Brian Jean

Brian Jean, born on February 3, 1963, is a prominent Canadian politician and lawyer, currently serving as Alberta's Minister of Energy and Minerals since June 9, 2023. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche since March 16, 2022, marking his return to provincial politics after a notable career in federal politics.

Before entering the political arena, Jean practiced law in Fort McMurray for eleven years. His political journey began when he was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) with the Conservative Party, representing Athabasca from 2004 to 2006 and Fort McMurray—Athabasca from 2006 to 2014. He resigned from the House of Commons in 2014, only to re-emerge in provincial politics a year later.

In February 2015, Jean announced his candidacy for the leadership of the Wildrose Party, which he successfully led from March 28, 2015, until its merger with the Progressive Conservatives in 2017. During the 2015 provincial election, he was elected in Fort McMurray-Conklin and became the leader of the opposition against the Alberta New Democratic Party (NDP). However, he stepped down as leader when the Wildrose Party merged into the United Conservative Party (UCP) and subsequently lost the leadership race to Jason Kenney.

After a brief hiatus from politics, Jean made a comeback by winning a by-election in March 2022. Following Premier Kenney's resignation announcement in May 2022, he sought the leadership of the UCP, finishing third in the leadership election held on October 6, 2022, ultimately losing to Danielle Smith.