Ray Martin (politician)


Raymond James Martin is a politician in Alberta, Canada and former member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
Martin served four terms as an Alberta MLA and two terms as an Edmonton Public School Board Trustee. In 2018, Martin published his memoir, "Made in Alberta: The Ray Martin Story".

Early life

Born in 1941 in Delia, Alberta, Martin attended the University of Alberta in Edmonton. He was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. He later attended the University of Calgary in order to earn his master's degree.

Provincial politics

Martin, a teacher by profession, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in the 1982 provincial election as one member of a two-member Alberta New Democratic Party caucus.
He became leader of the Alberta NDP in 1984, succeeding Grant Notley who had died in a plane crash. Martin led the party to a highwater mark winning 16 seats in the 1986 provincial election, making him leader of the opposition in the legislature. The NDP matched this performance in the 1989 election. In 1993, none of the party's sitting MLAs were re-elected. Martin was defeated in his riding, Edmonton-Norwood, by Liberal Andrew Beniuk. He quit the party's leadership in 1994.
Martin returned to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta as the NDP Member of the Legislative Assembly for Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview after an absence of eleven years by winning a seat in the 2004 general election. He was defeated in the 2008 by Progressive Conservative Tony Vandermeer.
Martin ran again for the NDP in the 2012 provincial election, in the riding of Edmonton-Glenora. He was defeated by Progressive Conservative Heather Klimchuk.

Municipal politics

In the 2001 Edmonton municipal election, Martin won election as the Edmonton Public School Board Trustee for Ward D. He did not seek re-election to this role in the 2004 election.
In the 2013 Edmonton municipal election, Martin once again won election as the Edmonton Public School Board Trustee for Ward D. He did not seek re-election in the 2017 election.

Federal politics

In 2003, Martin supported Bill Blaikie's unsuccessful campaign to become leader of the federal New Democratic Party.
Ray Martin has run and lost in four federal elections, each time as an NDP candidate. He ran in the 1997, 2000, 2008, and 2011 federal elections, in Edmonton North, Edmonton Centre-East, and Edmonton East, respectively.