Rotary Program February 8, 2010

Edward Michael "Ed" Stelmach, MLA ( born May 11, 1951) is the 13th and current Premier of Alberta , Canada , having served in this capacity since December 14, 2006. The grandson of Ukrainian immigrants, Stelmach was born and raised on a farm near Lamont and speaks fluent Ukrainian. He spent his entire pre-political adult life as a farmer, except for some time spent studying at the University of Alberta . His first foray into politics was a 1986 municipal election, when he was elected to the county council of Lamont County . A year into his term, he was appointed reeve . He continued in this position until his entry into provincial politics.

In the 1993 provincial election , Stelmach was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Vegreville-Viking (later Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville ). A Progressive Conservative , he served in the cabinets of Ralph Klein -at various times holding the portfolios of Intergovernmental Relations, Transportation, Infrastructure, and Agriculture, Food, and Rural Development-where he developed a reputation as a low-key politician who avoided the limelight. When Klein resigned the party's leadership in 2006, Stelmach was among the first to present his candidature to replace him. After a third place finish on the first ballot of the leadership race , he won an upset second ballot victory over former provincial treasurer Jim Dinning .

Stelmach's premiership has been heavily focused on management of the province's oil reserves, especially those of the Athabasca Oil Sands . He has rejected calls from environmentalists to slow the pace of development in the Fort McMurray area, and has similarly opposed calls for carbon taxes or other measures designed to discourage oil consumption. Other policy initiatives have included commencing an overhaul of the province's health governance system, amendments to the Alberta human rights code, a re-introduction of all-party committees to the Legislature, and the conclusion of a major labour agreement with Alberta's teachers. His government has also attracted controversy for awarding itself a 30% pay increase shortly after its re-election, and has enjoyed strained relations with Calgary , one of Klein's former strongholds. Despite this, Stelmach increased the Progressive Conservatives' already substantial majority in the 2008 election . With the advent of the late-2000s recession , Stelmach has had to cope with a deteriorating economic situation and the Alberta government's first budget deficit in 16 years.