Nancy MacBeth

Nancy MacBeth MLA
Leader of the Official Opposition in Alberta
In office 1998–2001
Preceded by	Howard Sapers (acting)
Succeeded by	Ken Nicol
Leader of the Alberta Liberal Party
In office 1998–2001
Preceded by	Grant Mitchell
Succeeded by	Ken Nicol
Alberta Minister of Health
In office 1988–1992
Alberta Minister of Education
In office 1986–1988
Personal details
Born	Nancy Elliott (1948-12-29) December 29, 1948 Edmonton, Alberta
Political party	Liberal (1998-present)
Other political affiliations	Progressive Conservative (1982–1993)
Spouse(s)	Hilliard MacBeth
Alma mater	University of Alberta Université Laval

Nancy MacBeth, née Elliott (born December 29, 1948 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a Canadian politician, who was the leader of the Alberta Liberal Party from 1998 to 2001.

Early life

MacBeth received a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Alberta, in French and Russian; studying Université Laval, studying French Canadian literature. She subsequently worked as an executive assistant for several Alberta cabinet ministers.

Early political career

She first entered electoral politics as an Alberta Progressive Conservative Party Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the riding of Edmonton-Glenora from 1986 to 1993 in the government of Don Getty. She was Minister of Education from 1986 to 1988, and was then appointed Minister of Health, serving in that position until 1992.

She then ran as a candidate in the party's 1992 leadership convention against Ralph Klein. Regarded by the membership as a Red Tory, Betkowski (as she was then known) became the preferred candidate of the party establishment. However, Klein's populist appeal won him the leadership, and Betkowski did not stand as a candidate in the 1993 election.

Liberal leader

She subsequently married portfolio manager and financial writer Hilliard MacBeth.

She then returned to politics in 1998, running for the leadership of the Alberta Liberals after the resignation of Grant Mitchell. Now serving as the MLA for Edmonton-McClung, MacBeth tried to capitalize on discontent with Klein's government in some Alberta communities by reaching out to disaffected Red Tories, but proved unable to connect with voters. In the 2001 provincial election, the Liberals won only seven seats, less than half as many as they had held before the election. Among the losses was MacBeth's own seat of Edmonton McClung. The election left the party a million dollar debt that took about 10 years to pay off.

She subsequently left politics again, and was succeeded by Ken Nicol as party leader.