Barry Morishita

Barry Morishita is a Canadian politician who served as the leader of the Alberta Party from 2021 to 2023. He previously served on the city council of Brooks in 1998 and became the city's mayor in 2016.

Background

Morishita's father, Douglas, was born in 1945 while his family was interred at the Tashme Incarceration Camp, during World War II. He moved to Brooks at the end of the war, where Morishita was born.
He graduated Rosemary High School in 1983.
In 1986, he married his wife, Jeanne.
Before his entry into politics he owned and operated an auto part store along with some business partners.

Political career

Morishita was first elected in Brooks city council in 1998 at the age of 32. He was elected Mayor of Brooks in 2016 and president of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association in 2017. In September 2021, he stepped down from both roles to become leader of the Alberta Party after the resignation of former party leader Stephen Mandel. He ran in a by-election for the southern Alberta seat of Brooks-Medicine Hat on November 8, 2022 but lost to the UCP candidate, Alberta premier Danielle Smith.
On October 15, 2023, Morishita resigned as leader of the Alberta Party.