Today in Canada’s Political History: Happy birthday Rona Ambrose!

One of the most popular Tory politicians of recent years celebrates her birthday today. I speak, of course, of Rona Ambrose, the Alberta MP who served as Leader of the Opposition and Interim Leader of the federal Conservative Party from 2015-2017. Previously she had served in a variety of senior portfolios in the cabinets of Prime Minister Stephen J. Harper.

Born in Alberta in 1969, she went on to earn degrees at the University of Victoria and the University of Alberta. Ambrose was first elected to the Commons in 2004, and then was repeatedly re-elected. Many Tories, joined by Canadians of all party views, hoped she would stand as a candidate to become the permanent leader of the Conservative Party. Ambrose, instead, chose to return to private life.

Happy birthday Rona!

Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.