Grant Notley | |
|---|---|
 Notleyc. 1969 | |
| Leader of the Opposition in Alberta | |
| In office November 2, 1982 – October 19, 1984 | |
| Preceded by | Raymond Speaker |
| Succeeded by | Ray Martin |
| Leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party | |
| In office November 10, 1968 – October 19, 1984 | |
| Preceded by | Neil Reimer |
| Succeeded by | Ray Martin |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta forSpirit River-Fairview | |
| In office August 30, 1971 – October 19, 1984 | |
| Preceded by | Riding established |
| Succeeded by | Jim Gurnett (1985) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Walter Grant Notley (1939-01-19)January 19, 1939 |
| Died | October 19, 1984(1984-10-19) (aged 45) nearHigh Prairie,Alberta, Canada |
| Cause of death | Plane crash |
| Party | New Democratic |
| Children | Rachel, Paul andStephen |
| Occupation | Politician |
Walter Grant Notley (January 19, 1939 – October 19, 1984) was a Canadian politician. He served as a member of theLegislative Assembly of Alberta from 1971 to 1984 and also served as leader of theAlberta NDP from 1968 to 1984.
Notley was born inDidsbury, Alberta, the son of Frances (Grant) and James Walter Notley, who were farmers.[1] He graduated from theUniversity of Alberta in 1960 with a history degree. After having been involved with theAlberta New Democratic Party in campus politics, he became the party's provincial secretary in 1962.
Notley ran for a seat to the Alberta Legislature for the first time in the1963 Alberta general election as a candidate for theAlberta NDP. He was defeated, finishing last in the four-way race losing to incumbentEdgar Gerhart.[2]
He also ran in the1967 provincial election and in a 1969by-election.[3]
Notley was elected leader of the Alberta NDP in 1968.[4]
Notley ran in the1971 provincial election, winning aseat in theLegislative Assembly of Alberta in the electoral district ofSpirit River-Fairview defeating incumbentSocial Credit MLAAdolph Fimrite.[5] He served as theMember of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Spirit River-Fairview, and was, for eleven years, the sole NDP MLA in the provincial legislature.
In the1982 provincial election, he was joined by a second NDP MLA,Ray Martin, and the NDP was named theOfficial Opposition, as Notley, Martin and two independents were the only non-Progressive Conservative MLAs elected.[3]
On October 19, 1984, Notley and five other passengers were killed nearSlave Lake in northern Alberta whenWapiti Aviation Flight 402 crashed into a snow-covered, wooded hillside.[6] Four people survived the crash, including then Minister of Housing,Larry Shaben.
A year after Notley's death, his party achieved a breakthrough. In the1986 provincial election, the NDP, for the first time, won 16 seats and 29 percent of the vote.
Notley's daughter,Rachel Notley, served as MLA (NDP) for the provincial riding ofEdmonton Strathcona, from the2008 provincial election to 2024. She became leader of the party on October 18, 2014,[7] as her father had before her, and she served aspremier of Alberta, from May 24, 2015, to April 30, 2019. She stepped down as Leader of NDP in January 2024.[8]
One of his two sons, Stephen Notley, writes the popular newspaper and webcomic stripBob the Angry Flower.[9] His other son is Paul Notley.
In 2010, the Peace River farm district Dunvegan-Central Peace provincial riding was renamedDunvegan-Central Peace-Notley.[10][11] Notley had represented the area as MLA from 1971 to his death in 1984.[3]
A statue was erected in his honour in Edmonton's Grant Notley Park near Lemarchand Mansion, 100th Avenue and 116 Street.[12][13]
Socialism and Democracy: Essays in Honour of Grant Notley was published after his death.[14]
The biographyGrant Notley The Social Conscience of Alberta by Howard A. Leeson was published by UofA Press in 1992, reprinted 2015.[15]
| Leaders |
| .svg){kind=logo} | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leadership elections | ||||||
| Governments | ||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
