Doug Horner, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Government of Alberta

Doug Horner was elected to his second term as Member of the Legislative Assembly for Spruce Grove-Sturgeon-St. Albert on November 22, 2004. On November 26, 2004 he was sworn in as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. He also serves as a member of the Treasury Board.

Born in Barrhead, Alberta to Jean and Dr. Hugh Horner, Minister Horner has spent most of his life in rural Alberta. Three generations of his family have been involved in agriculture and his father, Dr. Horner, was a previous minister of agriculture.

Minister Horner also has a solid business background, graduating from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) with a Diploma in Business. After completing further studies, he was accredited by the Institute of Canadian Bankers.

Before being elected to the Alberta Legislature, Minister Horner had extensive experience in the private sector including banking in southern Alberta and a sound understanding of the value-added sector of agriculture. He was integral in the start-up and operations of his family’s barley and oat processing mill. Later, he became responsible for international marketing and sales of specialty grains for ConAgra out of its Nebraska office. After three years, he moved back to Canada and established a trading company for agri-foods and agri-feeds for domestic and international markets.

Minister Horner is an active member of his community. He is currently a member of the Spruce Grove and District Chamber of Commerce, the St. Albert Parkland Rotary Club, the Royal Canadian Legion, the Loyal Edmonton Regiment Association, as well as several other service and community organizations.
Minister Horner has previously served as a member of the standing committee on Law and Regulations, the special standing committee on Members’ Services and the Standing Policy Committee on Justice and Government Services. He has also served as chair of the Alberta government’s Information and Communications Technology Implementation Committee, and vice chair of the Alberta Grain Commission.