Bobbie Sparrow Explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Honourable
Bobbie Sparrow
Office:Minister of Energy, Mines, and Resources
Primeminister:Kim Campbell
Term Start:June 25, 1993
Term End:November 3, 1993
Predecessor:Bill McKnight
Successor:Anne McLellan
Office2:Minister of Forestry
Primeminister2:Kim Campbell
Term Start2:June 25, 1993
Term End2:November 3, 1993
Predecessor2:Frank Oberle Sr.
Successor2:Anne McLellan
Parliament9:Canadian
Riding9:Calgary Southwest
Term Start9:September 4, 1984
Term End9:October 25, 1993
Predecessor9:John William Thomson
Successor9:Preston Manning
Birth Date:11 July 1935
Birth Name:Barbara Jane Sparrow
Birth Place:Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Profession:Registered Nurse, businesswoman, politician
Party:Progressive Conservative

Barbara Jane Sparrow (born July 11, 1935) is a retired Canadian politician.

Political career

Sparrow, a Registered Nurse and businessperson, was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1984 federal election as Member of Parliament for Calgary South, Alberta.[1] That election brought the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada to power under the leadership of Brian Mulroney. In that election she won the biggest plurality in Canadian history up to that time with 47,763 more votes than second place runner-up Harold Millican from the Liberal Party of Canada.[2]

Sparrow was re-elected in the 1988 general election for the new riding of Calgary Southwest. In 1991, she was named parliamentary secretary to the Minister of National Health and Welfare.

When Kim Campbell succeeded Mulroney as PC leader and prime minister in 1993, she brought Sparrow into the Cabinet as Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources and Minister of Forestry.

Both Sparrow and the Campbell government were defeated in the subsequent 1993 federal election that reduced the Tories to only two seats in the House of Commons. Sparrow lost her seat to Reform Party leader Preston Manning.[3] [4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Profile - Sparrow, Barbara Jane (Bobbie). 2020-06-25. lop.parl.ca.
  2. Book: Raymaker, Darryl. Trudeau's Tango: Alberta Meets Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 1968–1972. University of Alberta Press. 2017. 282.
  3. News: Campbell . Murray . Murray Campbell (columnist) . Sallot . Jeff . October 26, 1993 . A Liberal Landslide: All but 2 Tories lose; Bloc could become Official Opposition . . A1 . Toronto, Ontario .
  4. News: Cernetig . Miro . October 26, 1993 . Manning's reach exceeds grasp: Reform fails to make inroads into Ontario . . A1 . Calgary, Alberta .