Richard Arthur Miller (July 23, 1960 – October 26, 2013) was a politician in the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British Nort ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

and former member of the

Legislative Assembly of Alberta The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of Alberta, Canada. It sits in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. The Legislative Assembly currently has 87 members, elected first past the post from sing ...

. He was elected on November 22, 2004 in the

26th Alberta general election The 2004 Alberta general election was held on November 22, 2004 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The election was called on October 25, 2004. Premier Ralph Klein decided to go to the polls earlier than the legislated dead ...

Edmonton Rutherford Edmonton-Rutherford is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The district is mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting. The district was created in the ...

, defeating incumbent Progressive Conservative and former member of the House of Commons of Canada

Ian McClelland Ian G. McClelland (born 22 June 1942) is an Edmonton-based businessperson, who was a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1993 to 2000, and a member of the Alberta Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2004. History Business Ian McCle ...

. Miller served as opposition critic for two portfolios, the Treasury Board and Finance. He was also the chief opposition

whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally ...

for the

Alberta Liberal Party The Alberta Liberal Party (french: Parti libéral de l'Alberta) is a provincial political party in Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairi ...

. He was defeated in the

2008 election This electoral calendar 2008 lists the national/federal direct elections held in 2008 in the de jure and de facto sovereign states and their dependent territories. Referendums are included, even though they are not elections. By-elections are no ...

by Progressive Conservative Fred Horne. In May 2005, Miller involved himself in the controversy surrounding the decision of then

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Belinda Stronach Belinda Caroline Stronach (Born May 2, 1966) is a Canadian businesswoman, philanthropist and a former Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 to 2008. Originally elected as a Conservative, she later crossed the f ...

to cross the floor to the Liberals. After

Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is a former Australian politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Abbott was born in Lond ...

, a fellow Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, made remarks comparing Stronach to a prostitute, Miller spoke out on the floor of the Legislative Assembly, condemning Abbott's remarks. After his speech, Abbott reportedly attempted to assault Miller in the corridor behind the Chamber. Due to a security guard's intervention, a major confrontation was prevented. This matter was resolved when Abbott apologized publicly for any perceived wrongs. Though Edmonton-Rutherford was perceived as an Alberta Liberal stronghold since the 1989 provincial election (in which Liberal MLA Percy Wickman defeated Premier Don Getty in his own riding), Rick Miller lost by 58 votes to PC candidate Fred Horne in 2008 and widened in the

2012 election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: ...

. For the years from shortly after the 2008 election until a few months after the election of Raj Sherman as leader of the Liberals in 2012, Mr. Miller served as Chief of Staff for the Alberta Liberal Caucus. On October 26, 2013, Miller died of prostate cancer in Edmonton, he was survived by his wife and two children. An avid flyer of unpowered glider planes, he could often be found at an airfield near Edmonton when he was not working for his family stamp business, involved in politics or attending his regular Rotary club meetings.

References

External links

Rick MillerMr. Miller's biography on Alberta Liberal Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Rick 1960 births 2013 deaths Alberta Liberal Party MLAs People from the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako 21st-century Canadian politicians