Stephen Carlyle "Steve" West (born May 21, 1943) is a Canadian businessman, and a former veterinary doctor, teacher, farmer and former provincial level politician. He served as 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 ...

from 1986 to 2001. He served numerous portfolios in the cabinet for the Alberta government during his political career.

Early life

Stephen C. West was born in

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 ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

on May 21, 1943. He went to post secondary school at the Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate Institute, and earned his doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at the Ontario Veterinary College. After college West moved to

Vermilion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color, color family, and pigment most often made, since ancient history, antiquity until the 19th century, from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide, which is toxic) and its correspondi ...

and founded the West Veterinary Clinic. He operated his clinic for fifteen years and became a farmer in the area. In addition to his practice he also taught Animal Science Technology at Lakeland College.

Political career

West was first elected to the Alberta Legislature 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 easily won a two race over

New Democrat New Democrats, also known as centrist Democrats, Clinton Democrats, or moderate Democrats, are a centrist ideological faction within the Democratic Party in the United States. As the Third Way faction of the party, they are seen as culturall ...

candidate Mervin Stephenson in the electoral district of

Vermilion-Viking Vermilion-Viking was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using first past the post method of voting from 1971 to 1993. Vermilion-Viking is named for the ...

. He was re-elected to his second 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 ...

winning a three-way race with a slightly reduced plurality over the last election. West was appointed to his first cabinet portfolio under the government of

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 ...

. He served as Minister of Recreation and Parks from April 1989 to February 1992. He became Solicitor General in a cabinet shuffle and held 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 December 1992. Under the Ralph Klein government, West was appointed as Minister of Municipal Affairs. He held that post until December 1994. Vermilion-Viking was abolished due to redistribution in 1993, West ran for his third term in the new electoral district of

Vermilion-Lloydminster Vermilion-Lloydminster was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using first past the post method of voting from 1993 to 2019. The largest communities in ...

. The race was a rerun of the 1989 Vermilion-Viking election as both the challenging candidates for the New Democrats and Liberals faced West for the second time. The race was hotly contested as Liberal candidate Greg Michaud quadrupled his popular vote. Despite the strong showing by the Liberal candidate West won the new district by increasing his popular vote. West was moved to the Transportation and Utilities portfolio in December 1994, he served that post until May 1996, when he was appointed Minister of Economics Development and Tourism. West was re-elected to his fourth and final term as MLA in the

1997 Alberta general election The 1997 Alberta general election was held on March 11, 1997, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Ralph Klein's Conservatives were re-elected, with increased number of seats in the Legislature. Liberal Official Opposition los ...

. He won the electoral district in a landslide with his largest percentage and plurality of his political career. After the election he was appointed Minister of Energy on March 26, 1997. The last post he served in cabinet was as Minister of Finance. West who served in numerous Cabinet positions through his career as a MLA was known for his efforts to privatize a number of government areas including liquor stores and vehicle registries. During this time West would earn the nickname "Dr. No" for his role in reducing government expenditures and payroll. In 2004 West would be hired as Premier

's Chief of Staff and abruptly let go seven months later following the

2004 Alberta general election The 2004 Alberta general election was held on November 22, 2004 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The election was called on October 25, 2004. Premier Ralph Klein decided to go to the polls earlier than the legislated dead ...

. West's dismissal less than a year into his three-year contract and $180,000 severance package would become a controversy in the Alberta legislature later that year.

References

External links

Legislative Assembly of Alberta Members Listing
{{DEFAULTSORT:West, Steve 1943 births Living people Finance ministers of Alberta Members of the Executive Council of Alberta Politicians from London, Ontario Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta MLAs