Legislative Assembly of Alberta
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The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of Alberta, Canada. It sits in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. Since 2012 the Legislative Assembly has had 87 members, elected through first past the post from single-member electoral districts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly are given royal assent by the lieutenant governor of Alberta, as the viceregal representative of the King of Canada.<ref>Template:Cite canlaw.</ref> The Legislative Assembly and the Lieutenant Governor together make up the unicameral Alberta Legislature.
The maximum period between general elections of the assembly, as set by Section 4 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is five years, which is further reinforced in Alberta's Legislative Assembly Act.<ref>Template:Cite canlaw</ref> Convention dictates the premier controls the date of election and usually selects a date in the fourth or fifth year after the preceding election. Amendments to Alberta's Election Act introduced in 2024 fixed the date of election to the third Monday in October in the fourth calendar year following the preceding election.<ref>Template:Cite canlaw </ref> Alberta has never had a minority government and an election as a result of a vote of no confidence has never occurred.
To be a candidate for election to the assembly, a person must be a Canadian citizen older than 18 who has lived in Alberta for at least six months before the election and has registered with Elections Alberta under the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act. Senators, senators-in-waiting, members of the House of Commons, and criminal inmates are ineligible.<ref>Template:Cite canlaw</ref>
The 30th Alberta Legislature was dissolved on May 1, 2023. The members-elect of the 31st Alberta Legislature were elected on May 29.
History
The first session of the first Legislature of Alberta opened on March 15, 1906, in the Thistle Rink, Edmonton, north of Jasper Avenue. After the speech from the throne, the assembly held its sessions in the McKay Avenue School. In this school Alberta MLAs chose the provincial capital,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Edmonton, and the future site for the Alberta Legislature Building: the bank of the North Saskatchewan River. Allan Merrick Jeffers,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design was the architect who was chosen to build the assembly building. From 1908 to 1911 the Legislative Assembly met in a hall annexed to the old Terrace Building.<ref>Macauley, 75th Anniversary of Alberta's Legislative Building http://www.revparl.ca/english/issue.asp?art=735¶m=122. accessed April 16, 2025</ref><ref>Terrace Building, Edmonton, Alberta https://hermis.alberta.ca/paa/PhotoGalleryDetails.aspx?st=edmonton&cp=257&ReturnUrl=%2Fpaa%2FSearch.aspx%3Fst%3Dedmonton%26cp%3D257&dv=True&DeptID=1&ObjectID=A5676</ref>
In September 1912 Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, Governor General of Canada, declared the new Legislature building officially open.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Louise McKinney and Roberta MacAdams were the first women elected to the assembly, in the 1917 election, the first women in any legislature of the British Empire.
From 1926 to 1955, Edmonton and Calgary MLAs were elected through a form of proportional representation.
Early majorities in the Legislature were held by the Alberta Liberal Party, followed by the United Farmers of Alberta and Alberta Social Credit Party. The Progressive Conservatives held the legislature from 1971 until 2015, when the Alberta New Democratic Party held a majority for a single term. Since 2019, the United Conservative Party has held successive majorities.
Current members
Most members of the 31st Alberta Legislature were elected in the 31st Alberta general election held on May 29, 2023, but some were elected in subsequent by-elections. Bold indicates cabinet members, and party leaders are italicized. Template:Sticky header
Standings during 31st Assembly
The 31st Alberta Legislative Assembly was constituted after the general election on May 29, 2023. The United Conservative Party, led by incumbent Premier Danielle Smith, formed the government with a reduced majority. The New Democrats, led by former Premier Rachel Notley, won the second most seats and formed the official opposition.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
| Affiliation | Members | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 general election | Current | 49 | 47 | 38 | 38 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Total seats | 87 | ||||||||
Seating plan
- Party leaders are italicized. Bold indicates cabinet minister.
<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Notes
References
External links
- Legislative Assembly of Alberta web site
- Legislative Assembly of Alberta history - Citizens guide
- Canadian Governments Compared
- Legislative Assembly of Alberta - History
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