Jim Prentice: Progressive Conservative Party leader

Jim Prentice
Party leader since September 2014
Age: 58
Occupation before politics: Senior executive atCIBC, lawyer
Education: Bachelorof Commerce, law degree
First year elected to Alberta legislature: October2014
Candidate in Calgary-Foothills

Jim Prenticeis a former Conservative MP from Calgary recruited by the Progressive Conservative Partylast year during its leadership race in May.

Prentice had been working in the private industry as a senior executive atCIBC.

He left federal politics roughly 4.5years ago after holding several key portfolios in Stephen Harper's government since 2004,including environment and aboriginal affairs.He was toutedasa skilled, bilingual successor in waiting shouldHarper ever falter.

Bornon July 20, 1956, in South Porcupine, Ont., his family moved to Alberta when Prentice was 13yearsold.

He put himself through university working in the coal mines of the Crowsnest Pass, receiving a bachelor of commerce at the University of Alberta and law degree at DalhousieUniversity.

Corporate background

Prentice was brought into the folds of the PC Party after former Alberta premier Alison Redford left in a cloud of controversy about her leadership style and use of government planes.

Before joining the party, he had been acting as a consultant in negotiations between First Nations and Enbridge on its Northern Gateway pipeline project.Prenticewas also a board memberof the Canadian Pacific Railway.

He would go on to win the leadership vote in September on the first ballot, which was followed by his party sweeping fourbyelections in October. The race in Calgary-Foothillssaw him gain aseat in the Alberta Legislature.

As Alberta's 16th premier, he would go on to make wide-ranging changes to PC party policy including the sale of government aircraft, dismantling the health superboard and revokingcontroversial labour legislation Bill 45.

Prentice livesin Calgary with his wife Karen, children and grandchildren.