# Bobbie Sparrow

Barbara Jane Sparrow PC (born July 11, 1935) is a retired Canadian politician.

## Political career

Sparrow, a Registered Nurse and businessperson, was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1984 federal election as Member of Parliament for the Alberta riding of Calgary South. That election brought the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada to power under the leadership of Brian Mulroney. In that election she won the biggest plurality in Canadian history up to that time with 47,763 more votes than second place runner-up Harold Millican from the Liberal Party of Canada.
Redistribution of federal ridings by Elections Canada prior to the 1988 federal election abolished Sparrow's riding; in 1988, she ran and won in the new riding of Calgary Southwest. In 1991, she was named parliamentary secretary to the Minister of National Health and Welfare.
When Kim Campbell succeeded Mulroney as PC leader and prime minister in 1993, she brought Sparrow into the Cabinet as Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources and Minister of Forestry.
Both Sparrow and the Campbell government were defeated in the subsequent 1993 federal election that reduced the Tories to only two seats in the House of Commons. Sparrow lost her seat to Reform Party leader Preston Manning.

## Electoral record

vte1993 Canadian federal election: Calgary Southwest :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Reform | Preston Manning | 41,630 | 61.22 | +47.80 | $59,445 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Bobbie Sparrow | 12,642 | 18.59 | -46.57 | $61,978 |
| | Liberal | Bill Richards | 11,087 | 16.30 | +4.77 | $60,511 |
| | New Democratic | Catherine Rose | 1,099 | 1.62 | -6.49 | $4,791 |
| | National | Lea Russell | 910 | 1.34 | | $2,580 |
| | Green | Sol Candel | 301 | 0.44 | | $6,216 |
| | Natural Law | Ida Bugmann | 249 | 0.37 | | $0 |
| | Independent | Miel S.R. Gabriel | 57 | 0.08 | | $218 |
| | Communist | Darrell Rankin | 28 | 0.04 | | $1,422 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 68,003 | 100.00 | |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 137 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 68,140 | 70.81 | |
| Electors on lists | Electors on lists | Electors on lists | 96,213 | | |
| | Reform gain from Progressive Conservative | Reform gain from Progressive Conservative | Swing | Swing | +47.19 |
| Source:Thirty-fifth General Election, 1993: Official Voting Results, Published by the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada. Financial figures taken from official contributions and expenses provided by Elections Canada. |||||||
1988 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Progressive Conservative | Bobbie Sparrow | 40,397 | 65.16 |
| | Reform | Janet Jessop | 8,316 | 13.41 |
| | Liberal | Percy Baker | 7,147 | 11.53 |
| | New Democratic | Vera Vogel | 5,024 | 8.10 |
| | Independent | Larry R. Heather | 669 | 1.08 |
| | Rhinoceros | Johnny Barretto | 372 | 0.60 |
| | Confederation of Regions | Bill Sinclair | 68 | 0.11 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 61,993 | 100.00 |
1984 Canadian federal election :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Progressive Conservative | Bobbie Sparrow | 55,590 |
| Liberal | Harold Millican | 7,827 |
| New Democratic | Brendan Quigley | 6,135 |
| Confederation of Regions | Phyllis Kobley | 866 |
| Independent | Larry Heather | 800 |
| Commonwealth of Canada | Bill Bohdan | 136 |