Michael George Ellis ECA MLA (born January 9, 1973) is a Canadian politician who has represented Calgary-West in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta since 2014, sitting as a member of the Progressive Conservatives and later the United Conservative Party (UCP). Ellis was sworn in as Deputy Premier and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services in Alberta. Prior to entering politics, he worked as a police officer.
Mike Ellis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Deputy Premier of Alberta | |
| Assumed office June 9, 2023 | |
| Premier | Danielle Smith |
| Preceded by | |
| Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services | |
| Assumed office October 24, 2022 | |
| Premier | Danielle Smith |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Calgary-West | |
| Assumed office October 27, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Ken Hughes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 9, 1973 Calgary, Alberta |
| Political party | United Conservative |
| Other political affiliations | Progressive Conservative (until 2017) |
| Occupation |
|
Background
editEllis was born and raised in Calgary, where he was a police sergeant with the Calgary Police Service between the years 2003 and 2015.[1]
He is married with three children.[2]
Political career
editEllis was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in a by-election on October 27, 2014 as a Progressive Conservative (PC).[1] He was re-elected in the 2015, 2019, and 2023 provincial elections and has also been the government whip.
He had previously challenged his predecessor, Ken Hughes, in a nomination contest in the same district for the 2012 Alberta general election,[3]
Ellis supported Danielle Smith during her leadership bid citing that she shares his "values for improving public safety."[4]
Premier Jason Kenney named Ellis as Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions in a 2021 cabinet shuffle.[5]
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services
editEllis was appointed Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services by Premier Danielle Smith on October 24, 2022 upon Smith's victory of the 2022 United Conservative Party leadership election.[6]
In December 2022 Ellis updated the Alberta Police Act to include an independent committee that handles complaints made towards police.[7]
Ellis has introduced plans to have police carry mandatory body cams.[8]
Ellis gave the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) $4.4 million to combat gang and gun violence.[9]
During the 2023 Alberta general election, Ellis joined the far-right Rebel News' hosts Ezra Levant and Sheila Gunn Reid for their live-coverage of the event.[10] Ellis was sworn in again as Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services on June 9, 2023.[11]
Deputy Premier of Alberta
editFollowing the defeat of former Deputy Premier Kaycee Madu in the 2023 Alberta general election and cabinet reshuffling of Nathan Neudorf, Ellis was sworn in as the sole Deputy Premier of Alberta on June 9, 2023.[11][12]
Election results
edit| 2023 Alberta general election: Calgary-West | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| United Conservative | Mike Ellis | 12,793 | 56.67 | -9.44 | ||||
| New Democratic | Joan Chand'oiseau | 9,468 | 41.94 | +16.48 | ||||
| Green | Jason McKee | 313 | 1.39 | – | ||||
| Total | 22,574 | 99.15 | – | |||||
| Rejected and declined | 193 | 0.85 | ||||||
| Turnout | 22,767 | 66.25 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 34,363 | |||||||
| United Conservative hold | Swing | -12.96 | ||||||
Source(s)
Source: Elections Alberta[13] | ||||||||
| 2019 Alberta general election: Calgary-West | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| United Conservative | Mike Ellis | 14,974 | 66.11 | -6.08 | ||||
| New Democratic | Gulshan Akter | 5,768 | 25.47 | -2.34 | ||||
| Alberta Party | Frank Penkala | 1,610 | 7.11 | – | ||||
| Liberal | Yasna Oluic-Kovacevic | 298 | 1.32 | – | ||||
| Total | 22,651 | – | – | |||||
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | 65 | 40 | 6 | |||||
| Eligible electors / turnout | 32,570 | 69.76% | 13.25% | |||||
| United Conservative hold | Swing | |||||||
Source(s)
Source: "26 - Calgary-West, 2019 Alberta general election". officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta. Retrieved May 21, 2020. | ||||||||
| 2015 Alberta general election: Calgary-West | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Mike Ellis | 8,312 | 46.79% | 2.50% | ||||
| New Democratic | Mizanur Rahman | 4,940 | 27.81% | 24.72% | ||||
| Wildrose | Gerard Lucyshyn | 4,512 | 25.40% | -16.18% | ||||
| Total | 17,764 | – | – | |||||
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | 75 | 20 | 22 | |||||
| Eligible electors / turnout | 31,604 | 56.51% | 20.78% | |||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | |||||||
Source(s)
Source: "27 - Calgary-West, 2015 Alberta general election". officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta. Retrieved May 21, 2020. | ||||||||
| Alberta provincial by-election, October 27, 2014: Calgary-West Resignation of Ken Hughes on September 26, 2014 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Mike Ellis | 4,836 | 44.29 | −5.56 | ||||
| Wildrose | Sheila Taylor | 4,530 | 41.58 | +4.25 | ||||
| Liberal | David Khan | 927 | 8.51 | +1.05 | ||||
| New Democratic | Brian Malkinson | 337 | 3.09 | +0.08 | ||||
| Alberta Party | Troy Millington | 264 | 2.42 | +1.45 | ||||
| Total | 10,894 | — | — | |||||
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | 17 | 7 | 1 | |||||
| Eligible electors / turnout | 30,541 | 35.73 | — | |||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | − | ||||||
Source(s)
Alberta. Chief Electoral Officer (2015). Report on the October 27, 2014 By-elections in: Calgary-Elbow, Calgary-Foothills, Calgary-West, Edmonton-Whitemud (PDF) (Report). Edmonton: Legislative Assembly of Alberta; Chief Electoral Officer. ISBN 978-098653678-6. Retrieved April 20, 2021. | ||||||||
References
edit- ^ a b "Calgary-West elects PC Party's Mike Ellis". CBC News, October 27, 2014.
- ^ "Calgary-West: The issues, the candidates". Calgary Sun, October 25, 2014.
- ^ "Mike Ellis out of second PC party Calgary-West contest" Archived 2014-10-28 at the Wayback Machine. Calgary Herald, February 21, 2012.
- ^ Green, Arthur C. (21 September 2022). "Smith endorsed by MLA Ellis from Calgary West". Western Standard. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ von Scheel, Elise; Bellefontaine, Michelle (July 8, 2021). "Alberta Premier Jason Kenney shuffles his cabinet". CBC News.
- ^ "Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services". www.alberta.ca. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ "Alberta to create Police Review Commission for misconduct investigations, still finalizing RCMP participation". Edmonton. 2022-12-08. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ Cummings, Medeleine (March 14, 2023). "Body-worn cameras to be mandatory for all police officers in Alberta, province says".
- ^ "Alberta announces $4M in police funding to address gangs, gun violence".
- ^ "MLA Mike Ellis joins Rebel News' Live Coverage of Alberta Election Night". YouTube. 30 May 2023.
- ^ a b "Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services". www.alberta.ca. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
- ^ @MikeEllisUCP (June 9, 2023). "I am incredibly honoured and privileged to be appointed as Deputy Premier and to continue the important work as Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services. I look forward to rolling up my sleeves with this cabinet and getting to work for all Albertans! #ableg" (Tweet). Retrieved 2023-06-10 – via Twitter.
- ^ "26 - Calgary-West". officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta. Retrieved June 8, 2023.