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Alison Redford: meet Alberta’s first ‘elected’ woman premier

Last October, Alison Redford surprised many in her province by winning the race to replace Ed Stelmach as leader of the Tories and become Alberta's premier.

On Monday, she surprised the country by leading her party to a majority government in the general election.

For the next four years, Redford will be one of the most powerful politicians in the country as the steward of the oil sands and its billions in tax revenues.

So just who is this woman who keeps surprising?

Family Life:

Redford is married to husband Glen who works as a federal lawyer. She's also mother to a nine-year-old daughter named Sarah.

Path to political office:

Redford's path to political office is far different from that of most politicians.

After completing a law degree at the University of Saskatchewan, she worked on Parliament Hill — initially as a policy adviser to cabinet minister and former prime minister Joe Clark, then in Brian Mulroney's office.

The Mulroney government's vocal opposition to the apartheid regime gave Redford contacts that would lead her to a job as an adviser on constitutional and legal reform issues in South Africa.

There, she worked alongside Nelson Mandela rebuilding the country's legal structure following the dismantling of apartheid.

She eventually moved back to Calgary, was elected to the provincial legislature in 2008 and subsequently appointed as Alberta's first female justice minister.

What to expect:

The election of Redford promises to take the province's government in a dramatic new direction — specifically to the left.

In her six months as premier, Redford has delivered on her promises to immediately boost education funding by $107 million and increase payments to those on Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped by $400 a month.

She also appointed an expert panel to review some of cabinet's decisions on the electrical transmission infrastructure and appointed a retired judge to review political salaries.

For the rest of Canada, Redford's victory is also important.

Unlike Wildrose's Danielle Smith, Redford has a pan-Canadian vision, including her call for a national energy strategy.