Alberta Culture and Tourism

Alberta Culture and Tourism is a ministry of the Executive Council of Alberta. It was created on September 15, 2014, and is responsible for Alberta’s cultural industries, tourism, the arts, heritage and nonprofit/voluntary sector as well as sport and recreation.

The culture, tourism, and recreation functions of Alberta's government have on several occasions in past been overseen by separate ministers. They have also been, more than once, sections within the portfolio of the same minister. They have also each been joined to still other government departments at various points.

A separate tourism ministry goes back at least to 1968 when Allen R. Patrick was named Minister of Industry and Tourism. From 1971 to 1975, tourism as an issue was assigned to a minister without a portfolio, and there was no separate tourism department. In 1979 Tourism and Small Business became a separate ministry, renamed simply "Tourism" in 1985. In the major restructuring of 1992, Tourism was reunited with Economic Development; Parks and Recreation was added as well. This situation was mostly static for the next two decades. The ministry was known as Alberta Tourism, Parks, and Recreation (TPR) from 2006 to 2014.

Culture and recreation were (along with youth issues) together under the purview of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Recreation from 1971 to 1975, after which recreation moved to Alberta Recreation, Parks and Wildlife, which was its own ministry from 1975 to 1992, before being merged into Tourism during the major restructuring of that year.

The Cultural Affairs Department was founded in 1975 by Order in Council 518/1975, under the authority of the Public Service Administrative Transfers Act. The minister responsible for this was known as the Minister Responsible for Culture (1975–1980), Minister of Culture (1980–1987), and Minister of Culture and Multiculturalism (1987–1992).

Agencies which reported to the minister included the Alberta Cultural Heritage Foundation (1978–1987), Alberta Multiculturalism Commission (1987–1992), Alberta Art Foundation (1972–1991), Alberta Foundation for the Performing Arts (1978–1991), Alberta Foundation for the Literary Arts (1984–1991), Alberta Foundation for the Arts (1991–1992), Alberta Library Board (1948–1992), and Alberta Advisory Council on the Status of Women (1986–1987). During this time the minister was responsible for implementing the following legislation: Alberta Academy Act, Alberta Art Foundation Act, Alberta Emblems Act, Alberta Foundation for the Arts Act, Alberta Heritage Day Act, Alberta Historical Resources Act, Alberta Order of Excellence Act, Alberta Women’s Bureau Act, Amusements Act (Part 3), Cultural Development Act, Cultural Foundations Act, Department of Culture Act, Department of Culture and Multiculturalism Act, Foreign Cultural Property Immunity Act, Glenbow-Alberta Institute Act, Government House Act, Libraries Act, and Registered Music Teachers’ Association Act.

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