Mike Cardinal

Melvin Percy Joseph "Mike" Cardinal[1] is a politician from Alberta, Canada and a former member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, having served in that capacity from 1989 until 2008. He sat as a Progressive Conservative and represented the districts of Athabasca-Lac La Biche, Athabasca-Wabasca, and Athabasca-Redwater. He also held five cabinet posts in the government of Ralph Klein.

Mike Cardinal
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Athabasca-Redwater Athabasca-Wabasca (1993-2004) Athabasca-Lac La Biche (1989-1993)
In office March 20, 1989 – March 3, 2008
Preceded by	Leo Piquette
Succeeded by	Jeff Johnson
Personal details
Born	Melvin Percy Joseph Cardinal July 17, 1941 Northern Alberta
Political party	Progressive Conservative

Early life

Mike Cardinal was born into a family of 13 in 1941 in northern Alberta, the son of a trapper and a homemaker. He dropped out of school in grade 8 to work, but eventually returned to school and graduated from grade 12. He spent ten years in the forestry and sawmill industries before entering the public sector. He worked as a mortgage officer with the Alberta Housing Corporation before transferring to the Alberta Human Resources Development Authority. There he developed a native housing/relocation program before moving to the department of Advanced Education and Manpower, where he served as regional supervisor of Employment/Counselling Services for ten years. He served a further three years as a regional manager of Employment and Relocation Counselling Services, and three more as a senior consultant to the Assistant Deputy Minister of Advanced Education and Manpower.

Municipal politics

Cardinal served as a town councillor in Slave Lake and on the school board of the Northland School Division No. 61, where he chaired the board for three of his six years of service.

Provincial politics

Electoral record

Cardinal first sought provincial office in the 1989 election, when ran as a Progressive Conservative against incumbent New Democrat Leo Piquette in the riding of Athabasca-Lac La Biche. He defeated Piquette by more than 900 votes. When electoral boundaries were re-drawn in advance of the 1993 election, Cardinal ran in the new riding of Athabasca-Wabasca. He was elected here not only in 1993, but also in 1997 and 2001, taking well over fifty percent of the vote each time. In 2004 this riding too was abolished, and Cardinal served his last term as the member for Athabasca-Redwater, which he won handily in the 2004 election. He did not seek re-election at the conclusion of this term.

Backbencher

Cardinal served as a backbencher from the time of his election until Ralph Klein became premier in December 1992. During this time, he sponsored the Metis Settlements Land Protection Act of 1990, a government bill designed to give Metis settlements ownership over the land. It passed without significant controversy, though Liberal Nicholas Taylor questioned a portion of the bill that stipulated that the land, as it was communally owned, could not be mortgaged.[2]

Minister of Family and Social Services

Upon Ralph Klein's ascendancy to the Premiership in December 1992, Cardinal was brought into cabinet as the Minister of Family and Social Services. He was the first treaty Indian to be named to Alberta's cabinet,[3] and, in addition to his portfolio, was given cabinet responsibility for aboriginal issues.[4]

Election results

1989 Alberta general election: Athabasca-Lac La Biche
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive Conservative	Mike Cardinal	4,237	45.22%	9.18%
	New Democratic	Leo Piquette	3,342	35.67%	-3.56%
	Liberal	Tom Maccagno	1,791	19.11%	-3.48%
Total			9,370	–	–
Rejected, Spoiled and Declined			30	–	–
Eligible electors / Turnout			13,933	67.47%	–
	Progressive Conservative gain from New Democratic		Swing		3.18%
Source(s) Source: "Athabasca-Lac La Biche Official Results 1989 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1993 Alberta general election: Athabasca-Wabasca
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive Conservative	Mike Cardinal	4,144	59.99%	–
	Liberal	Simon Waquan	1,921	27.81%	–
	New Democratic	Emil Zachkewich	843	12.20%	–
Total			6,908	–	–
Rejected, Spoiled and Declined			31	–	–
Eligible electors / Turnout			11,165	62.15%	–
	Progressive Conservative pickup new district.
Source(s) Source: "Athabasca-Wabasca Official Results 1993 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1997 Alberta general election: Athabasca-Wabasca
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive Conservative	Mike Cardinal	3,380	59.00%	-0.99%
	Liberal	Tony Mercredi	1,481	25.85%	-1.96%
	Social Credit	Curtis Gunderson	468	8.17%	–
	New Democratic	Dean Patriquin	300	5.24%	-6.97%
	Greens	Harlan Light	100	1.75%	–
Total			5,729	–	–
Rejected, Spoiled and Declined			34	–	–
Eligible electors / Turnout			12,009	47.99%	–
	Progressive Conservative hold		Swing		0.48%
Source(s) Source: "Athabasca-Wabasca Official Results 1997 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

2001 Alberta general election: Athabasca-Wabasca
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive Conservative	Mike Cardinal	4,238	66.69%	7.69%
	Liberal	Al Wurfel	1,264	19.89%	-5.96%
	New Democratic	Colin Piquette	606	9.54%	4.30%
	Social Credit	David Klassen	153	2.41%	-5.76%
	Greens	Ian Hopfe	94	1.48%	-0.27%
Total			6,355	–	–
Rejected, Spoiled and Declined			6	–	–
Eligible electors / Turnout			12,622	50.40%	–
	Progressive Conservative hold		Swing		6.83%
Source(s) Source: "Athabasca-Wabasca Official Results 2001 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

2004 Alberta general election: Athabasca-Redwater
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive Conservative	Mike Cardinal	5,707	47.68%	–
	Liberal	Nicole Belland	3,253	27.18%	–
	New Democratic	Peter Opryshko	1,397	11.67%	–
	Alberta Alliance	Sean Whelan	1,184	9.89%	–
	Greens	Luke De Smet	252	2.11%	–
	Social Credit	Leonard Fish	177	1.48%	–
Total			11,970	–	–
Rejected, Spoiled and Declined			53	–	–
Eligible electors / Turnout			24,074	49.94%	–
	Progressive Conservative pickup new district.
Source(s) Source: "Elections Alberta 2004 General Election". Elections Alberta. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

References

1. Mossman, Jennifer (May 1998). Biography and Genealogy Master Index: A Consolidated Index to More Than 3,200,000 Biographical Sketches in over 350 Current and Retrospective Biographical Dictionaries. ISBN 9780787612726.
2. https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files/docs/hansards/han/legislature_22/session_2/19900605_2000_01_han.pdf |chapter-url= missing title (help) (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Legislative Assembly of Alberta. June 5, 1990.
3. Quaid, Maeve (2002). Workfare: Why Good Social Policy Ideas Go Bad. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 148. ISBN 978-0-8020-8101-8.
4. Fraser, Fil (March 27, 1993). "Cardinal ready to settle Lubicon claim". Edmonton Journal.