# Barry McFarland

Barry McFarland ECA (born April 22, 1948) is a Canadian politician and was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the constituency of Little Bow as a Progressive Conservative.

## Early life

McFarland was born and raised near Carmangay. He is a graduate of the business administration program at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in Calgary. After graduating, he worked in retail credit for Gulf Canada Resources Limited. Since 1972, McFarland and his wife Mary have operated a dryland grain farm near Carmangay.

## Political career

McFarland was first elected in a 1992 by-election, when incumbent Raymond Speaker resigned to run for a federal seat. He won the by-election in a tight race, winning by only 262 votes over the Liberal candidate. It was the closest that the Liberals had come to winning the riding in 70 years. However, McFarland has never faced another election nearly that close.
He was elected to a sixth term in the 2008 provincial election, receiving 58 percent of the vote. He currently sits on the Standing Committee on the Economy and the Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, Standing Orders and Printing.
During his five previous terms in office, McFarland sat on numerous committees and chaired the Standing Policy Committee on Agriculture and Municipal Affairs; Alberta Agricultural Research Institute; Standing Policy Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development; Premier's Council in Support of Alberta Families; Prisoner Voting Committee; and Industrial Assessment Review Committee. During his fifth term, McFarland was Associate Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation.
Before entering provincial politics, McFarland was involved in municipal government. He was first elected as a councillor for the County of Vulcan in 1977. Between 1977 and 1992, McFarland served his community in a series of positions, including reeve, school trustee, chair of the Board of Education, and trustee and chair for the Little Bow Auxiliary Hospital.
McFarland was also involved with a number of municipal and agricultural committees, including the Municipal Planning Commission and the Carmangay Seed Cleaning Plant Association.

## Personal life

McFarland lives outside Carmangay, Alberta, with his wife, Mary. The couple has four adult children.
He was inducted onto the Palliser Regional Schools Wall of Fame in 2007. His involvement with community groups has included the Carmangay Curling Club, Vulcan Atletika Track Club and local chapters of the Lions Club and the Royal Canadian Legion.

## Election results

vteAlberta provincial by-election, March 5, 1992: Little Bow following the resignation of Raymond Speaker on January 3, 1992 :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Barry McFarland | 1,966 | 35.20 | -44.34 |
| | Liberal | Donna Graham | 1,704 | 30.51 | 18.72 |
| | New Democratic | Ruth Scalplock | 601 | 10.76 | 2.09 |
| | Social Credit | Al Strom | 521 | 9.33 | – |
| | Alliance | Larry Haller | 399 | 7.14 | – |
| | Confederation of Regions | Dean Oseen | 394 | 7.06 | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 5,585 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 18 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 9,158 | 61.18% | – |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | -31.53 |
| Source(s) Alberta. Chief Electoral Officer (1992). The report of the Chief Electoral Officer on the Little Bow by-election held Thursday, March 5, 1992 (Report). Edmonton: Alberta Legislative Assembly, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer. |||||||
| 1993 Alberta general election results ( Little Bow ) | 1993 Alberta general election results ( Little Bow ) | 1993 Alberta general election results ( Little Bow ) | Turnout 66.3% | Turnout 66.3% |
| Affiliation | Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Progressive Conservative | Barry McFarland | 6,709 | 67.2% |
| | Liberal | Donna Graham | 2,866 | 28.9% |
| | NDP | Rod Lachmuth | 382 | 3.8% |
| 1997 Alberta general election results ( Little Bow ) | 1997 Alberta general election results ( Little Bow ) | 1997 Alberta general election results ( Little Bow ) | Turnout 54.0% | Turnout 54.0% |
| Affiliation | Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Progressive Conservative | Barry McFarland | 6,726 | 69.5% |
| | Liberal | Alida Hess | 2.075 | 21.5% |
| | NDP | Marko Hilgersom | 868 | 9.0% |
| 2001 Alberta general election results ( Little Bow ) | 2001 Alberta general election results ( Little Bow ) | 2001 Alberta general election results ( Little Bow ) | Turnout 56.7% | Turnout 56.7% |
| Affiliation | Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Progressive Conservative | Barry McFarland | 6,881 | 64.8% |
| | Liberal | Arij Langstraat | 2,534 | 23.9% |
| | NDP | Andrea Enes | 319 | 3.0% |
| | Independent | Jon Koch | 885 | 8.3% |
vte2004 Alberta general election: Little Bow :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Barry McFarland | 4,899 | 54.24% | -10.56% |
| | Liberal | Arij Langstraat | 1,961 | 21.71% | -2.15% |
| | Alberta Alliance | Jay Phin | 857 | 9.49% | – |
| | Social Credit | Brian Cook | 554 | 6.13% | – |
| | Separation | Grant Shaw | 433 | 4.79% | – |
| | New Democratic | Hugh Logie | 328 | 3.63% | 0.63% |
| Total | Total | Total | 9,032 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 55 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 19,835 | 45.81% | -10.85% |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | -4.20% |
| Source(s) Source: "Little Bow Statement of Official Results 2004 Alberta general election" (PDF). Elections Alberta. Retrieved March 7, 2020. |||||||
| 2008 Alberta general election results ( Little Bow ) | 2008 Alberta general election results ( Little Bow ) | 2008 Alberta general election results ( Little Bow ) | Turnout 43.8% | Turnout 43.8% |
| Affiliation | Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Progressive Conservative | Barry McFarland | 5,144 | 58% |
| | Liberal | Everett Tanis | 1,078 | 12% |
| | Wildrose Alliance | Kevin Kinahan | 2,057 | 23% |
| | Green | Marie Read | 266 | 3% |
| | NDP | Duane Petluk | 322 | 4% |