Christine Cusanelli (born July 15, 1972) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

former politician who represented the electoral district of

Calgary-Currie Calgary-Currie is a provincial electoral district in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It was created in 1971 and is mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting. The distric ...

in the Alberta Legislature. Cusanelli was elected to her first term as MLA for Calgary-Currie on April 23, 2012. Cusanelli was the minister for Tourism, Parks, and Recreation from May 8, 2012, until February 4, 2013. On May 5, 2015 she was voted out of office in Alberta's general election, losing her seat to

Brian Malkinson Brian Lawrence Malkinson (born 1985) is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2015 Alberta general election to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the electoral district of Calgary-Currie. In 2018, he accepted the position of ...

Alberta New Democratic Party The Alberta New Democratic Party (french: Nouveau Parti démocratique de l'Alberta), commonly shortened to Alberta's NDP, is a social-democratic political party in Alberta, Canada. It is the provincial Alberta affiliate of the federal New Democr ...

Education and work

Cusanelli has a Bachelor of Education degree from Faculté Saint-Jean at the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...

, and a master's degree in psychology from

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) () is a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo, an Italian-born priest and Jesuit missionary, the univ ...

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...

. She started her career as a teacher with the Calgary Catholic School District where she taught elementary and junior-high students in

French immersion French immersion is a form of bilingual education in which students who do not speak French as a first language will receive instruction in French. In most French-immersion schools, students will learn to speak French and learn most subjects s ...

and other educational settings. In 2012, while in

Alison Redford Alison Merrilla Redford (born March 7, 1965) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician. She was the 14th premier of Alberta, having served in this capacity from October 7, 2011, to March 23, 2014. Redford was born in Kitimat, British Columbia ...

's cabinet, Cusanelli was forced to repay $10,600 in expenses, including $4,078 in airfare incurred after she flew her daughter and mother to the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. In response to media questions, Cusanelli said the expenses were charged as a result of a misunderstanding.

Interests

Her personal interests include running, cycling, swimming and golfing. She is a member of Chickwagon, a Calgary women's group that raises money and awareness for women in need.

Election results

References

External links

Website of the Legislative Assembly of AlbertaProgressive Conservative of Alberta Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cusanelli, Christine 1972 births Living people Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta MLAs Women MLAs in Alberta Politicians from Calgary Members of the Executive Council of Alberta University of Alberta alumni Gonzaga University alumni 21st-century Canadian politicians 21st-century Canadian women politicians Women government ministers of Canada