Walt Buck
Encyclopedia
Dr. Walter "Walt" Alexander Buck is a former provincial level politician and dentist from Alberta
, Canada
. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
from 1967 to 1989. During his time in office he served in numerous party caucuses and as an Independent.
. He won the electoral district of Clover Bar by a wide margin to hold it for the governing Social Credit party. While still a rookie MLA, Buck ran for leader of the Social Credit party in the 1968 Alberta Social Credit leadership election.
Buck survived the first round of balloting but distantly trailed Harry Strom
and two other candidates to end in fourth place with 10.8% of the delegates. On the second ballot his votes dropped and he ended up with just 8.8% of the convention delegates while Harry Strom had a clear majority. Buck was not invited into Strom's cabinet after he became leader of the party and Premier of the province and thus remained in the back benches.
Buck ran for a second term in office in the 1971 Alberta general election
. He won a tight three way race just edging out Progressive Conservative candidate J. Devereux. He would reclaim a large majority with his biggest win in terms of popular vote to date when he was elected to his third term in the 1975 general election
.
Buck won his fourth term with a massive landslide and the largest plurality of his career in the 1979 general election
. This was his last win under the Social Credit party banner. After a disastrous attempt to dissolve the Social Credit party at a convention held in 1982. Buck along with Raymond Speaker
left to sit as Independents. Buck would run as an Independent in the 1982 Alberta general election
and hold his seat in a tight race with Stan Berg of the Progressive Conservatives and two other candidates.
Buck and Speaker attempted to form the official opposition as an Independent caucus as had been done after the 1940 general election, over the NDP
which also had two members. The speaker denied them opposition status and the same caucus funding that had been provided to the NDP and limited the amount of questions that could be asked.
The pair decided for form a new political party in 1984 that became known eventually as the Representative Party of Alberta
. Buck ran for re-election in the 1986 Alberta general election
under that banner winning a sizable majority in his riding. Buck retired from provincial politics at dissolution of the assembly in 1989.
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...
. He served as a 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...
from 1967 to 1989. During his time in office he served in numerous party caucuses and as an Independent.
Political career
Buck ran for a seat to the Alberta Legislature in the 1967 Alberta general electionAlberta general election, 1967
The Alberta general election of 1967 was the sixteenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on May 23, 1967 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
. He won the electoral district of Clover Bar by a wide margin to hold it for the governing Social Credit party. While still a rookie MLA, Buck ran for leader of the Social Credit party in the 1968 Alberta Social Credit leadership election.
Buck survived the first round of balloting but distantly trailed Harry Strom
Harry Strom
Harry Edwin Strom was the ninth Premier of Alberta, Canada, from 1968 to 1971. His two and a half years as Premier were the last of the thirty-six year Social Credit dynasty, as his defeat by Peter Lougheed saw its replacement by a new era Progressive Conservative government...
and two other candidates to end in fourth place with 10.8% of the delegates. On the second ballot his votes dropped and he ended up with just 8.8% of the convention delegates while Harry Strom had a clear majority. Buck was not invited into Strom's cabinet after he became leader of the party and Premier of the province and thus remained in the back benches.
Buck ran for a second term in office in the 1971 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1971
The Alberta general election of 1971 was the seventeenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on August 30, 1971 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
. He won a tight three way race just edging out Progressive Conservative candidate J. Devereux. He would reclaim a large majority with his biggest win in terms of popular vote to date when he was elected to his third term in the 1975 general election
Alberta general election, 1975
The Alberta general election of 1975 was the eighteenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 25, 1975 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
.
Buck won his fourth term with a massive landslide and the largest plurality of his career in the 1979 general election
Alberta general election, 1979
The Alberta general election of 1979 was the nineteenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 14, 1979 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
. This was his last win under the Social Credit party banner. After a disastrous attempt to dissolve the Social Credit party at a convention held in 1982. Buck along with Raymond Speaker
Raymond Speaker
Raymond Albert "Ray" Speaker, PC, OC is a farmer and Canadian politician.Speaker was born and raised in Enchant, Alberta where he farms to this day...
left to sit as Independents. Buck would run as an Independent in the 1982 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1982
The Alberta general election of 1982 was the twentieth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on November 2, 1982 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
and hold his seat in a tight race with Stan Berg of the Progressive Conservatives and two other candidates.
Buck and Speaker attempted to form the official opposition as an Independent caucus as had been done after the 1940 general election, over the 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...
which also had two members. The speaker denied them opposition status and the same caucus funding that had been provided to the NDP and limited the amount of questions that could be asked.
The pair decided for form a new political party in 1984 that became known eventually as the Representative Party of Alberta
Representative Party of Alberta
The Representative Party of Alberta was a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada formed by Raymond Speaker in 1984. The party was right of center, conservative in ideology and considered a modern version of Social Credit without the monetary reforms....
. Buck ran for re-election in the 1986 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1986
The Alberta general election of 1986 was the twenty-first general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on May 8, 1986 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
under that banner winning a sizable majority in his riding. Buck retired from provincial politics at dissolution of the assembly in 1989.