  deborah cleland grey, pc oc, sometimes called deb grey (born july 1, 1952) is a former canadian member of parliament from alberta for the reform party of canada, canadian alliance and conservative party of canada. ==before politics== born in vancouver, grey pursued studies in sociology, english and education at burrard inlet bible institute, trinity western college and the university of alberta. she then worked as a teacher in a number of rural alberta communities until 1989. ==political career== grey's first run for office was in the 1988 election, when she ran as the reform candidate in beaver river, a mostly rural riding in northeastern alberta. she finished a distant fourth behind progressive conservative john dahmer. however, dahmer died before he could be sworn in. grey won a by-election in march 1989, becoming reform's first mp. it was only the second time the progressive conservatives had lost a seat in alberta since 1968. party leader preston manning immediately named her as reform's deputy leader. the two were friends for many years; grey calls him "misterbrainiola". her first legislative assistant was a young stephen harper. reform elected 52 mps in the 1993 election, replacing the progressive conservatives as the main right-wing 
1952_births Canadian_Alliance_MPs Canadian_autobiographers Canadian_women_Members_of_Parliament Canadian_women_writers Female_Canadian_political_party_leaders Leaders_of_the_Opposition_(Canada) Living_people Members_of_the_House_of_Commons_of_Canada_from_Alberta Officers_of_the_Order_of_Canada Reform_Party_of_Canada_MPs Trinity_Western_University_alumni University_of_Alberta_alumni Women_autobiographers Women_in_Alberta_politics