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Thomas Adam Lukaszuk ECA (born April 5, 1969) is a Polish-born Canadian politician and former Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. He represented the constituency of Edmonton-Castle Downs from 2001 to 2015 as a Progressive Conservative. He served in the provincial cabinet from 2010 to 2014 and was the 8th Deputy Premier from 2012 to 2013.

Background

Lukaszuk was born in Gdynia, Poland. His father defected to Canada from communist Poland, and his family later joined him in 1982. The family lived in Sydney, where Thomas attended school and began to learn English. The family then moved to Alberta, looking for better employment opportunities. He was raised in north Edmonton, went to St. Joseph's High School, and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Alberta and became a social studies teacher with the Edmonton Catholic School District. He started up Injured Workers Advocates Inc. (IWA), a small business which helped injured workers with work-related injury claims. He cites the reward of helping people, and his growing interest in political issues led him to get involved in policy-making.

He served on the Social Care Facilities Review Committee, which gathers Albertans' feedback on the quality of services being provided, and provides recommendations to the Government on how to proceed in that area. He also chaired the Citizens' Appeal Panel, which led to government policy changes surrounding social benefits, and he served on the Alberta Lotteries Review Committee. He conducted a review of Alberta daycares, foster homes, group homes, and homeless shelters for the Minister of Children's Services before being elected as an MLA.

Political career

In 2001, Edmonton-Castle Downs MLA Pamela Paul's retirement opened the door for Lukaszuk to stand for election. After garnering 5,971 votes in the 2001 provincial election, he was able to increase the Progressive Conservative vote share to 51 percent. He continued to serve as MLA until 2015, making significant contributions to the political landscape during his tenure.