Raymond Speaker
Encyclopedia
Raymond Albert "Ray" Speaker, PC
, OC (born December 13, 1935) is a farmer and Canadian
politician.
Speaker was born and raised in Enchant, Alberta
where he farms to this day. He also worked as a teacher until 1962.
when he was elected as an Member of the Legislative Assembly
(MLA) for the Social Credit Party of Alberta
from the mostly rural riding of Little Bow. He served as minister without portfolio
in 1967, Minister of Health and Social Development and Minister of Personnel in 1968, and Chairman of the Human Resources Development Authority in 1969.
He remained a Social Credit MLA for many years after the party lost power in the 1971 election
, usually winning handily even as the party's support ebbed away in the rest of the province. He served in the early 1980s as Leader of the Opposition
and parliamentary leader of the Social Credit Party. However, in 1982, Speaker announced that Social Credit would be sitting out the next provincial election
due to dwindling support for the party. A few months earlier, the party had badly lost a by-election which cost it official party status
. Speaker's announcement was disavowed by party officials. Soon after the writs were dropped for the election, Speaker and Walt Buck
resigned from the party and were reelected as independents.
Denied funding guaranteed to political parties, Speaker and Buck formed the Representative Party of Alberta
, which served as an alternative right wing party as well as a home for former Socreds after the party collapsed. Speaker was elected its leader. However, in 1987, Speaker crossed the floor to the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
. He was reelected with 70 percent of the vote in 1989
, his highest total. Following that election, he was named to the cabinet as Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs.
in the 1993 election
as the Member of Parliament
(MP) for the Reform Party of Canada
in the Federal Riding of Lethbridge
. He served as finance critic and then House Leader
of the Reform caucus. He retired from politics at the 1997 election
.
In 1999, Speaker was appointed to the Security Intelligence Review Committee, an agency which provides an external review of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service
, and was named to the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
.
In 2001, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
.
After the Conservative Party
won a plurality of seats in the 2006 federal election
, Speaker was appointed to the Prime Minister
's transition team. He also was the chair of the Conservative Alliance merger.
He was appointed as a mentor for the Trudeau Foundation of Canada
in January 2008.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
, OC (born December 13, 1935) is a farmer and Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician.
Speaker was born and raised in Enchant, Alberta
Enchant, Alberta
Enchant is a hamlet in southern Alberta, Canada within the Municipal District of Taber. It is located on Highway 526 and the Canadian Pacific Railway, between Vauxhall and Lomond. It has an elevation of .The hamlet is located in census division No...
where he farms to this day. He also worked as a teacher until 1962.
Provincial politics
He entered politics in the 1963 provincial electionAlberta general election, 1963
The Alberta general election of 1963 was the fifteenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on June 17, 1963 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.The Social Credit Party, led by Ernest C...
when he was elected as an Member of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
(MLA) for the Social Credit Party of Alberta
Social Credit Party of Alberta
The Alberta Social Credit Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, that was founded on the social credit monetary policy and conservative Christian social values....
from the mostly rural riding of Little Bow. He served as minister without portfolio
Minister without Portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister that does not head a particular ministry...
in 1967, Minister of Health and Social Development and Minister of Personnel in 1968, and Chairman of the Human Resources Development Authority in 1969.
He remained a Social Credit MLA for many years after the party lost power in the 1971 election
Alberta general election, 1971
The Alberta general election of 1971 was the seventeenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on August 30, 1971 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, usually winning handily even as the party's support ebbed away in the rest of the province. He served in the early 1980s as Leader of the Opposition
Opposition (parliamentary)
Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. Note that this article uses the term government as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning the administration or the cabinet rather than the state...
and parliamentary leader of the Social Credit Party. However, in 1982, Speaker announced that Social Credit would be sitting out the next provincial election
Alberta general election, 1982
The Alberta general election of 1982 was the twentieth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on November 2, 1982 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
due to dwindling support for the party. A few months earlier, the party had badly lost a by-election which cost it official party status
Official party status
Official party status refers to the Canadian practice of recognizing political parties in the Parliament of Canada and the provincial legislatures. The type of recognition and threshold needed to obtain it varies...
. Speaker's announcement was disavowed by party officials. Soon after the writs were dropped for the election, Speaker and Walt Buck
Walt Buck
Dr. Walter "Walt" Alexander Buck is a former provincial level politician and dentist from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1967 to 1989. During his time in office he served in numerous party caucuses and as an Independent.-Political career:Buck ran...
resigned from the party and were reelected as independents.
Denied funding guaranteed to political parties, Speaker and Buck formed the Representative Party of Alberta
Representative Party of Alberta
The Representative Party of Alberta was a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada formed by Raymond Speaker in 1984. The party was right of center, conservative in ideology and considered a modern version of Social Credit without the monetary reforms....
, which served as an alternative right wing party as well as a home for former Socreds after the party collapsed. Speaker was elected its leader. However, in 1987, Speaker crossed the floor to the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta...
. He was reelected with 70 percent of the vote in 1989
Alberta general election, 1989
The Alberta general election of 1989 was the twenty-second general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 20, 1989 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, his highest total. Following that election, he was named to the cabinet as Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs.
National politics
Speaker ran for and won a seat in the Canadian House of CommonsCanadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
in the 1993 election
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
as the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for the Reform Party of Canada
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
in the Federal Riding of Lethbridge
Lethbridge (electoral district)
Lethbridge is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1917...
. He served as finance critic and then House Leader
House Leader
In Canada, each political party with representation in the House of Commons has a House Leader who is a front bench Member of Parliament and an expert in parliamentary procedure...
of the Reform caucus. He retired from politics at the 1997 election
Canadian federal election, 1997
The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada won a second majority government...
.
In 1999, Speaker was appointed to the Security Intelligence Review Committee, an agency which provides an external review of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Canadian Security Intelligence Service
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service is Canada's national intelligence service. It is responsible for collecting, analyzing, reporting and disseminating intelligence on threats to Canada's national security, and conducting operations, covert and overt, within Canada and abroad.Its...
, and was named to the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
.
In 2001, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
.
After the Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
won a plurality of seats in the 2006 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
, Speaker was appointed to the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
's transition team. He also was the chair of the Conservative Alliance merger.
He was appointed as a mentor for the Trudeau Foundation of Canada
Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
Founded in 2001, the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation is an independent and non-partisan Canadian charity established as a living memorial to the late Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau by his family, friends, and colleagues...
in January 2008.