Mel Knight
Encyclopedia
Mel Knight is the Minister of Energy of Alberta
and a Progressive Conservative
member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
.
. His father worked for Northern Alberta Railways
, and Knight grew up in the Peace Country. He graduated from Hillside High School in Valleyview
, and worked as a roughneck
and repairing equipment before earning his certification as a journeyman
mechanic
. He worked for drilling and petroleum companies until 1970, when he founded his own firm, Knight Measurement and Control, which eventually employed 55 people. He retired from this company in 1996. In 1972 he moved to a farm south of Vallyview, where he raised cattle and grew forage
commercially. He bought a service station in 1974 that later operated as an antique shop (later shut down when the MD purchased the land for road access) . He is also active in real estate.
.
as the Progressive Conservative
candidate in the riding of Grande Prairie Smoky
, where incumbent Progressive Conservative Walter Paszkowski
was not seeking re-election. Knight was easily elected, taking more than two thirds of the vote against three opponents. He was re-elected by smaller margins, although still with absolute majorities, in the 2004
and 2008 elections.
of the province's electricity market
. Much of the debate around the bill was about whether the government's deregulation had worked well to date. The bill was passed on a party line
vote, with Knight's fellow Progressive Conservatives
voting unanimously in favour and the opposition Liberals
and New Democrats voting unanimously against. Knight also sponsored the Securities Amendment Acts, separate bills with the same name from different years, 2005 and 2006. The first of these was designed to harmonize the securities regulation
with that of other provinces. It was supported by Liberals Rick Miller
and Bill Bonko
, who considered it a step in the right direction. New Democrats gave it a mixed reception, with Ray Martin
agreeing that it did make some improvements, but with his colleague David Eggen
trying to kill it on third reading, saying that what was needed was a supra-provincial securities regulator. The 2006 edition of the Securities Amendment Act implemented further harmonization, and passed with little debate. The Securities Transfer Act of the same year consolidated and harmonized the province's rules for transferring securities, and passed with all-party support.
In the 2006 Progressive Conservative leadership race, Knight endorsed eventual winner Ed Stelmach
.
became Premier in December 2006, he named Knight to his cabinet as Energy Minister. In this capacity, Knight oversaw some of the Stelmach government's most contentious policy issues, beginning with the government response to the Alberta Royalty Review
, which recommended dramatically higher royalty rates from companies extracting oil in Alberta. The government rejected many of the review's recommendations, but did increase royalty rates by approximately 20% (25% less than recommended by the panel). These increases were criticized as too low by the opposition Liberals
and New Democrats and as too high by some industry groups and Paul Hinman
, the Wildrose Alliance Party's leader and sole MLA.
Knight also dealt with the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board affair, which resulted from the June 2007 revelation that the EUB, a government-mandated and appointed body responsible for regulating energy resource development, pipelines, transmission lines, and investor-owned electric, water, and natural gas utilities, as well as certain municipality-owned utilities, admitted that it had hired private investigators to spy on landowners who opposed the construction of a major power line in the Rimbey area. Even as Stelmach defended the use of investigators, Knight called on the EUB to explain itself. He ordered a judicial investigation into the issue, to run parallel to an investigation being conducted by provincial Information and Privacy Commissioner Frank Work. After Work's investigation found that the EUB had violated provincial law and infringed on the landowner's privacy, the opposition parties called for Knight's resignation. However, when Stelmach unveiled his new cabinet after his victory in the 2008 election, Knight remained as Energy Minister.
The major legislative initiative of Knight's time as Energy Minister has been the Alberta Utilities Commission Act, which became better know by its order paper designation, Bill 46. The bill split the EUB into two parts, the Alberta Utilities Commission (responsible for regulating utilities) and the Energy Resources Conservation Board (responsible for regulating oil and gas). The legislation was controversial, as elements of the EUB's governing legislation that provided for public notice and consultation in the event of energy construction projects were missing from the new entities. Opposition parties and activists protested the bill, but it passed through the legislature with the support of all Progressive Conservatives present.
Knight has also presided over the appointment of an expert panel charged with evaluating the possibility of introducing nuclear energy
into Alberta. He was exposed to criticism when, in response to a question from Liberal leader Kevin Taft
about why the panel did not include representation from environmental groups, he asserted that the Sierra Club
supported the use of nuclear energy in Europe
; in fact, the Sierra Club opposes the use of nuclear energy and does not operate in Europe. Knight apologized for his error.
In the government's 2008 throne speech, it asserted its intention to provide funding to expand Alberta's biofuels sector. Knight has asserted that this expansion will not result in increased food prices for Albertans.
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
and a Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta...
member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
.
Early life
Mel Knight was born July 30, 1944 in Beaverlodge, AlbertaAlberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. His father worked for Northern Alberta Railways
Northern Alberta Railways
Northern Alberta Railways was a Canadian railway which served northern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. Jointly owned by both Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway, NAR existed as a separate company from 1929 until 1981....
, and Knight grew up in the Peace Country. He graduated from Hillside High School in Valleyview
Valleyview, Alberta
-History:*Late 1800s: The first visitors to the area arrived, seeking natives to exchange goods for furs. The trading was good and a Hudson’s Bay post was established on Sturgeon Lake...
, and worked as a roughneck
Roughneck
Roughneck is a slang term for a person whose occupation is hard-manual labour, typically in a dangerous working environment. The term applies across a number of industries, but is most commonly associated with oil rigs...
and repairing equipment before earning his certification as a journeyman
Journeyman
A journeyman is someone who completed an apprenticeship and was fully educated in a trade or craft, but not yet a master. To become a master, a journeyman had to submit a master work piece to a guild for evaluation and be admitted to the guild as a master....
mechanic
Mechanic
A mechanic is a craftsman or technician who uses tools to build or repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, general mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and...
. He worked for drilling and petroleum companies until 1970, when he founded his own firm, Knight Measurement and Control, which eventually employed 55 people. He retired from this company in 1996. In 1972 he moved to a farm south of Vallyview, where he raised cattle and grew forage
Forage
Forage is plant material eaten by grazing livestock.Historically the term forage has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially...
commercially. He bought a service station in 1974 that later operated as an antique shop (later shut down when the MD purchased the land for road access) . He is also active in real estate.
Municipal politics
Knight served as a municipal councillor in the Greenview municipal districtGreenview No. 16, Alberta
The Municipal District of Greenview No. 16 is a municipal district in northwest Alberta, Canada.It covers the full extent of Census Division 18. The municipal seat is in Valleyview.- Demographics :...
.
Electoral record
Knight first sought provincial office in the 2001 Alberta electionAlberta general election, 2001
The Alberta general election of 2001 was the twenty-fifth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 12, 2001 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
as the Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta...
candidate in the riding of Grande Prairie Smoky
Grande Prairie Smoky
Grande Prairie-Smoky is a provincial electoral district, located in northwestern Alberta Canada. The district is one of 83 mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting....
, where incumbent Progressive Conservative Walter Paszkowski
Walter Paszkowski
Walter Paszkowski is a former farmer as well as a municipal and provincial level politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1989 until 2001.-Early life:...
was not seeking re-election. Knight was easily elected, taking more than two thirds of the vote against three opponents. He was re-elected by smaller margins, although still with absolute majorities, in the 2004
Alberta general election, 2004
The Alberta general election of 2004 was the twenty-sixth general election for the province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on November 22, 2004 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
and 2008 elections.
Backbencher
As a backbencher in Ralph Klein's Progressive Conservative caucus, Knight moved a number of government bills. The first was 2003's Electric Utilities Act, which made some changes to the government's deregulationDeregulation
Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or...
of the province's electricity market
Electricity market
In economic terms, electricity is a commodity capable of being bought, sold and traded. An electricity market is a system for effecting purchases, through bids to buy; sales, through offers to sell; and short-term trades, generally in the form of financial or obligation swaps. Bids and offers use...
. Much of the debate around the bill was about whether the government's deregulation had worked well to date. The bill was passed on a party line
Party line (politics)
In politics, the line or the party line is an idiom for a political party or social movement's canon agenda, as well as specific ideological elements specific to the organization's partisanship. The common phrase toeing the party line describes a person who speaks in a manner that conforms to his...
vote, with Knight's fellow Progressive Conservatives
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta...
voting unanimously in favour and the opposition Liberals
Alberta Liberal Party
The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...
and New Democrats voting unanimously against. Knight also sponsored the Securities Amendment Acts, separate bills with the same name from different years, 2005 and 2006. The first of these was designed to harmonize the securities regulation
Canadian securities regulation
Canadian securities regulation is managed through laws and agencies established by Canada's 13 provincial and territorial governments. Each province and territory has a securities commission or equivalent authority and its own piece of provincial or territorial legislation.Unlike any other major...
with that of other provinces. It was supported by Liberals Rick Miller
Rick Miller (politician)
Rick Miller is a politician in the Canadian province of Alberta and former member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
and Bill Bonko
Bill Bonko
Bill Bonko is a Canadian politician and former member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. He was first elected in the 2004 election as a Liberal in Edmonton Decore, but was defeated in his 2008 re-election bid by Progressive Conservative Janice Sarich....
, who considered it a step in the right direction. New Democrats gave it a mixed reception, with Ray Martin
Ray Martin (politician)
Raymond Martin is a politician in Alberta, Canada and former member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.Born in 1941 in Delia, Alberta, Martin attended the University of Alberta in Edmonton. He was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity...
agreeing that it did make some improvements, but with his colleague David Eggen
David Eggen
David Eggen is a Canadian politician. He is a former Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for the riding of Edmonton-Calder.- Educator :...
trying to kill it on third reading, saying that what was needed was a supra-provincial securities regulator. The 2006 edition of the Securities Amendment Act implemented further harmonization, and passed with little debate. The Securities Transfer Act of the same year consolidated and harmonized the province's rules for transferring securities, and passed with all-party support.
In the 2006 Progressive Conservative leadership race, Knight endorsed eventual winner Ed Stelmach
Ed Stelmach
Edward Michael "Ed" Stelmach, MLA is a Canadian politician and served as the 13th Premier of Alberta, Canada, from 2006 to 2011. The grandson of Ukrainian immigrants, Stelmach was born and raised on a farm near Lamont and speaks fluent Ukrainian. He spent his entire pre-political adult life as a...
.
Minister of Energy
When Ed StelmachEd Stelmach
Edward Michael "Ed" Stelmach, MLA is a Canadian politician and served as the 13th Premier of Alberta, Canada, from 2006 to 2011. The grandson of Ukrainian immigrants, Stelmach was born and raised on a farm near Lamont and speaks fluent Ukrainian. He spent his entire pre-political adult life as a...
became Premier in December 2006, he named Knight to his cabinet as Energy Minister. In this capacity, Knight oversaw some of the Stelmach government's most contentious policy issues, beginning with the government response to the Alberta Royalty Review
Alberta Royalty Review
The Alberta Royalty Review was an independent panel established by the government of Alberta to review the level of resource royalties collected by the provincial government from petroleum and natural gas companies...
, which recommended dramatically higher royalty rates from companies extracting oil in Alberta. The government rejected many of the review's recommendations, but did increase royalty rates by approximately 20% (25% less than recommended by the panel). These increases were criticized as too low by the opposition Liberals
Alberta Liberal Party
The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...
and New Democrats and as too high by some industry groups and Paul Hinman
Paul Hinman
Paul Hinman is a provincial politician and small business entrepreneur from Alberta, Canada. He was formerly the leader of the Wildrose Alliance. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 2004 to 2008 representing the electoral district of Cardston-Taber-Warner...
, the Wildrose Alliance Party's leader and sole MLA.
Knight also dealt with the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board affair, which resulted from the June 2007 revelation that the EUB, a government-mandated and appointed body responsible for regulating energy resource development, pipelines, transmission lines, and investor-owned electric, water, and natural gas utilities, as well as certain municipality-owned utilities, admitted that it had hired private investigators to spy on landowners who opposed the construction of a major power line in the Rimbey area. Even as Stelmach defended the use of investigators, Knight called on the EUB to explain itself. He ordered a judicial investigation into the issue, to run parallel to an investigation being conducted by provincial Information and Privacy Commissioner Frank Work. After Work's investigation found that the EUB had violated provincial law and infringed on the landowner's privacy, the opposition parties called for Knight's resignation. However, when Stelmach unveiled his new cabinet after his victory in the 2008 election, Knight remained as Energy Minister.
The major legislative initiative of Knight's time as Energy Minister has been the Alberta Utilities Commission Act, which became better know by its order paper designation, Bill 46. The bill split the EUB into two parts, the Alberta Utilities Commission (responsible for regulating utilities) and the Energy Resources Conservation Board (responsible for regulating oil and gas). The legislation was controversial, as elements of the EUB's governing legislation that provided for public notice and consultation in the event of energy construction projects were missing from the new entities. Opposition parties and activists protested the bill, but it passed through the legislature with the support of all Progressive Conservatives present.
Knight has also presided over the appointment of an expert panel charged with evaluating the possibility of introducing nuclear energy
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
into Alberta. He was exposed to criticism when, in response to a question from Liberal leader Kevin Taft
Kevin Taft
Kevin Taft is a Liberal politician in Alberta, Canada. He was the leader of the Alberta Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, from 2004 to 2008...
about why the panel did not include representation from environmental groups, he asserted that the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
supported the use of nuclear energy in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
; in fact, the Sierra Club opposes the use of nuclear energy and does not operate in Europe. Knight apologized for his error.
In the government's 2008 throne speech, it asserted its intention to provide funding to expand Alberta's biofuels sector. Knight has asserted that this expansion will not result in increased food prices for Albertans.
Personal life
Knight is married to Diana, and the pair has three children - Darren, Shawna and Gregory - and ten grandchildren. He is a volunteer hockey coach, and is active with his local gun club and petroleum association.Election results
| 2008 Alberta general election results (Grande Prairie Smoky Grande Prairie Smoky Grande Prairie-Smoky is a provincial electoral district, located in northwestern Alberta Canada. The district is one of 83 mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting.... ) |
font style="font-size: 90%;">Turnout 30.5% | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
Progressive Conservative Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta... |
Mel Knight | 4,769 | 59.4% |
Liberal Alberta Liberal Party The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time... |
John Croken | 1,089 | 13.6% |
Wildrose Alliance Wildrose Alliance Party of Alberta The Wildrose Party, formerly Wildrose Alliance Party, is a conservative provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. It includes free market conservative, libertarian and socially conservative factions and was formed in 2008 following a merger of the Wildrose Party of Alberta and the Alberta... |
Todd Loewen | 1,049 | 13.1% |
NDP Alberta New Democratic Party The Alberta New Democratic Party or Alberta NDP is a social-democratic political party in Alberta, Canada, which was originally founded as the Alberta section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation... |
Neil Peacock | 832 | 10.4% |
Green Green Party of Alberta The Green Party of Alberta, also known as the Alberta Greens, was a provincial political party in the province of Alberta, Canada.The Alberta Greens were formed in 1986 and received official party status on April 6, 1990... |
Rebecca Villebrun | 285 | 3.6% | |
| 2004 Alberta general election Alberta general election, 2004 The Alberta general election of 2004 was the twenty-sixth general election for the province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on November 22, 2004 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.... results (Grande Prairie Smoky Grande Prairie Smoky Grande Prairie-Smoky is a provincial electoral district, located in northwestern Alberta Canada. The district is one of 83 mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting.... ) |
font style="font-size: 90%;">Turnout 35.3% | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
Progressive Conservative Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta... |
Mel Knight | 4,369 | 56.4% |
Liberal Alberta Liberal Party The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time... |
Neil Peacock | 1,965 | 25.4% |
NDP Alberta New Democratic Party The Alberta New Democratic Party or Alberta NDP is a social-democratic political party in Alberta, Canada, which was originally founded as the Alberta section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation... |
Georgina Szoke | 724 | 9.4% |
Alberta Alliance Alberta Alliance Party The Alberta Alliance was a right wing provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Many of its members were former supporters of the now-defunct Canadian Alliance federal political party and its predecessor, the Reform Party of Canada. Members also joined from such other provincial fringe parties... |
Hank Rahn | 685 | 8.8% | |||||
| 2001 Alberta general election Alberta general election, 2001 The Alberta general election of 2001 was the twenty-fifth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 12, 2001 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.... results (Grande Prairie Smoky Grande Prairie Smoky Grande Prairie-Smoky is a provincial electoral district, located in northwestern Alberta Canada. The district is one of 83 mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting.... ) |
font style="font-size: 90%;">Turnout 43.9% | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
Progressive Conservative Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta... |
Mel Knight | 6,241 | 67.5% |
Liberal Alberta Liberal Party The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time... |
Barry Robinson | 1,777 | 19.2% |
NDP Alberta New Democratic Party The Alberta New Democratic Party or Alberta NDP is a social-democratic political party in Alberta, Canada, which was originally founded as the Alberta section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation... |
Leon Pendleton | 842 | 9.1% |
Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
Dennis Young | 380 | 4.1% | |||||