Richard Feehan
Richard John Feehan | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Indigenous Relations of Alberta | |
| In office February 2, 2016 – April 30, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Kathleen Ganley |
| Succeeded by | Rick Wilson |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Edmonton-Rutherford | |
| In office May 5, 2015 – May 29, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Fred Horne |
| Succeeded by | Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 11, 1960 Edmonton, Alberta |
| Political party | Alberta New Democratic Party BC NDP |
| Alma mater | Wilfrid Laurier University University of Calgary University of Alberta |
| Occupation | University instructor and social worker |
Richard John Feehan (born February 11, 1960) is a Canadian politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta (MLA), representing the electoral district of Edmonton-Rutherford from 2015 until 2023.[1]
Early life and career
[edit]Richard Feehan was born on February 11, 1960 to parents Bernie and Kathleen Feehan.[2] His father was a Judge on the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta and his mother was chair of Grant MacEwan’s social work program for 30 years.[3][4] Feehan has six siblings, and is married with three adult children.[5][2]
Feehan graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Arts in 1980, from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Social Work and from Wilfrid Laurier University with a Masters of Social Work in 1986.[2]
Before entering politics, Feehan worked in a variety of roles, including as the program director of the Edmonton Social Planning Council and vice-president of Catholic Social Services in Edmonton.[6] He taught in the Edmonton division of the University of Calgary’s faculty of social work for a decade, before being elected.[7]
Politics
[edit]Feehan ran for Edmonton City Council in the 2013 Edmonton municipal election in Ward 10, on a platform of local sustainability and infrastructure renewal. He placed second, losing to community organizer Michael Walters.[8]
In the 2015 Alberta general election, Feehan was nominated as the Alberta New Democratic Party candidate for Edmonton-Rutherford. Feehan was elected as MLA, receiving 63.94% of the vote, a 55.62% increase in the NDP's share of the vote, which was the party's largest increase from the 2012 Alberta general election.[9][10]
Following the election, Feehan was appointed Alberta NDP caucus chair by Premier Rachel Notley.[11] Shortly after, he was elected Deputy Chairman of Committees in the 29th Alberta Legislature. [12]
In 2016, Feehan was appointed to the Executive Council of Alberta as Minister of Indigenous Relations.[13] During his time as Minister, he oversaw the investment of $35 million in Indigenous-led renewable energy projects,[14] implemented supports for families of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women,[15] and participated in engagement sessions for survivors of the Sixties Scoop, culminating in the Albertan government's apology for its role.[16][17] Feehan also instituted training on Indigenous history and culture for all Albertan public servants in June 2018.[18]
Feehan was re-elected in the 2019 Alberta general election and was appointed as the Official Opposition's Indigenous relations critic.[19]
In April 2022, Feehan announced he would not seek re-election in the 2023 Alberta general election.[1]
Electoral record
[edit]| 2019 Alberta general election: Edmonton-Rutherford | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| New Democratic | Richard Feehan | 12,154 | 54.81 | -7.52 | ||||
| United Conservative | Hannah Presakarchuk | 7,737 | 34.89 | +1.83 | ||||
| Alberta Party | Aisha Rauf | 1,600 | 7.22 | +7.03 | ||||
| Liberal | Claire Wilde | 375 | 1.69 | -2.72 | ||||
| Green | Valerie Kennedy | 191 | 0.86 | – | ||||
| Alberta Independence | Lionel Levoir | 117 | 0.53 | – | ||||
| Total | 22,174 | 99.50 | – | |||||
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | 111 | 0.50 | ||||||
| Turnout | 22,285 | 69.47 | ||||||
| Eligible electors | 32,077 | |||||||
| New Democratic hold | Swing | -4.68 | ||||||
Source(s)
Source: "41 - Edmonton-Rutherford, 2019 Alberta general election". officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta. Retrieved May 21, 2020. Alberta. Chief Electoral Officer (2019). 2019 General Election. A Report of the Chief Electoral Officer. Volume II (PDF) (Report). Vol. 2. Edmonton, Alta.: Elections Alberta. pp. 160–163. ISBN 978-1-988620-12-1. Retrieved April 7, 2021. | ||||||||
| 2015 Alberta general election: Edmonton-Rutherford | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| New Democratic | Richard Feehan | 11,214 | 63.94% | 55.62% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Chris Labossiere | 3,940 | 22.46% | -19.73% | ||||
| Wildrose | Josef Pisa | 1,644 | 9.37% | -7.44% | ||||
| Liberal | Michael Chan | 741 | 4.22% | -17.77% | ||||
| Total | 17,539 | – | – | |||||
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | 23 | 37 | 41 | |||||
| Eligible electors / turnout | 29,253 | 60.18% | -0.79% | |||||
| New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative | Swing | 10.64% | ||||||
Source(s)
Source: "43 - Edmonton-Rutherford, 2015 Alberta general election". officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta. Retrieved May 21, 2020. Chief Electoral Officer (2016). 2015 General Election. A Report of the Chief Electoral Officer (PDF) (Report). Edmonton, Alta.: Elections Alberta. | ||||||||
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Walters | 11,807 | 63.9 |
| Richard John Feehan | 3,818 | 20.7 |
| Hafis Devji | 1,509 | 8.2 |
| Dan 'Can Man Dan' Johnstone | 907 | 4.9 |
| Ray Bessel | 444 | 2.4 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Lachacz, Adam (22 April 2022). "NDP MLA Richard Feehan not seeking re-election for Edmonton-Rutherford seat". CTV News Edmonton. Archived from the original on 19 November 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ a b c Cook, Dustin (April 12, 2019). "Riding profile: Edmonton-Rutherford". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
- ^ "Canada.Com | Homepage | Canada.Com".
- ^ https://stmcollege.ca/documents/newsletters/1990-spring.pdf
- ^ "J. Feehan Obituary (2008) - Legacy Remembers". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
- ^ "Edmonton council hopefuls begin campaigns for Oct. 21 election". edmontonsun. Archived from the original on 2024-09-10. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
- ^ "Premier adds three Edmonton MLAs to cabinet". edmontonjournal. Archived from the original on 2020-11-29. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
- ^ "Richard Feehan - Ward Ten Candidate". CTV News Edmonton. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
- ^ "Election Results". Elections Alberta. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
- ^ "The Election Index: How Alberta turned orange". Archived from the original on 2016-10-16. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
- ^ "Edmonton MLA Marlin Schmidt named NDP government whip". Edmonton Journal. June 3, 2015. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
- ^ Ibrahim, Mariam (June 12, 2015). "New Speaker's first act to lead moment of silence in memory of slain Edmonton constable". edmontonjournal. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
- ^ Sinnema, Jodie; Ibrahim, Mariam (February 3, 2016). "Premier adds three Edmonton MLAs to cabinet". Archived from the original on June 29, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
- ^ Morin, Brandi (30 June 2017). "Alberta investing $35M to help Indigenous communities address climate change". CBC News Indigenous. Archived from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ "Family liaison units set up to help relatives of missing and murdered indigenous girls and women". Edmonton Journal. 2017-05-19. Archived from the original on 2017-10-27. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
- ^ Morin, Brandi (1 March 2018). "Alberta officials' role in 60s Scoop sessions was to 'shut up and listen' to survivors, says minister". CBC News Edmonton. Archived from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ Bellefontaine, Michelle (28 May 2018). "Alberta premier apologizes to Sixties Scoop survivors". CBC News Edmonton. Archived from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ Bellefontaine, Michelle (18 June 2018). "27,000 Alberta public servants to get Indigenous history, culture training". CBC News Edmonton. Archived from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ Bellefontaine, Michelle (13 May 2019). "'Challenging and exciting, fun and frustrating': NDP MLAs look ahead to next 4 years". CBC News Edmonton. Archived from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.