After representing the Yellowhead riding in Ottawa for five consecutive terms, Rob Merrifield retired from the House of Commons, Sept. 17, to become Alberta’s senior trade representative in the United States.
His new position—to which he was appointed by Premier Jim Prentice—will see him relocate to Washington, where he will act as a voice for the province.
“I’m quite excited about the opportunity,” he said in an interview Sept. 17. “It actually compliments what I was doing for the prime minister, only I was doing it 50 per cent of the time and now I’ll be doing it 100 per cent of the time.”
Following the 2011 federal election, Merrifield was tasked with representing Canada in the United States, as the congressional liaison. He was also the chair of Parliament’s standing committee on international trade. In those roles, he was front and centre on trade issues, including the Keystone XL pipeline—which Merrifield identified as one his top files moving into his new position.
“We’ll make sure that our message becomes louder and resonates in Washington, to press upon the president how important this pipeline is to Canada, as well as to America, and that approval is something that needs to take place.
“But there’s more than just a pipeline between Canada and the United States. That’s just one of the issues,” he said, noting country of origin labelling as another.
Merrifield announced his retirement and appointment in one fell swoop, Sept. 17, and was already on the road to Tulsa, Oklahoma the following day.
“We’re hitting this job with our feet running,” he said with a laugh.
In response to Merrifield’s resignation, Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a press release to thank him for his years of service.
“Rob’s expertise, insight and exemplary work ethic will certainly be missed,” wrote the prime minister.
A byelection—for which a date has not yet been set—will be held in the coming months to fill Merrifield’s seat in the House of Commons.
Yellowhead County Mayor Gerald Soroka has already announced that he will be putting his name forward for the Conservative nomination.
Soroka has been mayor of Yellowhead County for seven years. Prior to that he served as a councillor for three. He is also on the board of directors for the Yellowhead Conservative Association and was at a meeting Sept. 16 when Merrifield announced his resignation.
The following day, after Merrifield’s official announcement, Soroka made his intentions known.
“There’s not much time to waste,” he said, suggesting the byelection will likely occur before Christmas.
Merrifield was first elected as a member of Parliament in 2000 and has since been reelected five times. In the last federal election, he won 77 per cent of the vote.
His appointment by Prentice, who was recently sworn in as Alberta’s 16th premier, was part of a shake up to the province’s trade team. Also appointed was former Canadian diplomat Ron Hoffman, who will become Alberta’s senior envoy in Asia, and former MP Jay Hill, who will represent the province in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and the North.
Nicole Veerman
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