{{Short description|Canadian politician and journalist}} {{pp-pc}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Honourable | name = Sandra Jansen | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|ECA|size=100%}} | image = | alt = | caption = | office6 = Minister of Infrastructure | premier6 = Rachel Notley | term_start6 = October 17, 2017 | term_end6 = April 30, 2019 | predecessor6 = Brian Mason | successor6 = Prasad Panda | office7 = Associate Minister of Family and Community Safety | premier7 = Alison Redford<br />Dave Hancock | term_start7 = August 1, 2013 | term_end7 = September 15, 2014 | predecessor7 = ''Position established'' | successor7 = ''Position abolished'' | office9 = Member of the<br />Legislative Assembly of Alberta<br />for Calgary-North West | term_start9 = April 23, 2012 | term_end9 = April 16, 2019 | predecessor9 = Lindsay Blackett | successor9 = Sonya Savage | birth_date = {{Birth based on age as of date|44|2008|7|21}} | birth_place = Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | party = New Democratic (2016–present) | other_party = Progressive Conservative (2011–2016) Ontario Liberal (2025 - Present) | children = 1 | profession = {{hlist|Politician|journalist}} }}
'''Sandra Jansen''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN|ECA}} (born c. 1963){{Citation needed|date=October 2021}} is a Canadian politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the electoral district of Calgary-North West.<ref name="Penty-Herald">{{cite news|last=Penty|first=Rebecca|date=April 24, 2012|title=PCs extend 15-year hold on Calgary North West|newspaper=Calgary Herald|url=http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/politics/politics/6505592/story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426231706/http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/politics/politics/6505592/story.html|archive-date=2012-04-26}}</ref> She served as the Minister of Infrastructure between October 2017 and April 2019.
==Early career== Jansen's first experience in politics was with the Ron Ghitter campaign for the leadership of the Progressive Conservatives in 1985, alongside Alison Redford.<ref name="Penty-Herald"/> Soon after, Jansen began a 25-year career in television broadcast journalism – first at CHAT-TV in Medicine Hat, then at CICT-DT in Calgary, then in Montreal. Her career apex was in the late 1990s at CTV NewsNet/CTV News Channel in Toronto as one of their anchors. In the mid-2000s Jansen left Toronto to return to Calgary, anchoring the nightly news for Citytv Calgary.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.sandrajansenmla.ca/about/ | title=About - Sandra Jansen MLA | accessdate=July 7, 2016}}</ref>
In 2007, Jansen left journalism to obtain a master's degree in professional communications, graduating in 2009.<ref name="Penty-Herald"/> This degree led her back into Alberta provincial politics, when in autumn 2011 Jansen was hired by incoming Premier Alison Redford to be part of Redford's communications team.<ref name="Penty-Herald"/>
==Legislative assembly== Jansen was first elected to the legislative assembly in the 2012 provincial election as a Progressive Conservative.<ref name="Penty-Herald" /> She was named an associate minister on July 26, 2013, and sworn in on August 1, 2013<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://safeandcaring.ca/media-releases/associate-minister-jansen-act-honourary-chair-alberta-based-bullying-prevention-organization/ |title=Associate Minister Jansen to Act as {{as written|Hono|urary [sic]}} Chair of Alberta-based Bullying Prevention Organization |date=November 11, 2013 |editor-last=Hrynyk |editor-first=Morgan |publisher=The Society for Safe and Caring Schools & Communities |access-date=November 17, 2016}}</ref> in the position of Minister of Family and Community Safety. Jansen addressed many issues, including human trafficking, violence against women and child exploitation.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/07/27/calgary-mla-sandra-jansen-ready-to-tackle-bullies-child-exploitation-in-new-role |title=Calgary MLA Sandra Jansen ready to tackle bullies, child exploitation in new role |last=Moharib |first=Nadia |date=July 27, 2013 |publisher=Postmedia Network Inc. |last2=Wood |first2=Demian |newspaper=Calgary Sun |agency=QMI Agency |access-date=November 17, 2016}}</ref> Jansen has also previously served as a member of the Standing Committee on Families and Communities, Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, and chair of the Calgary caucus.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_bio&rnumber=22&leg=29 |title=MLA Biography |date=June 29, 2015 |website=Legislative Assembly of Alberta |access-date=November 17, 2016}}</ref>
As the newly elected MLA of Calgary-North West, Jansen spearheaded many initiatives including rallying the importance of a new middle school in the community of Rocky Ridge/Royal Oak to then Education Minister, Jeff Johnson. The prospective school had been dropped from second to seventh place on the priority list of schools produced by the Calgary Board of Education in 2012.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/05/01/squeaky-wheels-the-winner-as-alberta-government-announces-new-calgary-school-in-rocky-ridgeroyal-oak |title=Squeaky wheels the winner as Alberta government announces new Calgary school in Rocky Ridge/Royal Oak |last=Platt |first=Michael |date=May 2, 2013 |publisher=Postmedia Network Inc. |newspaper=Calgary Sun |access-date=November 17, 2016}}</ref> After successfully demonstrating the need of constituents in the Calgary North-West community, the provincial government announced on May 1, 2013, that Rocky Ridge/Royal Oak would receive a new middle school, planned to open in fall 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=340635C0873B4-EE1A-892B-575F77835662BCF1 |title=Redford government announces new schools for Calgary |date=May 1, 2013 |editor-last=Capstick |editor-first=Kim |editor2-last=Smith |editor2-first=Jeannie |publisher=Government of Alberta |access-date=November 17, 2016}}</ref>
Jansen also played a pivotal role in stopping an urban drilling site, proposed by Kaiser Exploration Ltd, where four oil wells were planned to be drilled within 400 metres of the northwest residential community of Royal Oak.<ref name="Varcoe-Herald">{{Cite news |url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/alberta/Province+complete+review+urban+drilling/8357946/story.html |title=Province to complete review on urban oil drilling |last=Varcoe |first=Chris |date=May 9, 2013 |publisher=Postmedia Network Inc. |newspaper=Calgary Herald |access-date=November 17, 2016}}</ref> Jansen successfully expressed to legislature that current drilling policies do not take into account high-density areas.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://metronews.ca/news/edmonton/275276/alberta-government-creating-urban-drilling-policy/ |title=Alberta government creating urban drilling policy |last=Nolais |first=Jeremy |date=June 24, 2012 |publisher=Free Daily News Group Inc. |newspaper=Metro Calgary |access-date=November 17, 2016}}</ref> After meetings with then Energy Minister, Ken Hughes, Jansen and Hughes discussed the importance of appropriate urban drilling policies for all Albertans, which takes into account air and water quality, pollution, and appropriate emergency evacuation routes.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/theres-oil-in-them-thar-burbs/ |title=Not in my backyard: Calgarians fight a suburban oil well |last=Vieira |first=Gustavo |date=April 17, 2012 |work=Maclean’s |publisher=Rogers Media |access-date=November 17, 2016}}</ref> Jansen sponsored the urban drilling review motion, which was later passed in April 2013, to determine whether adequate policy was in place regarding urban community drilling sites.<ref name="Varcoe-Herald"/> Jansen also successfully identified three possible alternative drilling locations.<ref name="Varcoe-Herald"/> In October 2013, it was announced that Kaiser Exploration Ltd. would be moving its drilling sites 2.3 kilometres away.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://suburbanjournals.ca/pdf/RR_1310.pdf |title=Kaiser Oil Well Update |last=RRROCA Board of Directors |date=October 2013 |website=Rocky Ridge Suburban Journal |publisher=Suburban Journals Publishing |page=5 |access-date=November 17, 2016}}</ref>
Jansen left the PC caucus and joined the NDP caucus on November 17, 2016. The news was announced by a joint press release between Jansen and Alberta NDP Premier Rachel Notley.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-mla-sandra-jansen-leaves-pcs-joins-ndp-caucus-1.3855868|title=Alberta MLA Sandra Jansen leaves PCs, joins NDP caucus|last=Bellefontaine|first=Michelle|work=CBC News|date=November 17, 2016|access-date=November 23, 2016}}</ref> On October 17, 2017 Sandra Jansen became Alberta's first female Minister of Infrastructure.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/politics/former-pc-mla-sandra-jansen-named-infrastructure-minister-portfolio-includes-green-line |title=Former PC MLA Sandra Jansen named infrastructure minister, portfolio includes Green Line |first=James |last=Wood |date=October 17, 2017 |newspaper=Calgary Herald }}</ref> She was also a member of the Economic Development Policy Ministerial Committee and her most recent Legislative accomplishments include being responsible for creating Alberta's first disability advocate.
===Leadership campaign=== After the Progressive Conservative government was defeated in the 2015 provincial election, Jansen declared as a candidate for the leadership of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party. She withdrew her candidacy in a letter to supporters on November 8, 2016, following the party's AGM, saying “I have never before experienced harassment like that which occurred up to and including this past weekend. Insults were scrawled on my nomination forms. Volunteers from another campaign chased me up and down the hall, attacking me for protecting women’s reproductive rights, and my team was jeered for supporting children’s rights to a safe school environment.”<ref name=w>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/alberta/two-female-candidates-quit-alberta-progressive-conservative-leadership-race/article32740647/|title=Two female candidates quit Alberta Progressive Conservative leadership race|newspaper=The Globe and Mail}}</ref>
=== Floorcrossing === Nine days after dropping out of the Alberta PC Leadership race, Jansen announced she was crossing the floor to sit with Rachel Notley's NDP Government.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-mla-sandra-jansen-leaves-pcs-joins-ndp-caucus-1.3855868|title=Former Alberta PC leadership contender Sandra Jansen crosses floor, joins NDP caucus|newspaper=CBC News|access-date=2016-12-02}}</ref> Her crossing the floor has led to multiple instances of abuse aimed at her.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/sandra-jansen-alberta-mla-misogyny-1.3865047|title=Alberta MLA Sandra Jansen latest in long string of female politicians to face abuse |first=Drew |last=Anderson |publisher=CBC News|date =November 23, 2016 }}</ref> More specifically, Jansen's gender was attacked by those displeased with her crossing the floor.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/11/23/dumb-broad-watch-new-alberta-ndp-member-sandra-jansen-read-insults-shes-received.html|title='Dumb broad': Watch new Alberta NDP member Sandra Jansen read insults she's received |date=2016-11-23 |website=Toronto Star |language=en|access-date=2019-07-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/watch-ex-tory-mla-sandra-jansen-slams-sexism-harassment-abuse-in-first-statement-since-crossing-floor|title=Sandra Jansen slams sexism, harassment, abuse in first NDP statement |newspaper= Edmonton Journal|last=Graney |first=Emma |date=2016-11-22|language=en|access-date=2019-07-25}}</ref> In late November 2016, Jansen read out the insults she had received via social media in the Alberta Legislature, leading to the widespread condemning of such sexist insults against Canadian female politicians.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/11/22/sandra-jansen-abuse_n_13156478.html|title=Alberta MLA Lists The Terrible Things She's Been Called In Politics: Sandra Jansen Calls For Fight Against Abuse Of Alberta Politicians|date=2016-11-22|website=HuffPost Canada|language=en|access-date=2019-07-25}}</ref>
After joining the NDP, Jansen co-sponsored Bill 2 (2017), which would extend the period of time that a victim of sexual assault or domestic violence may choose to bring legal action,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=bills_status&selectbill=002&legl=29&session=3|title=29th Legislature, 3rd Session (2017-2018) Bill 2: An Act to Remove Barriers for Survivors of Sexual and Domestic Violence (Ganley)|work=Bills and Amendments|publisher= Legislative Assembly of Alberta |access-date=2019-07-25}}</ref> and introduced Private Members' Bill 205 (2017), which would create a new disabled persons' advocacy position in Alberta's government.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://edmontonsun.com/2017/04/06/bill-calls-for-advocate-for-people-with-disabilities/wcm/c98d0e8d-2782-4665-b05c-98665dcb98b2|title=Bill calls for advocate for people with disabilities |newspaper=Edmonton Sun| date=2017-04-07|language=en-CA|access-date=2019-07-25 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=bills_status&selectbill=205&legl=29&session=3|title= 29th Legislature, 3rd Session (2017-2018) Bill 205: Advocate for Persons with Disabilities Act (Jansen) |work=Bills and Amendments |publisher= Legislative Assembly of Alberta |access-date=2019-07-25}}</ref> On October 17, 2017, she was appointed to cabinet as minister of Infrastructure.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Graney |first1=Emma |title=Former PC MLA Sandra Jansen sworn in to NDP cabinet as minister of infrastructure |url=https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/premier-rachel-notley-announces-cabinet-shuffle-to-come |access-date=21 July 2022 |date=17 October 2017}}</ref>
In January 2019, Jansen announced that she had chosen not to run for re-election in the 2019 Alberta general election.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/ndp-mlas-sandra-jansen-estefania-cortes-vargas-not-running-1.4986762|title=NDP MLAs Jansen, Cortes-Vargas announce they're not running again|last=Bellefontaine|first=Michelle|date=January 21, 2019|website=CBC News|access-date=2019-07-25}}</ref>
In March 2025, Jansen became chief of staff to Ontario Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-03-19 |title=Ontario Liberal Leader Crombie hires ex-journalist and former Alberta cabinet minister as chief of staff |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ontario-liberal-leader-crombie-hires-ex-journalist-and-former-alberta/ |access-date=2025-03-20 |work=The Globe and Mail |language=en-CA}}</ref>
==Cabinet positions== {{s-start}} {{Canadian cabinet member navigational box header |ministry=Rachel_Notley}} {{ministry box cabinet posts | post1preceded = Brian Mason | post1 = Minister of Infrastructure | post1years = October 17, 2017–April 30, 2019 | post1note = | post1followed = Prasad Panda }} {{Canadian cabinet member navigational box header |ministry=Dave_Hancock}} {{ministry box cabinet posts | post1preceded = cont'd from Redford Ministry | post1 = Associate Minister of Family and Community Safety | post1years = March 23, 2014 – September 15, 2014 | post1note = | post1followed = Position Abolished }} {{Canadian cabinet member navigational box header |ministry=Alison_Redford}} {{ministry box cabinet posts
| post1preceded = Position Established | post1 = Associate Minister of Family and Community Safety | post1years = August 1, 2013 – March 23, 2014 | post1note = | post1followed = cont'd into Hancock Ministry }} {{s-end}}
==Electoral history== {{Alberta provincial election, 2012/Calgary-North West}} {{Alberta provincial election, 2015/Calgary-North West}}
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
{{Notley Ministry}} {{Hancock Ministry}} {{Redford Ministry}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jansen, Sandra}} Category:Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta MLAs Category:Living people Category:Members of the Executive Council of Alberta Category:Women MLAs in Alberta Category:Canadian television news anchors Category:Canadian television reporters and correspondents Category:Politicians from Calgary Category:Politicians from Edmonton Category:Women government ministers of Canada Category:Canadian women television journalists Category:Alberta New Democratic Party MLAs Category:21st-century Canadian women politicians Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta