View source for Moe Amery

{{Short description|Canadian politician (1954–2023)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image               = Moe AMERY - MLA for Calgary East (4996512481).jpg
| imagesize           = 150px|
| name                = Moe Amery
| caption             = Amery in 2010
| birth_name          = Mohammed Amiri
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|1954|09|20}}
| birth_place         = [[Lebanon]]
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|2023|10|19|1954|09|20}}
| death_place         = 
| residence           = [[Calgary, Alberta]]
| office              = [[Member of the Legislative Assembly#Canada|Member]] of the<br />[[Legislative Assembly of Alberta]]<br />for [[Calgary-East]]
| term_start          = June 15, 1993
| term_end            = May 5, 2015
| predecessor         = '''New district'''
| successor           = [[Robyn Luff]]
| party               = [[Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta|Progressive Conservative]]
| religion            = 
| spouse              = Mary
| children            = 5 (including [[Mickey Amery]])
| occupation          = Realtor, politician
}}

'''Mohammed Amery''' (né '''Amiri'''; September 20, 1954 – October 19, 2023) was a Canadian politician who was a member of the [[Legislative Assembly of Alberta]]. He represented the constituency of [[Calgary-East]] as a [[Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta|Progressive Conservative]].

==Early life==
Amery was born Mohammed Amiri (he changed his name sometime between 1989 and 1993)<ref name="denial"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gunzburger.com/Amery-Moe.htm |title=Politics1 Canada:Moe Amery |access-date=2008-03-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119070453/http://www.gunzburger.com/Amery-Moe.htm |archive-date=2008-01-19 }}</ref> in [[Lebanon]] on September 20, 1954, and came to Canada in 1974.<ref name="leg bio">{{cite web |url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_bio&rnumber=06 |title=Amery's Legislative Assembly of Alberta biography |access-date=2014-09-15 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061005101004/https://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_bio&rnumber=06 |archive-date=October 5, 2006 }}</ref>  He studied at the [[University of Alberta]] from 1975 until 1977, after which time he relocated to Calgary to become a realtor until his election to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in 1993.<ref name="leg bio"/>

==Provincial politics==

===Electoral record===
Amery's first two bids for elected office were unsuccessful; he sought provincial election in [[Calgary-Forest Lawn]] in the [[1986 Alberta general election|1986]] and [[1989 Alberta general election|1989 elections]], but was defeated both times, finishing second to [[Alberta New Democratic Party|New Democrat]] [[Barry Pashak]] each time.<ref name="results">{{cite web |url=http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/process/election_results.html |title=Alberta's past election results |access-date=2008-03-06}}</ref>  He was more successful in [[1993 Alberta general election|1993]], when he more than doubled Pashak's vote count in the newly formed [[Calgary-East]].<ref name="results"/>  He was handily re-elected in each of the [[1997 Alberta general election|1997]], [[2001 Alberta general election|2001]], [[2004 Alberta general election|2004]], and [[2008 Alberta general election|2008]] elections.<ref name="results"/>

===Legislative initiatives===
In 1994, Amery introduced two different bills called the ''Maintenance Enforcement Amendment Act''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/19940210_1200_01_bsr.pdf |title=Bill Status Report for the 23rd Legislature - 2nd Session (1994) |access-date=2008-03-14}}</ref> The first, a [[private member's bill]], would have made it impossible for individuals in arrears on child support payments to register their vehicles or renew their drivers' licenses.  The second, a government bill, included the objectives of the first, but also took other measures, including ending a provision by which money held in a joint bank account could not be drawn upon to satisfy child support payments owed by one of the account-holders.<ref name="April 19">{{cite hansard |title=Government Bills and Orders, Second Reading {{ndash}} Bill 22: Maintenance Enforcement Amendment Act, 1994|page=1308| url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_23%5Csession_2%5C19940419_2000_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=April 19, 1994}}</ref>  The government bill passed with the support of the Progressive Conservatives and some [[Alberta Liberal Party|Liberals]], including [[Sine Chadi]] and [[Michael Henry (Alberta politician)|Michael Henry]].<ref name="April 19"/><ref name="May 11">{{cite hansard |title=Government Bills and Orders, Second Reading {{ndash}} Bill 22 Maintenance Enforcement Amendment Act, 1994|page=1907| url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_23%5Csession_2%5C19940511_2000_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=May 11, 1994}}</ref> Other Liberals - including [[Gary Dickson]], [[Debby Carlson]], [[Bettie Hewes]], [[Mike Percy (politician)|Mike Percy]], [[Percy Wickman]], [[Ken Nicol (politician)|Ken Nicol]], [[Nicholas Taylor (politician)|Nicholas Taylor]], and [[Colleen Soetaert]] - opposed the bill on the grounds that it didn't go far enough in taking measures to recover payments, promoted animosity in an already adversarial process, and was written with insufficient consultation with the recently privatized registries centres.<ref name="April 19"/><ref name="May 11"/><ref>{{cite hansard |title=Government Bills and Orders, Second Reading {{ndash}} Bill 22: Maintenance Enforcement Amendment Act, 1994|page=1724| url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_23%5Csession_2%5C19940504_2000_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=May 4, 1994}}</ref> After the government bill passed, the private member's bill was ruled redundant by Speaker [[Stanley Schumacher]].<ref>{{cite hansard |title=Oral Question Period {{ndash}} Speaker's Ruling: Deleting Item from Order Paper|page=2601| url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_23%5Csession_2%5C19941026_1330_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=October 26, 1994}}</ref>

Amery introduced a number of private member's bills designed to extend [[primary education]] to include [[kindergarten]], requiring school boards to provide it and making attendance compulsory. The first two of these - both called the ''School Amendment Act'', sponsored in 1995 and 1997 - failed to reach second reading before the legislature adjourned.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/19950213_1200_01_bsr.pdf |title=Bill Status Report for the 23rd Legislature - 3rd Session (1995) |access-date=2008-03-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/s-bill97.htm |title=Bill Status Report for the 24th Legislature - 1st Session (1997) |access-date=2008-03-14 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070803201506/http://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/s-bill97.htm |archive-date=2007-08-03 }}</ref> Amery's third attempt, the ''School (Early Childhood Services) Amendment Act'', was defeated on second reading.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/s-b99_p.htm |title=Bill Status Report for the 24th Legislature - 3rd Session (1999) |access-date=2008-03-14 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070803201430/http://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/s-b99_p.htm |archive-date=2007-08-03 }}</ref> [[Alberta Liberal Party|Liberals]] were unanimous in their support of the bill, pointing to similar bills that had previously been sponsored by Liberal MLAs [[Grant Mitchell (politician)|Grant Mitchell]] and [[Michael Henry (Alberta politician)|Michael Henry]].<ref name="April 13">{{cite hansard |title=Public Bills and Orders Other than Government Bills and Orders, Second Reading {{ndash}} Bill 205: School (Early Childhood Services) Amendment Act, 1999|page=960| url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_24%5Csession_3%5C19990413_1330_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=April 13, 1999}}</ref><ref name="April 20">{{cite hansard |title=Public Bills and Orders Other than Government Bills and Orders, Second Reading {{ndash}} Bill 205: School (Early Childhood Services) Amendment Act, 1999|page=1116| url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_24%5Csession_3%5C19990420_1330_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=April 20, 1999}}</ref><ref name="April 21">{{cite hansard |title=Public Bills and Orders Other than Government Bills and Orders, Second Reading {{ndash}} Bill 205: School (Early Childhood Services) Amendment Act, 1999|page=1175| url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_24%5Csession_3%5C19990421_1330_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=April 21, 1999}}</ref><ref name="April 27">{{cite hansard |title=Public Bills and Orders Other than Government Bills and Orders, Second Reading {{ndash}} Bill 205: School (Early Childhood Services) Amendment Act, 1999|page=1279| url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_24%5Csession_3%5C19990427_1330_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=April 27, 1999}}</ref>  Several of Amery's Progressive Conservative colleagues, including [[Mary O'Neill (Canadian politician)|Mary O'Neill]],<ref name="April 13"/><ref name="April 20"/> [[Albert Klapstein]],<ref name="April 21"/> and [[Wayne Cao]],<ref name="April 21"/> also lent their support.<ref name="April 27"/> However, the bill was defeated on second reading with a majority of the Progressive Conservative caucus voting against.<ref name="April 27"/>  [[Victor Doerksen]], the only Conservative to speak in opposition to the bill, expressed concern that instituting mandatory attendance at the kindergarten level constituted an infringement on parental autonomy.<ref name="April 20"/> [[Alberta New Democratic Party|New Democrat]] [[Raj Pannu]], the only member of his caucus present for the vote, also opposed the bill, on the grounds that it would allow private groups to provide kindergarten with the approval of the Minister of Learning.<ref name="April 20"/><ref name="April 27"/>

In 1996, Amery sponsored the ''Wildlife Amendment Act'',<ref name="bill status 1996">{{cite web |url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/s-bill96.htm |title=Bill Status Report for the 23rd Legislature - 3rd Session (1996) |access-date=2008-03-14 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070803201517/http://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/s-bill96.htm |archive-date=2007-08-03 }}</ref>  a government bill that created a scientific committee to make recommendations on the designation of endangered and threatened species, expanded fish and wildlife agents' abilities to check for infractions of firearms regulations by hunters, and downloaded several government powers that had previously resided with the [[Lieutenant Governor of Alberta|Lieutenant Governor]] by [[Order in Council]] to the Minister of Environmental Protection.<ref>{{cite hansard |title=Government Bills and Orders, Second Reading {{ndash}} Bill 42: Wildlife Amendment Act, 1996|page=1842| url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_23%5Csession_4%5C19960514_1330_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=May 14, 1996}}</ref>  Some Liberals, including [[Duco Van Binsbergen]] and [[Bruce Collingwood]], raised concerns that the bill didn't go far enough,<ref>{{cite hansard |title=Government Bills and Orders, Second Reading {{ndash}} Bill 42: Wildlife Amendment Act, 1996|page=1851| url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_23%5Csession_4%5C19960514_2000_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=May 14, 1996}}</ref><ref>{{cite hansard |title=Government Bills and Orders, Second and Third Readings {{ndash}} Bill 42: Wildlife Amendment Act, 1996|pages=2061, 2090| url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_23%5Csession_4%5C19960522_2000_01_han.pdf | house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta | date=May 22, 1996}}</ref> but it was passed into law.<ref name="bill status 1996"/>

===Committee duties===
Amery sat on numerous committees since being elected. In addition to his regular responsibilities as an MLA, he served as chair of the Environmental Protection Advisory Committee and co-chair of the Secondary Suites Committee as well as a member of the Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, Standing Orders and Printing, the Standing Committee on Private Bills, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, the Standing Committee on the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund, the Standing Committee on Government Services, the Standing Policy Committee on Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, the Standing Policy Committee on Energy and Sustainable Development, and the Cabinet Policy Committee on Community Services in addition to serving as a member of the International Governance Office Advisory Committee, the Glenbow-Museum Advisory Committee, the MLA Committee To Review Low-income Programs, and the MLA Implementation Team on the Future Selection of RHA Members.  He was also the MLA representative on the City of Calgary's 2005 World Fair bid. Amery served as a member of the Standing Committee on the Economy, the Standing Committee on Private Bills, and the Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, Standing Orders and Printing.<ref name="leg bio"/>

===Political views===
Amery broke with his party on several occasions regarding issues that mattered to his constituents. In March 2006 he was critical of the [[Ralph Klein]] government for insufficiently funding school maintenance after the roof of a school in his riding collapsed.<ref>{{cite news |title=Klein faces murky future: Premier's party ready to vote on his record |url=http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/govrel/news.cfm?story=44670 |first=Jason |last=Fekete |publisher=Calgary Herald |date=March 27, 2006 |access-date=2008-03-13}}</ref> In 2007 and during the [[2008 Alberta general election|2008 election campaign]], he advocated [[rent controls]] to deal with the tight housing market in urban Alberta, although the position of the [[Ed Stelmach]] government was that they would be unhelpful.<ref name="mandate"/>

===Passport incident===
In 2002, the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] began investigating whether Amery acted as [[guarantor]] for the [[Canadian passport|passport]] application of a constituent who he had not known for the required two years.<ref name="denial">{{cite news |title=Alberta MLA denies committing passport offence |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/alberta-mla-denies-committing-passport-offence-1.490899 |author=<!--not stated--> |date=August 5, 2004 |publisher=[[CBC News]] |access-date=2023-10-20}}</ref> He was charged with doing so in 2004.<ref name="denial"/>  The case went to trial in March 2005, when Amery alleged that, by telling him not to use character references from his colleagues, Progressive Conservative [[whip (politics)|whip]] [[Denis Ducharme]] undermined "Amery's ability to make full answer and defence".<ref>{{cite news |title=Alberta politician alleges political meddling in court case |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/alberta-politician-alleges-political-meddling-in-court-case-1.529649 |author=<!--not stated--> |date=March 31, 2005 |publisher=[[CBC News]] |access-date=2015-05-23}}</ref>  The charges were ultimately stayed.<ref name="mandate">{{cite news |title=Amery hails PC mandate |url=http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=c433d69e-2c35-4b0d-9f5a-32283bf99885 |date=March 4, 2008 |publisher=[[Calgary Herald]] |first=Sean |last=Myers |access-date=2008-03-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109115551/http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=c433d69e-2c35-4b0d-9f5a-32283bf99885 |archive-date=November 9, 2012}}</ref>

==Federal politics==
In December 2017, Amery announced that he would challenge sitting [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservative]] MP [[Deepak Obhrai]] for the nomination in [[Calgary Forest Lawn]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/politics/former-pc-mla-amery-challenging-obhrai-for-federal-conservative-nomination |title=Former PC MLA Amery takes on Obhrai in battle for federal Conservative nomination |first=James |last=Wood |date=December 20, 2017|publisher=[[Calgary Herald]] |access-date=October 20, 2023}}</ref>

==Personal life and death==
Amery was married to Mary, and the couple has five children: [[Mickey Amery|Mickey]], Lila, Leena, Laura, and Malaak. Mickey was elected as the Member of the Alberta Legislature in the 2019 election in the riding of [[Calgary-Cross]].<ref name="leg bio"/> He was involved in his community, including the community associations in Calgary-East.<ref name="leg bio"/> He identified [[Winston Churchill]] as his political hero.<ref name="Calgary Sun">{{cite news |url=http://www.calgarysun.com/election/candidates.html |title=Calgary candidate profiles, Alberta election 2008 |publisher=[[Calgary Sun]] |access-date=2008-04-16 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080304160950/http://www.calgarysun.com/election/candidates.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2008-03-04}}</ref>

Moe Amery died on October 19, 2023, at the age of 69.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sherif |first=Omar |date=October 19, 2023 |title=Long-time Calgary MLA Moe Amery dies at 69 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-poli-calgary-moe-amery-1.7001639 |publisher=[[CBC News]] |access-date=October 20, 2023}}</ref>

==Election results==
{{Alberta provincial election, 1986/Calgary-Forest Lawn}}
{{Alberta provincial election, 1989/Calgary-Forest Lawn}}
{{Alberta provincial election, 1993/Calgary-East}}
{{Alberta provincial election, 1997/Calgary-East}}
{{Alberta provincial election, 2001/Calgary-East}}
{{Alberta provincial election, 2004/Calgary-East}}
{{Alberta provincial election, 2008/Calgary-East}}
{{Alberta provincial election, 2012/Calgary-East}}
{{Alberta provincial election, 2015/Calgary-East}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{AlbertaMLAbio|ID=0630}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amery, Moe}}
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Calgary]]
[[Category:Canadian real estate agents]]
[[Category:Lebanese emigrants to Canada]]
[[Category:Politicians from Calgary]]
[[Category:Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta MLAs]]
[[Category:Canadian people of Lebanese descent]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing]]
[[Category:University of Alberta alumni]]
[[Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta]]