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Kevin Taft is the Leader of the Official Opposition and of the Alberta Liberal Party. He has served as a provincial MLA since 2001.

Taft entered provincial politics in March 2001 when he was elected as MLA for the riding of Edmonton—Riverview. He became party leader in March 2004 following the resignation of then-leader Ken Nicol. Under his leadership, the Alberta Liberal Party’s organization and finances have improved. To date, Taft has served on several legislative committees, including the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. During his time as an MLA he has held various critic portfolios, including Finance, Health & Wellness, Aboriginal Affairs & Northern Development, and Municipal Affairs and Restructuring and Government Efficiency.

Before entering politics, he worked as a researcher and consultant for the Government of Alberta through his company, Taft Research and Communications. He has authored three bestselling books. Published in 2007, Democracy Derailed is about the state of affairs of government in the province of Alberta. In 2000, Taft and Calgary journalist Gillian Steward co-authored Clear Answers: The Economics and Politics of For-Profit Medicine. In 1997, Taft published Shredding the Public Interest, which accuses the Progressive Conservative government of unnecessarily cutting funding for public services. It spent 12 weeks on The Financial Post’s bestseller list and was subsequently chosen as"Alberta Trade Title of the Year" by the Book Publisher’s Association of Alberta.

Taft is a committed Westerner. He was born on September 9, 1955 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, but grew up in Edmonton, Alberta. He attended Strathcona Composite High School, and then earned a Bachelor of Arts of in Political Science and a Master’s degree in Community Development from the University of Alberta. He graduated with a Ph.D. in Business from the University of Warwick in England. Taft lives with his wife Jeanette Boman, whom he married in 1982, and their two sons. They reside in the same neighbourhood where Taft was raised.

A former soccer coach and dedicated hockey fan, Taft plays Oldtimers’ games and frequents the local outdoor rink where he previously served as Manager of Rink Maintenance.