Winston Backus

Winston O. Backus
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
In office 1971–1979
Preceded by	Ira McLaughlin
Succeeded by	Elmer Borstad
Constituency	Grande Prairie
Minister of Public Works
In office September 10, 1971 – March 1975
Preceded by	Albert Ludwig
Succeeded by	William Yurko
Personal details
Born	October 12, 1920 Eckville, Alberta
Political party	Progressive Conservative
Spouse(s)	Myrtle
Children	Richard, Robert, Reid, Wayne, Elizabeth, Myrna, Donald
Occupation	doctor

Winston Osler Backus (born October 12, 1920) is a former provincial level politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1971 to 1979. During his time in office he served as Minister of Public Works in the cabinet of Premier Peter Lougheed from 1971 to 1975.

Political career

Backus ran for a seat to the Alberta Legislature in the 1971 Alberta general election. He won the electoral district of Grande Prairie defeating Social Credit candidate William Bowes by a few hundred votes in a hotly contested three way race to pick up the district for the Progressive Conservatives who went on to form government in that election.^[1]

After the election Premier Peter Lougheed appointed Backus to the Executive Council of Alberta to serve as Minister of Public Works in his first cabinet. He would run for a second term with ministerial advantage in the 1975 Alberta general election. He was returned to office with a landslide victory, defeating three other candidates who saw their popular vote collapse.^[2]

Backus lost his portfolio when Lougheed shuffled his cabinet in 1975. He served out the rest of his term as a private member in the government and retired at dissolution of the assembly in 1979.

References

1. "Grande Prairie results 1971". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved December 7, 2009.
2. "Grande Prairie results 1975". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved December 7, 2009.

External links

• Legislative Assembly of Alberta Members Listing