Jeffrey David Johnson (born c. 1967) is a Canadian business man and politician who 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 sin ...
(MLA) and Minister in three senior cabinet positions.
Johnson was elected to the Alberta Legislature for the first time in the
2008 Alberta general election
The 2008 Alberta general election was held on March 3, 2008, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
It was expected to be called early because the governing Progressive Conservatives held a leadership election on December 2, 20 ...
. He held the
Athabasca-Redwater district for the
Progressive Conservatives, winning in a landslide with almost 70% of the popular vote defeating four other candidates.
He went on to do this twice.
On October 12, 2011 he was sworn in as Minister of Infrastructure in the cabinet of
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 ...
. He also served as Political Minister-Northern Alberta, and as Board Vice-Chair of the Alberta Treasury Board, overseeing budgets of over seven billion dollars for four Premiers. Among its many responsibilities, the Board oversees the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (
AIMCO
Aimco or Apartment Investment and Management Company is a publicly traded real estate investment trust. As of December 31, 2020, the company owned 27 apartment communities comprising 6,342 apartment units in 12 states and the District of Columb ...
), one of Canada's largest and most diversified institutional investment fund managers with a total investment portfolio of approximately $84 billion.
Johnson was also a member of the Cabinet Policy Committee on Finance and the Standing Committees on the Economy and Public Safety and Services.
He served as Minister of Education from April 2012 until September 2014, and chaired the Council of Ministers of Education Canada (CMEC). As chair of CMEC, Johnson co-proposed a major initiative for Aboriginal education that was supported by Canada's Education Ministers and the Assembly of First Nations National Chief; hosted and co-chaired Canada's National Skills Symposium, "Skills for the Future"; hosted and co-chaired the Third High-Level Consultation on Education Collaboration between the Provinces and Territories of Canada and the People's Republic of China (3HLC); headed the Canadian delegation at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OPECD) skills symposium for Education Ministers, "Fostering Skills and Employability Through Education", in Istanbul, Turkey; and headed the Canadian delegation at the 2012 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Education Ministerial Meeting in Korea.
On September 15, 2014 he was sworn in as Minister of Seniors in the cabinet of
Jim Prentice
Peter Eric James Prentice (July 20, 1956 – October 13, 2016) was a Canadian politician who served as the 16th premier of Alberta from 2014 to 2015. In the 2004 federal election he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada as a candidat ...
, serving in this portfolio until an NDP majority in the
May 5, 2015 provincial election.
During his time as a Member of the
Legislative Assembly, Johnson co-chaired the Steering Committee on Inspiring Education, chaired the Alberta Recreation Corridors Coordinating Committee, chaired the MLA Library Review Committee, and served on several committees of the Legislative Assembly including Public Accounts. He also served as Parliamentary Assistant to the President of the Treasury Board (Oil Sands Sustainable Development Secretariat).
While in political office, Johnson was distinguished for championing excellence in education when named to Canada's top 10 Edtech News-makers of the Year in 2012 for "leadership, innovative thinking and embracing 21st-century learning within his province and beyond".
He was recognized for his impact on Alberta with a
Queen Elizabeth II 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 ...
which "honour
significant contributions and achievements by Canadians."
Sport and recreation have played an important role in his life, especially hockey, as a junior and college player, coach, trainer, and friend of many players, including many who have gone on to notable NHL careers. He has additional experience working first-hand in financial markets as a futures trading-floor pit boss, and as a sales executive for life insurance and related investment funds. He has also owned and operated several small businesses.
Prior to being elected, Johnson was the President and owner of the largest regional
Xerox
Xerox Holdings Corporation (; also known simply as Xerox) is an American corporation that sells print and electronic document, digital document products and services in more than 160 countries. Xerox is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut (ha ...
sales agency in western Canada. He ran his agency successfully for 10 years before joining provincial politics; in his time as an entrepreneur he was awarded Xerox Canada Agent of the Year three times and was appointed as one of six members to the National Agent Council for Xerox Canada.
Johnson has a bachelor of arts in psychology from
Camrose Lutheran College and continues to be an active member of his community.
He and his wife, Kim, who is an art therapist, along with their two sons and daughter live in Athabasca.
Electoral history
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Jeff
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta MLAs
Living people
1960s births
Canadian Lutherans
Education ministers of Alberta
People from Athabasca, Alberta
Members of the Executive Council of Alberta
21st-century Canadian politicians