Dennis Lester Anderson (August 16, 1949 – March 20, 2019) was a provincial-level politician from

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada. At seventeen, Anderson attended

Rochdale College Rochdale College was an experiment in student-run alternative education and co-operative living in Toronto, Canada from 1968 to 1975. It provided space for 840 residents in a co-operative living space. It was also an informal, noncredited free ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

and started the Rochdale Drug Crisis Centre. He has continued to advocate for

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

ever since. After Rochdale, he spent several years in media, hosting weekly radio shows about current political affairs.

Political career

Born in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, Anderson ran as a Progressive Conservative candidate in the

1979 Alberta general election The 1979 Alberta general election was held on March 14, 1979, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, which had been expanded to 79 seats. The Progressive Conservative Party of Peter Lougheed won its third consecutive term in go ...

. He won 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 ...

, defeating three other candidates. He was re-elected to his second term in the

1982 Alberta general election The 1982 Alberta general election was held on November 2, 1982, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Less than four years had passed since the Progressive Conservatives won their landslide victory in 1979. Premier Peter Lou ...

, winning the popular vote. Anderson stood for a third term in the

1986 Alberta general election The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

. He won that election defeating three other candidates, but his vote share decreased. After the election, Premier

Don Getty Donald Ross Getty (August 30, 1933 – February 26, 2016) was a Canadian politician who served as the 11th premier of Alberta between 1985 and 1992. A member of the Progressive Conservatives, he served as Energy Minister and Federal and Intergo ...

appointed Anderson as the Minister of Culture and Multiculturalism and Women's Issues. Anderson held this position until 1987, when he became Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. He ran for his fourth and final term in the

1989 Alberta general election The 1989 Alberta general election was held on March 20, 1989, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Many political observers were surprised by the early election call as less than three years had passed since the previous ele ...

. He won election defeating two other candidates. After the election, Anderson was appointed as Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs, holding that post until

Ralph Klein Ralph Philip Klein (November 1, 1942 – March 29, 2013) was a Canadian politician and journalist who served as the 12th premier of Alberta and leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta from 1992 until his retirement in 20 ...

became Premier in 1992. Anderson also served as deputy house leader and was the primary lead for the Alberta legislative committees on Canada's constitution and

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

reform. Anderson retired at the dissolution of the Alberta Legislature in 1993.

Late life

After leaving politics, Anderson worked in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

aiding cities in developing democratic systems, in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

establishing fairness and protection of individual rights, twice in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

observing elections, and in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

advising on

. Since 2000, he has served as Honorary Consul, and now Consul General for

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, responsible for Alberta,

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

, and

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

. A Commander of the White Elephant (Thailand), he has also received the companion Medal (Thailand). Anderson has served as president of the Canadian Mental Health Association in Alberta and on its national executive. He was a director of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, and has worked with other mental health advocacy organizations including the

Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped The Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) is a provincial program established in 1979 in Alberta, Canada, that provides financial and health related benefits to eligible adult Albertans under the age of 65, who are legally identifie ...

(AISH) panel supporting the provision of financial and health benefits to eligible Albertans with a disability. As Commissioner of the

Edmonton Police The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) is the municipal police force for the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The current chief of the EPS is Dale McFee. The service has three deputy chiefs two sworn members and a civilian member. Chad Tawfik is r ...

Commission from 2006 to 2012 and chair of all Alberta Police Commissions, he initiated mental health training for police. As founding chair of the Alberta Alliance for Mental Illness and Mental Health, Anderson united sixteen organizations in the governance of mental health. He has been an advisor to organizations including the psychiatric department of 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 ...

, he was founding chair of the

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

Governor's Circle on Mental Health and Addictions, and created the Chimo Project providing animal-assisted therapy for people with

mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

. He died on March 20, 2019 of complications from sleep apnea.

Awards and honours

Anderson received the Hero's award for pioneering the Chimo Project as well as a Best West Award for the best radio show, '' Youth in Trouble''. A recipient of the C.M. Hincks Award from the Canadian Mental Health Association, he has also been awarded the Alberta Centennial Medal,

Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (french: Médaille du jubilé de diamant de la reine Elizabeth II) or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...

, 125th Anniversary Commemorative Medal, and Canada's Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers.

Latest Achievements

Anderson worked with governments,

hospitals A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

, and other agencies in creating a program that uses animals to foster better mental health. He joined the board of the Royal Institute for Mental Health Research in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. Anderson received an Honorary

Doctorate of Law A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL. ...

from the

in 2017. When he accepted his degree, Anderson said this: "When I left home, I also had to find a reason for life. It may seem foolish, but I decided that to change this world for the better was to be my reason for living. For me, and I believe for you, we must truly feel worthwhile in this very fast moving and complex world; I suggest we must be working to improve our world, not just working, at our occupation."

References

External links

Legislative Assembly of Alberta Members Listing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Dennis 1949 births 2019 deaths Members of the Executive Council of Alberta Politicians from Calgary Politicians from Edmonton Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta MLAs