Barry McFarland (born April 22, 1948) 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 sin ...

representing the constituency of

Little Bow Little Bow was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1913 to 2019. Throughout its history, this district has been dominated by agricultural activities ...

as a Progressive Conservative.

Early life

McFarland was born and raised near Carmangay. He is a graduate of the business administration program at the

Southern Alberta Institute of Technology The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) is a polytechnic institute in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. SAIT offers more than 110 career programs in technology, trades and business. Established in 1916, it is Calgary's second oldest post-se ...

(SAIT) in Calgary. After graduating, he worked in retail credit for Gulf Canada Resources Limited. Since 1972, McFarland and his wife Mary have operated a dryland grain farm near Carmangay.

Political career

McFarland was first elected in a 1992 by-election, when incumbent Raymond Speaker resigned to run for a federal seat. He won the by-election in a tight race, winning by only 262 votes over the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

candidate. It was the closest that the Liberals had come to winning the riding in 70 years. However, McFarland has never faced another election nearly that close. He was elected to a sixth term in the 2008 provincial election, receiving 58 percent of the vote. He currently sits on the Standing Committee on the Economy and the Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, Standing Orders and Printing. During his five previous terms in office, McFarland sat on numerous committees and chaired the Standing Policy Committee on Agriculture and Municipal Affairs; Alberta Agricultural Research Institute; Standing Policy Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development; Premier's Council in Support of Alberta Families; Prisoner Voting Committee; and Industrial Assessment Review Committee. During his fifth term, McFarland was Associate Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation. Before entering provincial politics, McFarland was involved in municipal government. He was first elected as a councillor for the County of Vulcan in 1977. Between 1977 and 1992, McFarland served his community in a series of positions, including reeve, school trustee, chair of the Board of Education, and trustee and chair for the Little Bow Auxiliary Hospital. McFarland was also involved with a number of municipal and agricultural committees, including the Municipal Planning Commission and the Carmangay Seed Cleaning Plant Association.

Personal life

McFarland lives outside Carmangay, Alberta, with his wife, Mary. The couple has four adult children. He was inducted onto the Palliser Regional Schools Wall of Fame in 2007. His involvement with community groups has included the Carmangay Curling Club, Vulcan Atletika Track Club and local chapters of the Lions Club and the Royal Canadian Legion.

Election results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McFarland, Barry 1948 births Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta MLAs Living people People from Vulcan County Members of the Executive Council of Alberta 21st-century Canadian politicians