Career
During his time in office he served as Minister of Public Works in the cabinet of Premier Peter Lougheed from 1971 to 1975. Backus ran for a seat to the Alberta Legislature in the 1971 Alberta general election. After the election Premier Peter Lougheed appointed Backus to the Executive Council of Alberta to serve as Minister of Public Works in his first cabinet.
He would run for a second term with ministerial advantage in the 1975 Alberta general election.
He was returned to office with a landslide victory, defeating three other candidates who saw their popular vote collapse. Backus lost his portfolio when Lougheed shuffled his cabinet in 1975.
He served out the rest of his term as a private member in the government and retired at dissolution of the assembly in 1979.
