity". Retrieved 13 June 2018.

References