Barry Morishita
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Barry Morishita | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader of the Alberta Party | |
| In office September 1, 2021 – October 15, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Jacquie Fenske (interim) |
| Mayor of Brooks | |
| In office 2016–2021 | |
| Preceded by | Martin Shields |
| Succeeded by | John Petrie |
| President of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association | |
| In office 2017–2021 | |
| Succeeded by | Angela Duncan (interim) |
| Brooks City Councilor | |
| In office 1998–2003 | |
| In office 2010–2015 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1966 (age 57–58) Brooks, Alberta, Canada |
| Political party | Alberta Party |
| Other political affiliations | Alberta Liberal Party (2001) |
| Spouse | Jeanne Morishita |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Rosemary High School |
Barry Morishita is a Canadian politician who served as the leader of the Alberta Party from 2021 to 2023.[1][2] He previously served on the city council of Brooks in 1998 and became the city's mayor in 2016.[3]
Background
[edit]Morishita's father was born in 1945 at the Tashme Incarceration Camp, where his family had been interred during World War II. He moved to Brooks at the end of the war, where Morishita was born.[4]
He graduated Rosemary High School in 1983.[4]
In 1986, he married his wife, Jeanne.
Before his entry into politics he owned and operated an auto part store along with some business partners.[4]
Political career
[edit]Morishita was first elected in Brooks city council in 1998 at the age of thirty.[3] He was elected Mayor of Brooks in 2016 [5] and president of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association in 2017.[6] In September 2021, he stepped down from both roles to become leader of the Alberta Party after the resignation of former party leader Stephen Mandel.[7] He ran in a by-election for the southern Alberta seat of Brooks-Medicine Hat on November 8, 2022 but lost to the UCP candidate, Alberta premier Danielle Smith.[8][9][10]
On October 15, 2023, Morishita resigned as leader of the Alberta Party.[11]
Electoral record
[edit]2023 general election
[edit]| 2023 Alberta general election: Brooks-Medicine Hat | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| United Conservative | Danielle Smith | 13,315 | 66.49 | +11.98 | ||||
| New Democratic | Gwendoline Dirk | 5,477 | 27.35 | +0.61 | ||||
| Alberta Party | Barry Morishita | 1,233 | 6.16 | -10.37 | ||||
| Total | 20,025 | 99.54 | – | |||||
| Rejected and declined | 92 | 0.46 | ||||||
| Turnout | 20,117 | 56.85 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 35,385 | |||||||
| United Conservative hold | Swing | -1.82 | ||||||
Source(s) Source: Elections Alberta[12] | ||||||||
2022 by-election
[edit]| Alberta provincial by-election, 8 November 2022: Brooks-Medicine Hat | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| United Conservative | Danielle Smith | 6,919 | 54.51 | -6.15 | ||||
| New Democratic | Gwendoline Dirk | 3,394 | 26.74 | +8.85 | ||||
| Alberta Party | Barry Morishita | 2,098 | 16.53 | +9.60 | ||||
| Alberta Independence | Bob Blayone | 225 | 1.77 | +0.80 | ||||
| Wildrose Independence | Jeevan Mangat | 56 | 0.44 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 12,692 | |||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 45 | |||||||
| Turnout | 12,695 | 35.51 | -30.27 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 35,872 | |||||||
| United Conservative hold | Swing | -7.48 | ||||||
| Elections Alberta[13] | ||||||||
2001 general election
[edit]| 2001 Alberta general election: Strathmore-Brooks | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Lyle Oberg | 8,585 | 75.09% | 2.51% | ||||
| Liberal | Barry Morishita | 1,774 | 15.52% | 2.76% | ||||
| Independent | Christopher Sutherland | 511 | 4.47% | – | ||||
| New Democratic | Don MacFarlane | 290 | 2.54% | -3.48% | ||||
| Social Credit | Rudy Martens | 273 | 2.39% | -6.26% | ||||
| Total | 11,433 | – | – | |||||
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | 29 | – | – | |||||
| Eligible electors / turnout | 24,372 | 47.03% | 0.05% | |||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | -0.12% | ||||||
Source(s) Source: "Strathmore-Brooks Official Results 2001 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. | ||||||||
References
[edit]- ^ "We Have a New Leader". Alberta Party. Archived from the original on 2021-11-06. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
- ^ "Barry Morishita steps down as AM president to run for Alberta Party leader". edmontonjournal. Archived from the original on 2021-11-05. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
- ^ a b "Making the Alberta Party relevant is Barry Morishita's new job – daveberta.ca – Alberta Politics". 10 September 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-11-05. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
- ^ a b c "Morishita always wanted to serve his community, now province | Alberta | prairiepost.com". 2021-09-28. Archived from the original on 2021-09-28. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
- ^ "Brooks voters choose new mayor in byelection". calgaryherald. Archived from the original on 2021-11-06. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
- ^ "2019 Board Elections | Alberta Urban Municipalities Association" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-01-28. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
- ^ "Former Brooks mayor Barry Morishita new leader of Alberta Party | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Archived from the original on 2023-03-04. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
- ^ Sarah Moore (8 October 2022). "Danielle Smith will run in Brooks-Medicine Hat byelection". CBC News. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- ^ Bennett, Dean (November 8, 2022). "Danielle Smith captures victory in Brooks-Medicine Hat byelection". CBC News. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
- ^ Herring, Jason (2022-11-09). "Premier Danielle Smith wins byelection that gives her seat in Alberta legislature". National Post. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
- ^ Sorenson, Les (6 November 2023). "The Alberta Party Political Association Announces the Resignation of Leader Barry Morishita". Alberta Party. Archived from the original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ "52 - Brooks-Medicine Hat". officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ "By-Election November 8, 2022 - 52 - Brooks-Medicine Hat". officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta. Archived from the original on 24 November 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2022.