{{Short description|Canadian politician (born 1965)}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = Blake Pedersen.jpg | image_size = | name = Blake Pedersen | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1965|2|9}} | birth_place = Gull Lake, Saskatchewan | office = MLA for Medicine Hat | term_start = April 23, 2012 | term_end = May 5, 2015 | predecessor = Rob Renner | successor = Bob Wanner | party = Alberta Party (2017-present) | other_party = Wildrose (2012–2014)<br />Progressive Conservative (2014-2017) | alma_mater = | website = [http://www.blakepedersen.ca/ blakepedersen.ca] | occupation = small business owner }}
'''Blake James Pedersen''' (born February 9, 1965) is a Canadian politician who was an elected member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, previously representing the electoral district of Medicine Hat.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/live-results-alberta-election-2012/article2405211/ |title=Alberta Election 2012: Riding-by-riding results |access-date=2017-08-24 |archive-date=2012-04-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424134137/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/live-results-alberta-election-2012/article2405211/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was born at Gull Lake, Saskatchewan.<ref>http://medicinehatnews.com/alberta-election/meet-the-candidates/2015/04/07/blake-pedersen-pc-medicine-hat/{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_bio&rnumber=72&leg=28|title=Legislative Assembly of Alberta Blake Pedersen biography|accessdate=2013-06-10}}</ref>
He was first elected in the 2012 provincial election as a member of the Wildrose Party caucus.
In the spring 2013 sitting of the Alberta Legislature, Pedersen put forward Motion 510 to restore a competitive tax credit system for film industry labour costs, which was supported by the Progressive Conservatives, NDP and Liberals. Motion 510 was the first Wildrose motion to ever pass in the Alberta Legislature.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/Alberta+film+credit+earns+party+support/8351130/story.html|title=Alberta film tax credit earns all-party support|publisher=Edmonton Journal|accessdate=2013-06-10}}</ref> The proposal in Pedersen's motion would replace the current system of awarding grants to film companies through the Alberta Multimedia Development Fund with a tax credit that would enable all companies to recoup a portion of their production costs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/Documents/isysquery/6f9c7211-f40f-431a-90ab-854b5121b218/1/doc/|title=Alberta Hansard May 6, 2013|accessdate=2013-06-10}}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wildrose.ca/feature/legislature-passes-wildrose-film-tax-credit-motion/|title=Legislature passes Wildrose film tax credit motion|accessdate=2013-06-10|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606163208/http://www.wildrose.ca/feature/legislature-passes-wildrose-film-tax-credit-motion/|archivedate=2013-06-06}}</ref>
Pedersen was born and raised in Gull Lake, Saskatchewan, on the family ranch. Following graduation from Gull Lake High School, he moved to Vancouver as a drummer with a band, but returned to Gull Lake a few months later and entered the work force with a local oilfield services company. Experiencing his first of many boom and bust cycles, after one year of employment Pedersen participated in a 10-month agricultural exchange program to Australia with the International Agricultural Exchange Association. Upon his return to Canada, Pedersen returned to the oilfield services industry, and in 1999 became a small business owner.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_bio&rnumber=72&leg=28|title=Legislative Assembly of Alberta Blake Pedersen biography|accessdate=2013-06-10}}</ref>
On December 17, 2014, he was one of nine Wildrose MLAs who crossed the floor to join the Alberta Progressive Conservative caucus.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/9-wildrose-mlas-including-danielle-smith-cross-to-alberta-tories-1.2876412 "9 Wildrose MLAs, including Danielle Smith, cross to Alberta Tories"]. CBC News, December 17, 2014.</ref> Pederson stood for reelection during the 2015 Alberta election but was defeated by NDP's Bob Wanner, finishing third.<ref>http://medicinehatnews.com/alberta-election/stories-features/2015/05/06/050615-medhat-runner-ups/{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
In November 2017, it was reported that Pedersen had since joined the Alberta Party, and was seeking a seat on the party's board of directors.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/alberta/alberta-party-leader-greg-clark-to-step-down-opening-door-for-leadershipcampaign/article36924156/|title=Alberta Party leader Greg Clark to step down, opening door for leadership campaign|accessdate=2017-11-17}}</ref>
==Electoral history== {{2012 Alberta general election/Medicine Hat}} {{2015 Alberta general election/Medicine Hat}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pedersen, Blake}} Category:Wildrose Party MLAs Category:Living people Category:People from Medicine Hat Category:Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta MLAs Category:1965 births Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
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