Wikipedia

Ray Martin (politician)

Raymond James Martin (born August 8, 1941) is a politician in Alberta, Canada and former member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.

Ray Martin
Leader of the Official Opposition in Alberta
In office
November 6, 1984 – June 14, 1993
Preceded byGrant Notley
Succeeded byLaurence Decore
Leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party
In office
November 10, 1984 – February 5, 1994
Preceded byGrant Notley
Succeeded byRoss Harvey
MLA for Edmonton-Norwood
In office
1982–1993
Preceded byCatherine Chichak
Succeeded byAndrew Beniuk
MLA for Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview
In office
2004–2008
Preceded byJulius Yankowsky
Succeeded byTony Vandermeer
Edmonton Public School Trustee - Ward D
In office
2001–2004
Preceded byTerry Sulyma
Succeeded byDavid Colburn
Edmonton Public School Trustee - Ward D
In office
2013–2017
Preceded byDavid Colburn
Succeeded byTrisha Estabrooks
Personal details
Born
Raymond James Martin

(1941-08-08) August 8, 1941 (age 83)
Delia, Alberta
Political partyAlberta New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
Alma materUniversity of Alberta
Occupationteacher

Martin served four terms as an Alberta MLA and two terms as an Edmonton Public School Board Trustee. In 2018, Martin published his memoir, "Made in Alberta: The Ray Martin Story."[1]

Early life

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Born in 1941 in Delia, Alberta, Martin attended the University of Alberta in Edmonton. He was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. He later attended the University of Calgary in order to earn his master's degree.

He taught in Edmonton public schools.

Provincial politics

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Martin ran for a seat in the 1975 Alberta general election in Calgary and in 1979 in Edmonton-Norwood but both times was unsuccessful.

Martin ran again in Edmonton-Norwood in 1982 provincial election. This time he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta to join Grant Notley in a two-member Alberta New Democratic Party (NDP) caucus. At the time, the two NDP-ers and two Independent members were the only opposition MLAs in the Legislature, sitting in opposition to more than 70 Conservative MLAs. Martin was the first NDP MLA elected in Edmonton since the end of the use of single transferable voting in Edmonton back in 1956.[2]

He became leader of the Alberta NDP in 1984, succeeding Grant Notley after his death in a plane crash.

Martin led the party to a highwater mark (at the time) winning 16 seats in the 1986 provincial election, making him leader of the opposition in the legislature.[3] Still under Ray's leadership, the NDP took that same number of seats in the 1989 election.

In 1993, none of the party's sitting MLAs were re-elected. Martin was defeated in his constituency, Edmonton-Norwood, by Liberal Andrew Beniuk.

He quit the party's leadership in 1994, being replaced by former NDP MP Ross Harvey

After an absence of eleven years, Martin returned to the Legislature as the NDP Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview in the 2004 general election.

He was defeated in 2008 by Progressive Conservative Tony Vandermeer.

Martin ran again for the NDP in the 2012 provincial election, in the riding of Edmonton-Glenora. He was defeated by Progressive Conservative Heather Klimchuk.[4]

Municipal politics

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In the 2001 Edmonton municipal election, Martin won election as the Edmonton Public School Board Trustee for Ward D. He did not seek re-election to this role in the 2004 election.

In the 2013 Edmonton municipal election, Martin once again won election as the Edmonton Public School Board Trustee for Ward D. He did not seek re-election in the 2017 election.

Federal politics

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In 2003, Martin supported Bill Blaikie's unsuccessful campaign to become leader of the federal New Democratic Party.

Ray Martin has run and lost in four federal elections, each time as an NDP candidate. He ran in the 1997, 2000, 2008, and 2011 federal elections, in Edmonton North, Edmonton Centre-East, and Edmonton East (twice), respectively.

Electoral Record

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Provincial

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1979 Alberta general election: Edmonton-Norwood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Catherine Chichak 3,950 47.15% -12.22%
New Democratic Ray Martin 3,194 38.12% 12.58%
Social Credit Mike Ekelund 703 8.39% -6.04%
Liberal Walter G. Coombs 486 5.80% –
Communist Kimball Cariou 45 0.54% -0.13%
Total 8,378 – –
Rejected, spoiled and declined 97 – –
Eligible electors / turnout 16,231 52.21% 5.41%
Progressive Conservative hold Swing -12.40%
Source(s)
Source: "Edmonton-Norwood Official Results 1979 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
1982 Alberta general election: Edmonton-Norwood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
New Democratic Ray Martin 4,857 46.22% 8.10%
Progressive Conservative Tony Falcone 4,782 45.51% -1.64%
Western Canada Concept John Hudson 569 5.41% –
Independent Georg J.P. Wowk 263 2.50% –
Communist David Wallis 37 0.35% -0.19%
Total 10,508 – –
Rejected, spoiled and declined 59 – –
Eligible electors / turnout 17,050 61.98% 9.85%
New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative Swing -4.15%
Source(s)
Source: "Edmonton-Norwood Official Results 1982 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
1986 Alberta general election: Edmonton-Norwood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
New Democratic Ray Martin 5,272 69.62% 23.39%
Progressive Conservative Catherine Chichak 1,942 25.64% -19.86%
Liberal David R. Long 359 4.74% –
Total 7,573 – –
Rejected, spoiled and declined 26 – –
Eligible electors / turnout 15,632 48.61% -13.36%
New Democratic hold Swing 21.63%
Source(s)
Source: "Edmonton-Norwood Official Results 1986 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
1989 Alberta general election: Edmonton-Norwood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
New Democratic Ray Martin 4,229 57.60% -12.02%
Liberal Luis C. Baptista 1,594 21.71% 16.97%
Progressive Conservative Dan Papirnik 1,519 20.69% -4.95%
Total 7,342 – –
Rejected, spoiled and declined 16 – –
Eligible electors / turnout 15,068 48.83% 0.22%
New Democratic hold Swing -4.04%
Source(s)
Source: "Edmonton-Norwood Official Results 1989 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
1993 Alberta general election: Edmonton-Norwood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Andrew Beniuk 4,944 42.76% 21.05%
New Democratic Ray Martin 3,749 32.43% -25.17%
Progressive Conservative Fay Orr 2,517 21.77% 1.08%
Social Credit Alan Cruikshank 264 2.28% –
Natural Law Maury Shapka 88 0.76% –
Total 11,562 – –
Rejected, spoiled, and declined 49 – –
Eligible electors / turnout 22,844 50.83% 2.00%
Liberal gain from New Democratic Swing -12.78%
Source(s)
Source: "Edmonton-Norwood Official Results 1993 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
2004 Alberta general election: Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
New Democratic Ray Martin 5,259 50.83% 31.68%
Progressive Conservative Julius E. Yankowsky 3,041 29.39% -16.26%
Liberal Sam Parmar 1,164 11.25% -20.49%
Alberta Alliance Philip Gamache 458 4.43% –
Social Credit Ken Shipka 283 2.74% –
Green Benoit Couture 141 1.36% –
Total 10,346 – –
Rejected, spoiled and declined 35 53 1
Eligible electors / Turnout 23,569 44.05% -4.68%
New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative Swing 3.76%
Source(s)
Source: "00 - Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview, 2004 Alberta general election". officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
Alberta. Chief Electoral Officer (2005). Report of the Chief Electoral Officer on the General Enumeration and General Election of the Twenty-sixth Legislative Assembly (Report). Edmonton: Alberta Legislative Assembly, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer.
2008 Alberta general election: Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Tony Vandermeer 4,182 39.63% 10.24%
New Democratic Ray Martin 3,845 36.44% -14.39%
Liberal Dawit Isaac 1,996 18.92% 7.67%
Wildrose Alliance Brian Dell 289 2.74% -1.69%
Green Frédérique Pivot 183 1.73% 0.37%
Social Credit Robin Porteous 57 0.54% -2.20%
Total 10,552 – –
Rejected, spoiled and declined 20 21 3
Eligible electors / Turnout 28,057 37.69% -6.36%
Progressive Conservative gain from New Democratic Swing -9.12%
Source(s)
Source: "25 - Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview, 2008 Alberta general election". officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
Chief Electoral Officer (2008). The Report on the March 3, 2008 Provincial General Election of the Twenty-Seventh Legislative Assembly (Report). Edmonton, Alta.: Elections Alberta. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
2012 Alberta general election: Edmonton-Glenora
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Heather Klimchuk 6,183 38.24% -1.66%
New Democratic Ray Martin 4,143 25.62% 10.52%
Wildrose Alliance Don Koziak 2,732 16.90% 14.51%
Liberal Bruce Miller 1,670 10.33% -28.74%
Alberta Party Sue Huff 1,441 8.91% –
Total 16,169 – –
Rejected, spoiled and declined 119 55 6
Eligible electors / turnout 29,262 55.68% 13.23%
Progressive Conservative hold Swing 5.89%
Source(s)
Source: "34 - Edmonton-Glenora, 2012 Alberta general election". officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

Federal

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1997 Canadian federal election: Edmonton North
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Reform Deborah Grey 16,124 44.30% $56,921
  Liberal Jonathan Murphy 11,820 32.47% $46,517
  New Democratic Party Ray Martin 5,413 14.87% $60,286
  Progressive Conservative Mitch Panciuk 2,811 7.72% $51,169
  Natural Law Ric Johnsen 226 0.62%
Total valid votes 36,394 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 99 0.27%
Turnout 36,493 55.63%
2000 Canadian federal election: Edmonton Centre-East
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Alliance Peter Goldring 17,768 42.43 -2.14 $58,345
Liberal Sue Olsen 14,323 34.20 -0.38 $57,858
New Democratic Ray Martin 7,304 17.44 +5.65 $56,287
Progressive Conservative Kevin Mahfouz 2,252 5.37 -1.93 $1,688
Communist Naomi Rankin 222 0.53 – $238
Total valid votes 41,869 100.00   –
Total rejected ballots 156 0.37 +0.15
Turnout 42,025 53.42 +1.73
2008 Canadian federal election: Edmonton East
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Conservative Peter Goldring 21,487 51.31 +1.18 $72,687
New Democratic Ray Martin 13,318 31.80 +13.33 $27,417
Liberal Stephanie Laskoski 4,578 10.93 -15.23 $9,666
Green Trey Capnerhurst 2,488 5.94 +0.70 $752
Total valid votes/Expense limit 41,871 100.00   $92,946
Total rejected ballots 151 0.36 -0.01
Turnout 42,022 45.43 -9.9
2011 Canadian federal election: Edmonton East
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Conservative Peter Goldring 24,111 52.75 +1.44 $74,313
New Democratic Ray Martin 17,078 37.36 +5.56 $55,462
Liberal Shafik Ruda 3,176 6.95 -3.98 $17,634
Green Trey Capnerhurst 1,345 2.94 -3.00 $2,546
Total valid votes/Expense limit 45,710 100.00   $95,270
Total rejected ballots 194 0.42 +0.06
Turnout 45,904 50.27 +4.84
Eligible voters 91,321 – –

References

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  1. ^ "HOME - raymartinbook.ca". Archived from the original on 2018-10-12. Retrieved 2018-10-12.
  2. ^ A Report on Alberta Elections, 1905-1982.
  3. ^ "1986: Alberta's mixed legislature". Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2011-02-05.
  4. ^ "Alberta Election 2012: Klimchuk breathing easier as Edmonton-Glenora stays Conservative | Edmonton Journal". Archived from the original on 2015-09-19. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
 
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Legislative Assembly of Alberta
Preceded by MLA Edmonton-Norwood
1982-1993 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Leader of the Official Opposition in Alberta
1985-1993 		Succeeded by
Preceded by MLA Edmonton Beverly-Clareview
2004-2008 		Succeeded by
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