Peter Lougheed, PC, CC, AOE, QC. (b. 1928) (Edgar) Peter Lougheed is the first person of Metis ancestry to become Premier of the Province of Alberta (1971). Peter was born on July 26, 1928, the son of Isabella Clark Hardisty (1864-1936), the Metis daughter of William Lucas Hardisty 1 (Metis) and Mary Ann Allen (Metis) 2.

Peter Lougheed was a lawyer, a former politician and Canadian Football League player. He served as the tenth Premier of Alberta from 1971 to 1985, and is widely considered one of the great premiers in Canadian history. In 1950, he received a BA degree, and in 1952,he received an LL.B. degree, both from the University of Alberta. While in Edmonton as a student, he played football for the Edmonton Eskimos for two seasons, in 1949 and 1950, and served as President of the Student’s Union. In 1954, he received an MBA degree from Harvard University.In 1965, he was elected leader of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party. The party won the 1971 provincial election, with 49 of the 75 seats in the legislature, defeating the social Credit Party. Lougheed established a Tory dynasty in the province that has continued uninterrupted since then.

Peter was known to identify himself as Metis throughout his lifetime although the media of the day hardly identified Mr. Lougheed as such. The BC Metis Federation joins many others in the Metis community to recognize Peter and offer tobacco for a safe passage to the next world.