Joseph Schow
{{Short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = The Honourable
| name = Joseph Schow
| smallimage =
| caption =
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|ECA|MLAAB|size=100%}}
| office = Minister of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration
| term_start = May 16, 2025
| term_end =
| premier = Danielle Smith
| predecessor = Matt Jones
| successor =
| office1 = Minister of Tourism and Sport
| term_start1 = June 9, 2023
| term_end1 = May 16, 2025
| premier1 = Danielle Smith
| predecessor1 = Todd Loewen
| successor1 = Andrew Boitchenko
| office2 = Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Cardston-Siksika
| term_start2 = April 16, 2019
| term_end2 =
| predecessor2 =
| successor2 =
| party = United Conservative Party
| occupation =
| residence = Cardston, Alberta
| alma_mater = Dalhousie University George Washington University
}}
Joseph Schow {{post-nominals|country=CAN|ECA|MLAAB}} is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2019 Alberta general election to represent the electoral district of Cardston-Siksika in the 30th Alberta Legislature. He is a member of the United Conservative Party,{{cite web|author=Posted on April 4, 2019 by Vauxhall Advance |url=http://www.vauxhalladvance.com/news/2019/04/04/candidate-election-profiles-cardston-siksika/ |title=Candidate Election Profiles: Cardston-Siksika › Vauxhall Advance |publisher=Vauxhalladvance.com |date=2019-04-04 |access-date=2019-04-17}}{{cite web|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/4845636/alberta-election-cardston-siksika-results/ |title=Alberta election: Cardston-Siksika results - Lethbridge |publisher=Globalnews.ca |date=2019-03-17 |access-date=2019-04-17}} and he has been serving as Government House Leader since October 24, 2022.{{Cite web |title=Member Information |url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/members/members-of-the-legislative-assembly/member-information?mid=0941&legl=30&from=mla_home |access-date=2023-03-21 |website=www.assembly.ab.ca}} On June 9, 2023, Schow was appointed Minister of Tourism and Sport, and on May 16, 2025 he was shuffled to Minister of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration.{{Cite news |title=Complete list of Alberta's new cabinet ministers |url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/complete-list-of-albertas-new-cabinet-ministers |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250517015956/https://calgaryherald.com/news/complete-list-of-albertas-new-cabinet-ministers |archive-date=2025-05-17 |access-date=2025-05-20 |work=calgaryherald |language=en}}
Biography
Schow received his bachelor of arts degree in Russian from Dalhousie University and his master's degree from George Washington University. He was appointed House Leader (Minister Without Portfolio) on October 24, 2022. He previously served as Deputy Whip.{{Cite web |title=Member Information |url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/members/members-of-the-legislative-assembly/member-information?mid=0941&legl=30&from=mla_home |access-date=2023-03-21 |website=www.assembly.ab.ca}}
{{As of|2023|03}}, Schow was on the Government Legislative Review Committee.{{Cite web |title=Government committees and members |url=https://www.alberta.ca/government-committees.aspx |access-date=2023-03-21 |website=www.alberta.ca |language=en-CA}}
As the Chair of the Democratic Accountability Committee, Schow played a role in drafting and supporting the Recall Act, which allows Albertans to recall municipal representatives and trustees.{{Cite web |title=Promise made, promise kept |url=https://vulcanadvocate.com/opinion/columnists/promise-made-promise-kept |access-date=2023-03-21 |website=vulcanadvocate |language=en-CA}} He spoke to the importance of legislation increasing accountability but not encouraging frivolous recall petitions and elections.{{Cite Hansard|title=Bill 52 - Recall Act|jurisdiction=Province of Alberta|house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta|date=9 June 2021|url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/assembly-business/transcripts/transcripts-by-type|speaker=MLA Schow}}
Though Schow supported Travis Toews in the 2022 UCP leadership election,{{Cite web |last=Opinko/LethbridgeNewsNOW |first=David |title=UCP leadership candidates backed by southern Alberta MLAs |url=https://chatnewstoday.ca/2022/08/25/ucp-leadership-candidates-backed-by-southern-alberta-mlas/ |access-date=2023-03-21 |website=CHAT News Today |language=en}} he voiced his support for Premier Danielle Smith’s priorities of the affordability crisis and asserting challenges to the federal government’s jurisdictional authority.{{Cite web |last=Opinko |first=David |title=Sovereignty Act and inflation focus of Alberta legislature fall sitting |url=https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/2022/11/28/sovereignty-act-and-inflation-focus-of-alberta-legislature-fall-sitting/ |access-date=2023-03-21 |website=Lethbridge News Now |language=en}}
Schow was the sponsor of Government Bill 7: The Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2022 (No.2), which received royal assent on December 15, 2022.{{Cite web |title=BILL 7: MISCELLANEOUS STATUTES AMENDMENT ACT, 2022 (NO.2) |url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/assembly-business/bills/bill?billinfoid=11994&from=bills |access-date=2023-03-21 |website=www.assembly.ab.ca}}
Since June 9, 2023, Schow has been the Minister of Tourism and Sport.{{Cite web |last=United Conservative Caucus |title=Joseph Schow |url=https://unitedconservativecaucus.ca/joseph-schow/ |access-date=August 13, 2024 |website=unitedconservativecaucus.ca}}
Electoral history
=2023 general election=
{{Alberta provincial election, 2023/Cardston-Siksika}}
=2019 general election=
{{Alberta provincial election, 2019/Cardston-Siksika}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Alberta MLAs}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schow, Joseph}}
Category:United Conservative Party MLAs
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Members of the Executive Council of Alberta
Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta