Albert Robertson
| Albert John Robertson | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta | |
|
In office November 9, 1905 – March 22, 1909 |
|
| Preceded by | New district |
| Succeeded by | Louis Roberts |
| Constituency | High River |
| Leader of the Official Opposition in Alberta | |
| Preceded by | position established |
| Succeeded by | R. B. Bennett |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 17, 1864 Markham, Ontario |
| Died | January 3, 1952 (aged 87) Three Hills, Alberta |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Residence | Nanton, Alberta |
| Occupation | Farmer, businessman, later lawyer |
Albert John Robertson was a politician from Alberta, Canada, and the first Leader of the Opposition in the province's history. He led the Conservatives in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1905 to 1909, before being defeated in the 1909 election.
Though he had lived in Nanton, Alberta for several years, he was still regarded as a newcomer when he was selected as the Conservative candidate in the district of High River for the 1905 Alberta provincial election. He had what the Calgary Herald described as "extensive farming operations near Nanton" and was the general manager of Nanton Grain & Lumber.
Robertson won a close race against Liberal candidate Richard Alfred Wallace; final results took more than a month to come in, and until they did the candidates traded the unofficial lead. He was one of only two Conservatives elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, along with Cornelius Hiebert. As Conservative leader R. B. Bennett was defeated in the election, Robertson led the two person opposition against Alexander Cameron Rutherford's Liberal government, which controlled the rest of the 25-seat assembly.
As opposition leader, Robertson was vocal in his criticisms of Rutherford and his government. He objected to the Liberal-imposed terms under which Alberta had entered Confederation, which included a requirement that Alberta's provincial government provide public funding to Roman Catholic separate schools and control over Alberta's natural resources being left with the federal government. He called for public ownership of the telephone system and railways at a time when the government's policy was to leave both under the control of the private sector. He also demanded that the government reveal its position on a permanent capital for the province—Edmonton had been fixed as interim capital, with the choice of final capital to take place after the first provincial election, and the government was trying to avoid taking a position that might offend many Albertans' regional sensibilities. When the legislature established new electoral boundaries, Robertson objected to provisions giving Edmonton and Calgary two seats each, and argued that the maximum time between elections—five years—was too long.
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