George Groeneveld (born 1940) 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 ...

politician and was a Member of the

Legislative Assembly of Alberta The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of Alberta, Canada. It sits in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. The Legislative Assembly currently has 87 members, elected first past the post from singl ...

representing the constituency of Highwood as a Progressive Conservative.

Early life

Groeneveld was born in

Blackie, Alberta Blackie is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada within the Foothills County. It is located approximately southeast of Calgary on Highway 799. History The community was named after John Stuart Blackie, a Scottish scholar. Previously incorporated a ...

. He served as regional director of the

Alberta Wheat Pool The Alberta Wheat Pool was the first of Canada's wheat farmer co-operatives in 1923. History Early years In 1923, the United Farmers of Alberta met with then Attorney General John Edward Brownlee to consider setting up a Wheat Pool just in Alb ...

. In this role, he attended the Canadian International Grains Institute. Groeneveld was Agricore United's first vice-president.

Political career

Groeneveld first sought public office in the 2004 provincial election in the constituency of Highwood. In that election, he received 64% of the vote. In 2006, following the leadership race for the

Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta (often referred to colloquially as Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta) was a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta that existed from 1905 to 2020. The party f ...

, newly elected Premier Ed Stelmach appointed Groeneveld as Minister of Agriculture and Food. In the 2008 provincial election that followed, Groeneveld secured his position as MLA for Highwood with 65% of the vote. In March 2008, he was reappointed as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Personal life

Groeneveld is married to Judith. The couple has four children together, Sandra, Brett, Tyler, and Marla. He is an active member of his community and Gladys United Church.

Election results

References

Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta MLAs Members of the United Church of Canada Living people Year of birth uncertain Members of the Executive Council of Alberta 21st-century Canadian politicians 1940 births {{Alberta-politician-stub