# Bobbie Sparrow

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Canadian politician (1935–2026)

The Honourable Bobbie Sparrow PC Minister of Energy, Mines, and Resources In office June 25, 1993 – November 3, 1993 Prime Minister Kim Campbell Preceded by Bill McKnight Succeeded by Anne McLellan Minister of Forestry In office June 25, 1993 – November 3, 1993 Prime Minister Kim Campbell Preceded by Frank Oberle Sr. Succeeded by Anne McLellan Member of Parliament for Calgary Southwest (Calgary South; 1984–1988) In office September 4, 1984 – October 25, 1993 Preceded by John William Thomson Succeeded by Preston Manning Personal details Born Barbara Jane O'Connor (1935-07-11)July 11, 1935 Toronto, Ontario, Canada Died February 19, 2026(2026-02-19) (aged 90) Calgary, Alberta, Canada Party Progressive Conservative Spouse Bob Sparrow ​ ​ (m. 1956; died 1973)​ Profession Registered nurse businesswoman politician

**Barbara Jane Sparrow** [PC](/source/King's_Privy_Council_for_Canada) ([née](/source/Birth_name#Maiden_and_married_names) **O'Connor**; July 11, 1935 – February 19, 2026) was a Canadian politician.

## Political career

Sparrow, a [Registered Nurse](/source/Registered_Nurse) and businessperson, was first elected to the [House of Commons of Canada](/source/House_of_Commons_of_Canada) in the [1984 federal election](/source/1984_Canadian_federal_election) as [Member of Parliament](/source/Member_of_Parliament_(Canada)) for the [Alberta](/source/Alberta) [riding](/source/Electoral_district_(Canada)) of [Calgary South](/source/Calgary_South).[1] That election brought the [Progressive Conservative Party of Canada](/source/Progressive_Conservative_Party_of_Canada) to power under the leadership of [Brian Mulroney](/source/Brian_Mulroney). In that election she won the biggest plurality in Canadian history up to that time with 47,763 more votes than second place runner-up Harold Millican from the [Liberal Party of Canada](/source/Liberal_Party_of_Canada).[2]

Redistribution of federal ridings by [Elections Canada](/source/Elections_Canada) prior to the [1988 federal election](/source/1988_Canadian_federal_election) abolished Sparrow's riding; in 1988, she ran and won in the new riding of [Calgary Southwest](/source/Calgary_Southwest). In 1991, she was named [parliamentary secretary](/source/Parliamentary_secretary) to the [Minister of National Health and Welfare](/source/Minister_of_Health_(Canada)).[1]

When [Kim Campbell](/source/Kim_Campbell) succeeded Mulroney as PC leader and [prime minister](/source/Prime_Minister_of_Canada) in 1993, she brought Sparrow into the [Cabinet](/source/Cabinet_of_Canada) as [Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources](/source/Minister_of_Energy%2C_Mines_and_Resources_(Canada)) and [Minister of Forestry](/source/Minister_of_Forestry_(Canada)).[1]

Both Sparrow and the Campbell government were defeated in the subsequent [1993 federal election](/source/1993_Canadian_federal_election) that reduced the Tories to only two seats in the House of Commons. Sparrow lost her seat to [Reform Party](/source/Reform_Party_of_Canada) leader [Preston Manning](/source/Preston_Manning).[3][4]

## Philanthropy

Sparrow joined the Junior League of Calgary, Canada in 1961, and was elected President of the League in 1969.[5] Sparrow was also a part of many Committees within the Junior League.[6] In line with her philanthropic interests were human rights ones. In response to a constituent, she supported the [Soviet Jewry movement](/source/Soviet_Jewry_movement) in Canada by requesting permission to “adopt” a [refusenik](/source/Refusenik), and advocated directly to Soviet authorities on their behalf.[7]

## Personal life and death

Sparrow was married to her husband, Bob Sparrow, until his death in 1973.[8]

Sparrow died in Calgary on February 19, 2026, at the age of 90.[9][8]

## Electoral record

v t e 1993 Canadian federal election: Calgary Southwest Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures Reform Preston Manning 41,630 61.22 +47.80 $59,445 Progressive Conservative Bobbie Sparrow 12,642 18.59 –46.57 $61,978 Liberal Bill Richards 11,087 16.30 +4.77 $60,511 New Democratic Catherine Rose 1,099 1.62 –6.49 $4,791 National Lea Russell 910 1.34 – $2,580 Green Sol Candel 301 0.44 – $6,216 Natural Law Ida Bugmann 249 0.37 – none listed Independent Miel S.R. Gabriel 57 0.08 – $218 Communist Darrell Rankin 28 0.04 – $1,422 Total valid votes 68,003 99.80 Total rejected ballots 137 0.20 +0.03 Turnout 68,140 70.82 –9.62 Eligible voters 96,213 Reform gain from Progressive Conservative Swing +47.19 Source: Elections Canada[10][11][12]

1988 Canadian federal election Party Candidate Votes % Progressive Conservative Bobbie Sparrow 40,397 65.16 Reform Janet Jessop 8,316 13.41 Liberal Percy Baker 7,147 11.53 New Democratic Vera Vogel 5,024 8.10 Independent Larry R. Heather 669 1.08 Rhinoceros Johnny Barretto 372 0.60 Confederation of Regions Bill Sinclair 68 0.11 Total valid votes 61,993 100.00

1984 Canadian federal election Party Candidate Votes Progressive Conservative Bobbie Sparrow 55,590 Liberal Harold Millican 7,827 New Democratic Brendan Quigley 6,135 Confederation of Regions Phyllis Kobley 866 Independent Larry Heather 800 Commonwealth of Canada Bill Bohdan 136

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_1-2) ["Profile - Sparrow, Barbara Jane (Bobbie)"](https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/People/Profile?personId=12274). *lop.parl.ca*. Retrieved June 25, 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Raymaker, Darryl (2017). *Trudeau's Tango: Alberta Meets Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 1968–1972*. University of Alberta Press. p. 282.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Campbell, Murray](/source/Murray_Campbell_(columnist)); Sallot, Jeff (October 26, 1993). "A Liberal Landslide: All but 2 Tories lose; Bloc could become Official Opposition". *[The Globe and Mail](/source/The_Globe_and_Mail)*. Toronto, Ontario. p. A1.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Cernetig, Miro (October 26, 1993). "Manning's reach exceeds grasp: Reform fails to make inroads into Ontario". *[The Globe and Mail](/source/The_Globe_and_Mail)*. Calgary, Alberta. p. A1.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Sustainable Assets: Bobbie Sparrow: A Woman of Many Interests"](https://1901.ajli.org/bobbie-sparrow-a-woman-of-many-interests/). January 24, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["The Association of Junior League International"](https://thejuniorleagueinternational.org/). Retrieved October 23, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [Rena Cohen](/source/Rena_Cohen) to Bobbie Sparrow, correspondence cited in Saundra Lipton, [“Let My People Go: Calgary Community Support for the Free Soviet Jewry Movement,”](https://doi.org/10.25071/1916-0925.40419) [Canadian Jewish Studies](/source/Canadian_Jewish_Studies) 40 (2025), 101, 111fn.141.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Principled_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Principled_8-1) Gilligan, Melissa (February 20, 2026). ["'A steady and principled leader': Former Calgary MP Bobbie Sparrow passes away"](https://www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/article/a-steady-and-principled-leader-former-calgary-mp-bobbie-sparrow-passes-away/). *[CTV News](/source/CTV_News)*. Retrieved February 21, 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Barbara "Bobbie" Jane Sparrow"](https://www.mhfh.com/obituaries/Barbara-Bobbie-Jane-Sparrow?obId=47312435). McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes. Retrieved February 24, 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Canada, Library of Parliament (2026). ["Elections and Ridings: Calgary Southwest, Alberta (1993)"](https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/ElectionsRidings/Ridings/Profile?OrganizationId=1392). *lop.parl.ca*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Canada, Chief Electoral Officer (1993). [Thirty-Fifth General Election, 1993: Official Voting Results](https://archive.org/details/31761115529885) (Report). Ottawa: [Elections Canada](/source/Elections_Canada). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-662-60097-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-662-60097-5).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Canada, Chief Electoral Officer (1993). [Thirty-Fifth General Election, 1993: Contributions and Expenses of Registered Political Parties and Candidates](https://archive.org/details/31761115534752) (Report). Ottawa: [Elections Canada](/source/Elections_Canada). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-662-61265-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-662-61265-5).

## External links

- [Bobbie Sparrow – Parliament of Canada biography](https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/People/Profile?personId=12274)

v t e Cabinet of Prime Minister Kim Campbell (1993) Kim Campbell Perrin Beatty Pierre Blais Pauline Browes Jean Charest Mary Collins Jean Corbeil Paul Dick Jim Edwards Tom Hockin Monique Landry Doug Lewis Gilles Loiselle Peter McCreath Charles Mayer Lowell Murray Rob Nicholson Ross Reid Larry Schneider Tom Siddon Bobbie Sparrow Garth Turner Bernard Valcourt Pierre H. Vincent Gerry Weiner

v t e Ministers of natural resources of Canada Energy, mines and resources (1966–95) Pépin Greene Macdonald Gillespie Hnatyshyn Lalonde Chrétien Regan Carney Masse Epp McKnight Sparrow McLellan Forestry (1993–95) Oberle Sr. Sparrow McLellan Natural resources (1995–) McLellan Goodale Dhaliwal Efford McCallum Lunn Raitt Paradis Oliver Rickford Carr Sohi O'Regan Wilkinson

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bobbie Sparrow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobbie_Sparrow) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobbie_Sparrow?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.