Kuziak, Alex Gordon

Kuziak, Alex Gordon [Kuzjak], b 15 October 1908 in Canora, Saskatchewan, d 14 May 2010 near Donwell, Saskatchewan. Businessman and politician. After years of political activity at the local level, Kuziak was elected to the Saskatchewan legislature (1948–64) as the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) member in the constituency of Canora. As minister of telephones and minister in charge of the Government Finance Office (1952), he was the first person of Ukrainian origin to hold cabinet office in Canada. He was also minister in charge of the Northern Crown Corporation and Natural Resources (1956–62) and of Mineral Resources (1962–4), until his defeat in 1964. He ran unsuccessfully in 1965 as the New Democratic party candidate for the federal constituency of Yorkton. In 1970–3 he served as an alderman in the city of Yorkton.

[This file was updated in 2010.]