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Alberta Politics

Rick Miller was a true gentleman of the Alberta Legislature

Liberal Opposition Chief of Staff Rick Miller was the MLA for Edmonton-Rutherford from 2004 to 2008.
Rick Miller

Rick Miller was a gentleman in the truest sense of the word.

I was saddened to learn that former MLA Rick Miller passed away yesterday after a long battle with prostate cancer. Rick served as the Liberal MLA for Edmonton-Rutherford from 2004 to 2008 and during that time as the official opposition Finance critic. He became Chief of Staff at the official opposition caucus in 2009, a position he held until before the 2012 election.

I had the pleasure of working with Rick on several projects during his time as MLA and in the years afterward. While we had many meetings in the Annex and at Liberal Party headquarters, some of my fondest memories of Rick were on the campaign trail, door-knocking in Rutherford or hitting the road to win-over voters in the Drumheller-Stettler and Calgary-Elbow by-elections of 2007.

Soft-spoken and determined, Rick earned the respect of his colleagues in the opposition and government benches and he was one of the few opposition MLAs at the time who I would have considered to be cabinet material. Passionate about Alberta and its politics, he was one of the hardest working opposition MLAs I have known.

A family man, a rotarian, a businessman, a community leader, and a huge Edmonton Oilers fan, Rick Miller will be missed.

4 replies on “Rick Miller was a true gentleman of the Alberta Legislature”

I am sad to hear this. I first knew Rick in a different context than our later political sparring. Rick was a member of the Edmonton Soaring club and encouraged me in many ways while I was trying to fly gliders. A very supportive person and a big loss.

Rick was a classy guy. He made friends on both sides of the House, and was driven by his own character, not an ideology. I genuinely enjoyed talking with Rick over more than 20 years and, even though i was just an acquaintance, i had a deep respect for him. He valued his time with his family and he absolutely loved soaring in a glider. He brought the legislature to tears when he talked about the pain of losing a child. Rick was someone who believed in public service and he gave back to his community through his Rotary work and through his life. God speed.

Very sad to hear Rick has past away. Met him several times, always thought he was a very solid guy. Don’t know what to say except this one hits hard, a good man. A big loss to the Alberta Liberals, and to the province.

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