Former Alberta innovation minister Doug Schweitzer joins Deloitte as senior advisor

By September 7, 2022
Tanya Fir was sworn in as Alberta’s new innovation minister in recent weeks.

Doug Schweitzer, former minister of jobs, economy, and innovation of Alberta, has joined Deloitte as a senior advisor in consulting.

Schweitzer announced the move through LinkedIn on Wednesday, after he resigned from Calgary’s legislative assembly earlier this month.

Prior to resigning, Schweitzer had said that he didn’t plan to run in next year’s provincial election. That announcement came just a few short days after Premier Jason Kennery announced he was stepping down as leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP).

Tanya Fir, formerly minister of economic development, trade, and tourism, was recently sworn in as Schweitzer’s replacement.

In Schweitzer’s statement about his new role at Deloitte, he said that his focus will be providing strategic leadership on projects related to the consulting firm’s technology, media, and telecommunications industry group in the Prairies and in Western Canada.

Schweitzer was appointed to Alberta’s innovation portfolio in 2020. When Schweitzer announced his departure earlier this year, the news was met with disappointment from stakeholders in Alberta’s tech sector, as they considered the minister a “champion” of tech.

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The minister helped lead provincial spending on tech, and the creation of the Alberta Technology and Innovation Strategy (ATIS), which the provincial government launched as part of Budget 2022.

Schweitzer was previously the minister of justice and solicitor general, taking on the position in 2019. He also worked as a lawyer with Bennett Jones LLP; Osler, Hoskin, & Harcourt LLP, and Dentons.

As part of the shuffle that saw Schweitzer’s appointment, Fir, then the minister of economic development, trade, and tourism, was removed from Kenney’s cabinet. Fir was later appointed to red tape reduction in July 2021.

Now at Deloitte, Schweitzer said he will be using his experience in the public office to help businesses and organizations thrive across the Prairies beyond.

Image source Marie Armstrong via Wikimedia Commons.

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