Joseph Anthony Ceci (born July 30, 1957) is an Albertan politician who was elected in the 2019 Alberta general election to represent the

electoral district An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...

Calgary-Buffalo Calgary-Buffalo is a current provincial electoral district in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The district is one of 87 districts mandated to return a single member (MLA) to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of ...

in the 30th Alberta Legislature. He was previously elected in

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

to represent Calgary-Fort in the 29th Legislature. He is a member of the

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 Demo ...

. Prior to holding provincial office, Ceci served as an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

on the

Calgary City Council The Calgary City Council is the legislative governing body that represents the citizens of Calgary. The council consists of 15 members: the chief elected official, titled the mayor, and 14 councillors. Jyoti Gondek was elected mayor in October 202 ...

, representing Ward 9 from 1995 to 2010.

Background

Ceci was born in 1957 in Toronto, where he lived until 1976, following graduation from local high school Nelson A. Boylen Collegiate Institute. He received a Bachelor of Social Work degree from the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by resident ...

in 1980.Biography: Honourable Joe Ceci (NDP)
''Legislative Assembly of Alberta'' Later that year, he moved to Calgary, where he worked as a social worker. During this time, he attended the

University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...

, where he received a master's degree in social work in 1989.

Calgary alderman

He previously served on

as the alderman for Ward 9 from 1995 to 2010. In his 2004–2007 term he was a founding member community safety councils in Inglewood- Ramsay and Forest Lawn. Ceci was challenged in the 2007 election by Al Koenig, president of the Calgary Police Association, who had criticized city council for not being "...as assertive on crime as we’d like to see"; Ceci defeated him by a wide margin. He retired from City Council in 2010, choosing to not run for re-election after 15 years on the Council.

Provincial career

Touted as a

star candidate A star candidate (french: candidat vedette) refers to a high-profile individual who has been recruited as a candidate A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for som ...

, Ceci ran for the

in the

2015 Alberta general election The 2015 Alberta general election was held on May 5, 2015, following a request of Premier Jim Prentice to the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Donald Ethell to dissolve the Legislative Assembly on April 7, 2015. This election elected members to th ...

for the electoral district of Calgary-Fort, hoping to become the first NDP MLA elected in Calgary since 1993, when Bob Hawkesworth was defeated in the riding of

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

. He won the riding with a majority of over 3000 votes and 49.8% of the popular vote; Progressive Conservative candidate Andy Nguyen finished second in the popular vote. On May 24, 2015, he was sworn in as Minister of Finance and President of the Treasury Board in the Alberta Cabinet.Rachel Notley sworn in as Alberta premier, reveals cabinet
" ''CBC News'' May 24, 2015. Ceci was re-elected in the 2019 provincial election, however the NDP lost government and therefore Ceci lost his cabinet position.

Electoral history

2019 general election

2015 general election

References

External links

Official site of Joe Ceci
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ceci, Joe 1957 births Alberta New Democratic Party MLAs Calgary city councillors Living people Members of the Executive Council of Alberta Politicians from Toronto 21st-century Canadian politicians Finance ministers of Alberta