Doug Schweitzer has announced his resignation as MLA for Calgary-Elbow. (Photo: Canadian Press)

By Canadian Press

Alberta jobs minister Doug Schweitzer quits cabinet, to resign seat soon, too

Aug 6, 2022 | 9:15 AM

CALGARY, AB – Alberta’s jobs minister is leaving politics even earlier than planned.

Doug Schweitzer, in a brief message posted on social media, says he has resigned from cabinet as the minister for jobs, economy and innovation.

He says he will resign as the United Conservative Party (UCP) legislature member for Calgary-Elbow by the end of the month.

Schweitzer had already announced in May he would not run in the next general election, slated for May 2023.

A byelection must be called within six months of a seat coming open.

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He did not give a reason why he was leaving early but noted the last six to 12 months have been “the economic turning point for Alberta.”

The province’s finances are in much better shape, with the price of oil bringing billions of dollars back to Alberta’s bottom line.

“To my supporters and team members, thank you,” wrote Schweitzer in the message posted late Friday afternoon.

“I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished together over these many years.”

Premier Jason Kenney, in a statement, said “Doug played an important role in the creation of the United Conservative Party,” adding, “his contributions to Alberta’s government have helped set Alberta back on the path of economic growth and prosperity.”

Schweitzer is a lawyer with deep roots in politics.

He was a longtime conservative strategist in Manitoba, and in Alberta, managed the 2014 leadership campaign of former premier Jim Prentice.

He came in a distant third to Kenney in the 2017 race to become the first leader of the UCP. He then served in Kenney’s cabinet as justice minister before moving to the jobs portfolio.

Schweitzer’s decision comes as the party moves toward an Oct. 6 vote to replace Kenney as party leader and premier.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2022.