Alex Gordon Kuziak (October 15, 1908 – May 14, 2010) was an educator, businessman and politician of Ukrainian descent in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

. He represented Canora from 1948 to 1964 in the

Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan () is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan, in the ...

as a

Co-operative Commonwealth Federation The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF; , FCC) was a federal democratic socialism, democratic socialistThe following sources describe the CCF as a democratic socialist political party: * * * * * * and social democracy, social-democ ...

(CCF) member.

Early life and career

Kuziak was born in

Canora, Saskatchewan Canora is a town at the junction of Highways 5 and 9 in east-central Saskatchewan, about 50 km north of Yorkton. It is centrally located on the corners of four adjacent rural municipalities, including the RM of Good Lake. The communit ...

, the son of Jacob Kuziak and Mary Luchuk, and was educated in Canora,

Yorkton Yorkton is a city located in south-eastern Saskatchewan, Canada. It is about north-west of Winnipeg and south-east of Saskatoon and is the sixth largest city in the province. Yorkton was founded in 1882 and incorporated as a city in 1928. ...

and

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

. He attended normal school in Regina and then taught school in Canora for five years. Kuziak next served as secretary-treasurer for the rural municipality of

Keys Key, Keys, The Key or The Keys may refer to: Common uses * Key (cryptography), a piece of information needed to encode or decode a message * Key (instrument), a component of a musical instrument * Key (lock), a device used to operate a lock * ...

, operated an insurance and real estate business in Canora and was a partner in Canora Electric and Heating. He also was a member of the Canora school board, serving as chairman from 1945 to 1946, and was chairman of the Canora Union Hospital board.

Political career

Kuziak was an active member of the

since its inception in 1933. He was first elected as a member of the

in the 1948 provincial election, representing the riding of Canora. Following is re-election in the

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

, he was appointed Minister of Telephones, as Minister in charge of the Government Finance Office and as Minister of Natural Resources, becoming the first person of Ukrainian descent to become a cabinet minister in Canada. He was re-elected in the 1956 election and moved to the position of Minister of Mineral Resources, a position he held until his defeat in the 1964 election. In the 1965 federal election, he ran unsuccessfully for the

seat in the Canadian House of Commons. He served on the city council for Yorkton in 1971.

Personal life

In 1935, Kuziak married Ann Jarman. He died in Yorkton in on May 14, 2010 at the age of 101.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kuziak, Alex G Saskatchewan Co-operative Commonwealth Federation MLAs 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan 1908 births 2010 deaths Canadian people of Ukrainian descent Canadian socialists Canadian men centenarians