Tony Vandermeer is a politician from Alberta

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...

, Canada

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...

, and 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...

.

Vandermeer first ran for the 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...

 in the 1997 Alberta general election

Alberta general election, 1997

The Alberta general election of 1997 was the twenty-fourth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 11, 1997 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....

 when he lost to 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...

 Ed Gibbons

Ed Gibbons

Ed Gibbons is a Canadian politician. He is a current municipal councilor in Edmonton, Alberta and a former Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....

. He ran against Gibbons again in the 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....

, this time defeating him by a thin margin.

Vandermeer was defeated after serving only one term in the 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....

 in a very tight race against 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...

 Dan Backs

Dan Backs

Dan Backs is a politician and former member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. He was elected as a Liberal candidate in the 2004 provincial election, but was kicked out of the Liberal caucus by leader Kevin Taft, who cited concerns about Backs' ability to work as a member of a team...

. He returned to the legislature in the 2008 Alberta election, this time representing the riding of Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview

Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview

Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada. The electoral district covers the neighborhoods of Beverly Heights, Belmont Park and Clareview Station.-Boundary history:...

, by defeating incumbent New Democrat

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...

 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...

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