The Work of a Populist Premier

Lessons from the career of the late Ralph Klein, who presided over Alberta's golden age

As of this writing, Alberta was…deeply in debt again. But hey, Ralph did the work.

The late Ralph Klein knew how to drink. He knew how to gamble. And he damn sure knew how to win elections.

For 14 years, Klein ruled Alberta like a benevolent dictator in blue jeans. He slashed budgets, stared down unions, and told Ottawa to go to hell. Albertans loved him for it.

Klein's rise was as unlikely as striking oil in your grandfather’s wheat field. Born to a deadbeat dad and a booze-hound mom, he grew up with his grandparents in Calgary's rough north end. School bored him senseless. He dropped out after grade 10 and joined the Air Force. That lasted about as long as a Chinook wind.