View source for Alberta Liberal Party

{{Short description|Provincial political party in Alberta, Canada}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Coord|53.5445|N|113.5356|W|type:landmark_region:CA-AB|display=title}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2011}}
{{Infobox political party
| name             = Alberta Liberal Party
| native_name      = 
| logo             = Alberta Liberal Party Logo (2017).svg
| leader           = [[John Roggeveen]]
| president        = Helen Mcmenamin
| chairman         = 
| chairperson      = 
| spokesperson     = 
| leader1_title    = 
| leader1_name     = 
| foundation       = {{Start date and age|1905}}
| dissolution      = 
| merger           = 
| split            = 
| predecessor      = 
| merged           = 
| successor        = 
| headquarters     = PO Box 94098 Elbow River<br />[[Calgary]], [[Alberta]]<br />T2S 0S4
| ideology         = [[Liberalism]] ([[Liberalism in Canada|Canadian]])
| position         = [[Centrism|Centre]]<ref>{{cite video |people=Raj Sherman |date=April 12, 2012 |title=Alberta Leadership Debate |url=http://www.globaltvedmonton.com/video/alberta+leadership+debate/video.html?v=2222370809&p=1&s=dd#decision+alberta |location=Edmonton |access-date=April 13, 2012 |time=1:14:33 |quote=... the Sherman Liberals are the only truly centralist party, who can govern from the centre...}}</ref>
| national         = [[Liberal Party of Canada]] (until 1976)
| international    = 
| student_wing     = 
| youth_wing       = 
| membership       = 
| membership_year  = 
| colours          = Red
| colors           = 
| logo_size        = 200
| colorcode        = {{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}
| blank1_title     = Fiscal policy
| blank1           = 
| blank2_title     = Social policy
| blank2           = 
| seats1_title     = Seats in the House of Commons
| seats1           = 
| seats2_title     = Seats in the Senate
| seats2           = 
| seats3_title     = Seats in [[Legislative Assembly of Alberta|Legislature]]
| seats3           = {{Composition bar|0|87|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}} }}
| website          = {{url|https://www.albertaliberal.com/|albertaliberal.com}}
| country          = Canada
| state            = Alberta
| parties_dab1     = List of political parties in Alberta
| elections_dab1   = List of Alberta general elections
| footnotes        = 
}}

The '''Alberta Liberal Party''' ({{langx|fr|Parti libéral de l'Alberta}}) is a [[Provinces and territories of Canada|provincial]] [[political party]] in [[Alberta]], Canada. Founded in 1905, it is the oldest active political party in Alberta and was the dominant political party until the [[1921 Alberta general election|1921 election]], with the first three provincial Premiers being Liberals.  Since 1921, it has formed the [[official opposition]] in the [[Legislative Assembly of Alberta]] several times, most recently from 1993 until 2012. Fourteen Liberals have served as [[Leader of the Opposition (Alberta)|Leader of the Opposition]] of Alberta.

The party was affiliated with the [[Liberal Party of Canada]] until 1976.<ref>{{cite web |title=Alta. Liberals not just 'Liberals,' party says |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/alta-liberals-not-just-liberals-party-says-1.261136 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241127194823/https://www.ctvnews.ca/alta-liberals-not-just-liberals-party-says-1.261136 |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 27, 2024 |website=[[CTV News]] |publisher=[[The Canadian Press]] |date=21 October 2007 |access-date=13 April 2024}}</ref>

==History==
===Early years===
{{Essay-like|date=May 2023}}

The Alberta Liberal Party was formed on September 1, 1905. The Liberals formed the government in Alberta for the first 16 years of the province's existence. [[Alexander C. Rutherford]] (1905–1910),  [[Arthur L. Sifton]] (1910–1917) and [[Charles Stewart (1868–1946)|Charles Stewart]] (1917–1921) led Liberal governments, until the party was swept from office in the [[1921 Alberta general election|1921 election]] by the [[United Farmers of Alberta]].

===1921: Loss of power===

When Premier [[Charles Stewart (premier)|Charles Stewart]] resigned as leader after his government's defeat at the hands of the [[United Farmers of Alberta]] in the [[1921 Alberta general election|1921 election]], [[John R. Boyle]], a former [[Attorney General|Attorney-General]], led the legislative caucus until he was appointed to the judiciary in 1924, and [[Charles R. Mitchell]], also a former cabinet minister succeeded him. [[John C. Bowen]] acted in the interim until a party convention chose [[Joseph Tweed Shaw]], a former independent [[Ginger Group|left-wing]] M.P.

In the lead-up to the [[1930 Alberta general election|1930 election]], the party chose [[George H. Webster]], M.L.A. for Calgary City. He resigned in favour of [[William R. Howson]], who led the party energetically if unsuccessfully in [[1935 Alberta general election|1935]]. After he was appointed to the provincial superior court in 1936, [[Edward Leslie Gray]] succeeded him.

===Unity coalition===
Discussions on a coalition of opposition forces began in the early thirties to put together a strong opposition to the United Farmers government. The Liberals refused to join when their fortunes were going up during the leadership [[William R. Howson|William Howson]]. At the height of Liberal popularity they had managed to lure two United Farmers MLAs to sit in the Liberal caucus.

After the defeat of old line parties by Social Credit in the [[1935 Alberta general election]], the coalition idea picked up steam. Edward Gray, Liberal leader cautiously entered the party into the Unity Movement giving riding associations the opportunity to support Liberal candidates or Independent candidates.<ref name="machined">{{cite news |title= Liberals Against Independents If "Machined into Field" – Gray |newspaper= The Lethbridge Herald |page=7 |volume=XXXIII|issue=36 |date= January 23, 1940}}</ref>

The Alberta Liberals were tepid to support the [[Independent Citizens' Association]] led by [[John Percy Page]]. They wanted the Independents to remain independent and were against having a new party formed based on the coalition. The Liberals maintained the party organization by keeping the Constituency Associations and Party Executive Intact. After Gray resigned the leadership on April 19, 1941, to accept a patronage position the party did not officially replace him as leader until James Prowse in 1947.

The President of the Party who stood for election annually, became the official face of the party in all matters of party business. The party also kept a rump caucus from 1940 to 1944 that started out with one member and got to three by dissolution in 1944. The Liberals despite internal pressure to break with the coalition agreed not to run candidates in the 1944 election.

Cooperation with the Independents officially came to an end when the federal [[Camrose (federal electoral district)|Camrose]] riding association passed a motion at a meeting in August 1945 calling on the executive of the provincial Liberal party to reorganize in all Alberta provincial constituencies free of alliances and arrangements with other parties.<ref name="LibsinAb">{{cite news|title=Liberals In Alberta|date=August 13, 1945|newspaper=The Lethbridge Daily Herald|volume=XXXVIII|issue=206 |page=7}}</ref>

The party held a meeting on January 7, 1946, to discuss proposals to participate in the [[1948 Alberta general election]].<ref name="react">{{cite news|title=City Liberals Meet Stambaugh|newspaper=The Lethbridge Daily Herald|date=January 8, 1946|page=7|volume=XXXIX|issue=22}}</ref>

===Post-war===
Prowse became the first true leader of the party in the post coalition era. He led the party from 1947 to 1958 leading to significant gains in popular votes and seats. He resigned the leadership to run for Mayor of Edmonton, and was succeeded by [[John Walter Grant MacEwan]], M.L.A. for Calgary City. MacEwan was beset by problems entirely beyond his ability to control. The electoral ability of any [[Opposition (parliamentary)|opposition party]] leader became very chancy with the abolition of the STV [[Voting system|electoral system]] used for Edmonton and Calgary cities.

The Manning government had successfully renewed and reinvigorated itself, and recovered much of the ground it had previously lost, while the recent Diefenbaker landslide made the Progressive Conservative Party seem a more attractive vehicle for the party's traditional supporters.

MacEwan was the first of many leaders who faced a problem similar to those of Liberals in Britain and other Western [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Canadian provinces]]. Ideologically, the party was being squeezed between traditional conservatism and [[social democracy]]. In a social sense, the party presented an older and more traditional image in comparison to the Alberta Progressive Conservatives, who, given the predominance of Social Credit, seemed fairly liberal. Almost inevitably, the Liberals were reduced to a single member, [[Michael Maccagno]] of [[Lac La Biche (provincial electoral district)|Lac La Biche]]. MacEwan retired shortly after this disaster.

===1960s===
He was succeeded by [[David B. Hunter]], then mayor of Athabasca, who campaigned aggressively on the creation of a [[Public company|publicly owned]] [[Electric power|electrical power]] company, with strong environmentalist overtones. This likely limited any growth by the [[Alberta New Democratic Party|Alberta New Democrats]] in the [[1963 Alberta general election|1963 election]], and it established the party with a distinct image and identity separate from the Progressive Conservatives. However, it was internally divisive, and a number of candidates, including one of its two successful ones, repudiated the platform's main plank. Hunter himself was defeated personally in Athabasca. He did not resign until after he lost a later byelection, when he decided to run for Parliament (unsuccessfully).

Maccagno, who was leader of the minuscule opposition in the Legislature, served as interim leader, but did not regard himself as leadership material. In a convention which exposed the deep ideological fault lines within the party, [[Adrian Douglas Berry]], a Calgary alderman, emerged as leader from a highly acrimonious contest. Internal dissensions continued, and late in 1966, Berry resigned under circumstances still not explained. As a provincial election could be expected within months, Maccagno became leader almost by default, and somewhat unwillingly led the party into the [[1967 Alberta general election|1967 provincial election]].

Maccagno was elected, the first Liberal leader since 1955 and the last until 1986 to achieve the feat and the party increased its representation from two to three seats. However, the party placed fourth in the popular vote. [[Peter Lougheed]] and the Progressive Conservatives presented the attraction of a modern, urban-based party which was decidedly more liberal than the Social Credit government.  The Tories displaced the Liberals as the apparent alternative to the Socreds.

===Shut out===
The next four years were a bad time for the Liberals.  The party placed very poorly in a byelection to replace a Liberal MLA who had died, and the party had lost its other two seats when Maccagno resigned to run in the 1968 federal election and then in November 1969, the last remaining Liberal MLA, [[Bill Dickie (politician)|Bill Dickie]], [[crossed the floor]] to join Lougheed's Progressive Conservatives, who had rapidly established themselves as a credible government-in-waiting.

In 1969, the party chose a Calgary clergyman turned businessman, [[John T. Lowery]], to succeed Maccagno.  Lowery thought he saw some hope in an electoral arrangement with Social Credit, which he believed was showing signs of modernization and rejuvenation under Manning's successor, [[Harry Strom]]. He was likely encouraged in this by the two federal ministers from Alberta, [[Bud Olson]] and [[Pat Mahoney]], both former Socreds. When word of negotiations to that effect came out, it became evident that any such proposal was deeply opposed by the core membership of both parties. Lowery resigned in the face of it.

The following year saw the provincial Liberals come very close to extinction. The party's political credibility had been steadily eroding, and with the negotiations with Social Credit, it was not immediately clear that it had any ideological purpose. There was much discussion of the party abandoning provincial politics altogether (there was only one organization at federal and provincial levels), and concentrating on federal politics, which looked a great deal more hopeful at the time than they did two years later.

It took a major act of will for the party to decide to soldier on as an independent force, which it did in repudiating Lowery, and deciding to contest the [[1971 Alberta general election|1971 election]], however hopeless the prospects might be. The party chose, almost by default, [[Bob Russell (Alberta politician)|Robert Russell]] of St. Albert, a highly controversial figure who had been passed over twice, but who had a strong desire for the position, and who had strongly supported David Hunter's vision for the party.

The party suffered as bad a defeat as anyone could have expected in the 1971 election. It was shut out of the legislature altogether in an election that saw Social Credit defeated after 36 years in power at the hands of Lougheed's Progressive Conservatives.

It is widely argued that the provincial Liberals' popularity in Alberta was especially hurt during the federal government of [[Pierre Trudeau]]'s [[Liberal Party of Canada]] between 1968 and 1984. Trudeau's policies were unpopular in western Canada and especially in Alberta, particularly [[Official bilingualism in Canada|official bilingualism]], and the [[National Energy Program]] (NEP), which exacerbated feelings of [[western alienation]].  During this period, the provincial Liberal party suffered because of its connections with its federal cousins.

===1986: Return to the legislature===
The Liberals' fortunes improved in the late 1980s and they returned to the Alberta legislature in the [[1986 Alberta general election|1986 election]], when leader [[Nicholas Taylor (politician)|Nicholas Taylor]] led them to win 4 seats and 12% of the popular vote. Following the 1987 [[leadership review]], a leadership contest was held in 1988.

The race was contested by Taylor, MLA, [[Sheldon Chumir]], MLA, [[Grant Mitchell (politician)|Grant Mitchell]], and [[Edmonton]] Mayor [[Laurence Decore]]. Decore was elected leader of the party on a first ballot victory.

The Alberta Liberal Party ran one candidate in the [[1989 Alberta Senate nominee election|1989 Senate Election]], Bill Code, who finished with 22.5% of the vote.

===The party in the 1990s===
In the [[1993 Alberta general election|1993 election]], the Liberals, under former [[Edmonton, Alberta|Edmonton]] mayor [[Laurence Decore]], enjoyed their greatest success since holding power when they swept Edmonton, winning a total of 32 seats, and collecting 39% of the popular vote. This enabled the party to displace the [[Alberta New Democratic Party|New Democrats]] to become the [[Opposition (parliamentary)|Official Opposition]] to the [[Alberta Progressive Conservatives|Progressive Conservative]] government of [[Ralph Klein]].

Although Decore now led the second-largest opposition caucus in the province's history, the result was still seen as a disappointment to some prominent Liberals who felt the party had missed its best chance in over 70 years to form government. Under increasing pressure, Decore resigned the leadership in 1994. Four MLAs contested the race to succeed him: [[Edmonton McClung]] MLA [[Grant Mitchell (politician)|Grant Mitchell]], [[Fort McMurray]] MLA [[Adam Germain]], [[Edmonton-Roper]] MLA [[Sine Chadi]], and [[Calgary-Buffalo]] MLA [[Gary Dickson]]. After all the ballots had been counted, Mitchell was elected as party leader.

The party continued to hold its position as Official Opposition, but lost 10 seats in the [[1997 Alberta general election|1997 election]]. With 18 seats in the Alberta legislature, Mitchell resigned as leader, and another race was declared.

The 1998 [[Leadership convention|leadership race]] also saw four contestants: former [[Alberta Progressive Conservatives|Progressive Conservative]] [[Minister (government)|cabinet minister]] [[Nancy MacBeth]], [[Lethbridge East]] MLA [[Ken Nicol (politician)|Ken Nicol]], [[Edmonton Meadowlark]] MLA [[Karen Leibovici]], and [[Edmonton Riverview]] MLA [[Linda Sloan]]. MacBeth was elected on the first ballot.

===The 2000s===
[[Image:Taft at Holy 2008-02-20 04a.jpg|right|thumb|Liberal candidates at a press conference in Calgary during the 2008 election (left-to-right):  [[Dave Taylor (Canadian politician)|Dave Taylor]], [[David Swann]], [[Kevin Taft]], [[Darshan Kang]], [[Harry B. Chase]], and Avalon Roberts]]
In the [[2001 Alberta general election|2001 election]], MacBeth led a  campaign which ended with only seven Liberal [[Member of the Legislative Assembly|MLA]]s being elected. MacBeth also lost her own seat in the election.

In the days following the [[2001 Alberta general election|2001 election]], MacBeth resigned and [[Ken Nicol (politician)|Ken Nicol]] was acclaimed leader. Nicol led the party until 2004, when he ran for the federal [[Liberal Party of Canada]] in the Lethbridge riding. [[Edmonton Mill Woods]] MLA [[Don Massey]] briefly stood as [[Interim leader (Canada)|interim leader]] until a leadership race was held.

On March 27, 2004, [[Kevin Taft]] was elected the new leader of the Alberta Liberal Party. In the [[2004 Alberta general election|2004 provincial election]], the Liberals more than doubled their seats to 16 and increased their share of the popular vote to 29%.  More significantly, and to the surprise of most observers, the Liberals were able to win three seats in the traditionally conservative city of [[Calgary]]. Additionally, in June 2007, Craig Cheffins won in a by-election, making him the fourth Alberta Liberal MLA in Calgary.

The [[2008 Alberta general election|provincial election of March 3, 2008]], proved to be another setback for the party. Going up against rookie Premier [[Ed Stelmach]], the Alberta Liberals had high hopes of increasing their seat count dramatically, particularly with the supposed discontent with the Tories in Calgary. However, the result was humbling for the Alberta Liberals. The party ended with only nine seats, down from 16 when the election was called. The party's power based in Edmonton was hit especially hard, with eight seats won in 2004 going Conservative. On June 26, 2008, Taft announce his intention to resign as leader. Dr. [[David Swann]] was elected as the new Liberal leader on December 13, 2008, defeating two other contenders on the first ballot.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=1073351 |title=Article |publisher=canada.com |access-date=October 17, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105180436/http://www2.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=1073351 |archive-date=November 5, 2012 }}</ref>

After serving as leader for three years on February 1, 2011, Swann announced his resignation as leader.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Liberal leader Swann to step down |publisher=CBC News|language=en-US |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/liberal-leader-swann-to-step-down-1.1025441|access-date=2021-03-07}}</ref> The [[2011 Alberta Liberal Party leadership election|2011 leadership election]] saw another doctor, Dr. [[Raj Sherman]], win the leadership of the party, who then went on to lead the party into the [[2012 Alberta general election|2012 general election]].

===Recent history===
In the [[2012 Alberta general election|2012 general election]], the Liberals dropped from eight seats in the legislature to five. It was the third party in the legislature. Sherman announced his resignation as leader on January 26, 2015, effective immediately.<ref name=shermanresignation>{{cite news|title=Raj Sherman quits as Alberta Liberal leader, won't seek third term as MLA |url=https://edmontonjournal.com/news/edmonton/Liberal+leader+Sherman+resigns/10761382/story.html |access-date=January 26, 2015 |work=Edmonton Journal |date=January 26, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128021830/http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/edmonton/Liberal%2Bleader%2BSherman%2Bresigns/10761382/story.html |archive-date=January 28, 2015 |df=mdy }}</ref> [[Calgary-Mountain View]] MLA and former leader [[David Swann]] was named interim leader on February 1, 2015, chosen over [[Edmonton-Centre]] MLA [[Laurie Blakeman]] in a vote by the party's board of directors.<ref>{{cite web|title=David Swann chosen as interim leader of Alberta Liberals|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/david-swann-chosen-as-interim-leader-of-alberta-liberals-1.2939733|publisher=CBC News|date=February 1, 2015|access-date=February 1, 2015}}</ref>

Although still interim leader, Swann led the party into the [[2015 Alberta general election|2015 provincial election]] in which the [[Alberta New Democratic Party]] swept to power with a majority government, defeating the Progressive Conservatives after 44 years. The Liberal Party was reduced from 5 seats to 1; Swann became the party's sole MLA.

In the [[2017 Alberta Liberal Party leadership election|leadership election of 2017]], lawyer and former [[Calgary-Buffalo]] candidate [[David Khan (politician)|David Khan]] received 54.8% of the votes, defeating one rival to become the permanent Liberal leader, under controversial circumstances.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/david-khan-voted-in-as-next-alberta-liberal-leader|title=David Khan voted in as next Alberta Liberal leader|date=2017-06-05|work=Edmonton Journal|access-date=2017-06-19|language=en-US}}</ref> Under his leadership, the Liberals were shut out of the legislature in the [[2019 Alberta general election|2019]] provincial election for the first time since [[1982 Alberta general election|1982]] and experienced their worst results since 1971. Khan resigned from the leadership on November 22, 2020.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Alberta Liberal Leader David Khan steps down |publisher=CBC News|language=en-US |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/david-khan-1.5812207|access-date=2021-03-07}}</ref>

On March 6, 2021, John Roggeveen was selected by the board of directors as the interim leader.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Wyld|first=Adrian|title=Alberta Liberals appoint John Roggeveen as interim party leader|work=The Globe and Mail|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-alberta-liberals-appoint-john-roggeveen-as-interim-party-leader-2/|access-date=2021-03-07}}</ref>

The August 12, 2022 deadline for nominations for the party's leadership election passed with no candidates signing up to run for the position.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/politics/is-it-a-party-if-no-one-shows-up-deadline-passes-no-leadership-candidates-revealed-for-alberta-liberal-party/wcm/6ce54b2b-0405-4e2a-9bff-4434c2c2b3d8/amp/ | title='Is it a party if no one shows up?': Deadline passes, no leadership candidates revealed for Alberta Liberal Party }}</ref>

On December 8, 2022, Roggeveen was appointed the permanent leader of the party.<ref>{{cite web|title=Media Release: Alberta Liberal Party Leadership Update - John Roggeveen Appointed Alberta Liberal Leader|url=https://www.albertaliberal.com/leadership_announcement_22|publisher=Alberta Liberal Party|date=December 8, 2022}}</ref>

In the [[2023 Alberta general election|2023 general election]], the Liberals got its lowest vote record in its history with just 0.24%, which is thought to also be due somewhat to the federal Liberals very high unpopularity in the province, even though both parties have no connection with each other, sharing only its name and a similar platform. Talk has begun within the Party to potentially change its name to distance itself more from the Federal Liberals, such as when [[BC United]] changed its name from the BC Liberal Party (BC United is actually on the centre-right of the political spectrum), and the [[Saskatchewan Progress Party]] changing its name from the Liberal Party of Saskatchewan.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alberta Election 2023: Smaller parties, independents struggle to make their mark as vote share falls by 74% |url=https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/alberta-election-2023-smaller-parties-struggle-to-make-mark |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=edmontonjournal |language=en-CA}}</ref>

==Ideology==
The Alberta Liberal Party has a long heritage of adhering to [[liberalism]], in both the [[Classical Liberalism|classical]] sense and in terms of modern liberalism (see [[social liberalism]]). The party is a centrist party that is focused on creating the conditions for a strong economy, social progressiveness, and safeguarding the environment.

==Party policies==
'''Economic policy:'''
* Reduce post-secondary tuition fees by a third, eliminate mandatory non-instructional fees, and move to a grant-based system versus student loans for financial aid <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.albertaliberal.com/ideas |title=Ideas and Policy |website=Albertaliberal.com |access-date=July 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140724175021/http://www.albertaliberal.com/ideas |archive-date=July 24, 2014 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
* Implement progressive taxation <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.630ched.com/2014/06/01/alberta-liberals-gear-up-for-election-at-agm/|title=Alberta Liberals gear up for election at AGM|first=Morgan|last=Smith|work=630ched.com|access-date=October 18, 2016}}</ref>
* Opening government contracts to a bidding process that is accessible to the public with disclosure of all government contracts over $10,000
* Investing in a high-speed rail and other infrastructure connecting Edmonton, Red Deer, and Calgary

'''Social policy:'''
* Investing in community, school-based hubs across Alberta that tie the health, educational, and social needs of communities <ref>{{cite web|url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/Alberta%20Liberals%20propose%20community%20centre%20design%20schools/9896602/story.html|title=Alberta Liberals propose community centre design for schools|first=Dylan|last=Robertson|work=Calgary Herald|access-date=October 18, 2016}}</ref>
* Eliminate subsidies to private schools and roll some schools into the public systems
* Not providing resources to enforce cannabis laws in cases of small amounts of possession
* Sustainable and substantially increased funding for Legal Aid Alberta
* Implementing a $10 a day [[Learning through play|learn through play]] program throughout Alberta

'''Environmental policy:'''
* Elimination of the use of coal as an energy source for electricity in Alberta
* Support of the [[Experimental Lakes Area]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Alberta Liberal Party - Policies Passed at the 2013 September Policy General Meeting |url=https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/albertaliberal/pages/140/attachments/original/1402025324/September_PGM_-_ALP_Policy_2013.pdf?1402025324 |website=Albertaliberal.com}}</ref> 
* Implementing a [[carbon tax]]

==Party leaders==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Name
!Took Over
!Date Left
!Note
|-
|[[Alexander Cameron Rutherford|Alexander Rutherford]]
|1905
|1910
|First Premier of Alberta
|-
|[[Arthur Sifton]]
|1910
|1917
|Second Premier of Alberta
|-
|[[Charles Stewart (premier)|Charles Stewart]]
|1917
|1922
|Third Premier of Alberta
|-
|[[John R. Boyle|John Boyle]]
|1922
|1924
|Leader of the Opposition
|-
|[[Charles R. Mitchell]]
|1924
|1926
|-
|[[John C. Bowen]]
|1926
|1926
|-
|[[Joseph Tweed Shaw]]
|1926
|1930
|Resigned
|-
|[[John W. McDonald|John McDonald]]
|March 28, 1930
|March 1, 1932
|Did not hold a seat in the Assembly
|-
|rowspan=2|[[George Harry Webster|George Webster]]
|1931
|March 1, 1932
|Leader of Liberal caucus in the Assembly
|-
|March 1, 1932
|October 21, 1932
|Interim Leader
|-
|[[William R. Howson|William Howson]]
|October 21, 1932
|March 2, 1937
|Appointed to the Supreme Court of Alberta<ref name="appointment">{{cite news|title=Liberal Leader Now Mr. Justice Howson|newspaper=The Lethbridge Herald|date=March 3, 1936|volume=XXIX|issue=252|pages=1–2}}</ref>
|-
|[[Edward Leslie Gray]]
|March 2, 1937
|April 19, 1941
|-
|[[Robert Barrowman]]
|April 19, 1941
|September 27, 1941
|rowspan=3|Party leadership remained vacant from Gray's resignation until James Prowse was chosen as leader. The President of the Liberals maintained the day-to-day operations of the Liberals during the Unity Coalition.
|-
|[[Hugh John Montgomery]]
|September 27, 1941
|1946
|-
|[[Wesley Stambaugh]]
|1946
|June 26, 1947
|-
|[[James Harper Prowse|James Prowse]]
|June 26, 1947
|1958
|-
|[[Grant MacEwan]]
|November 1, 1958
|1960
|-
|[[Michael Maccagno]]
|1960
|1962
|Leader of Liberal caucus in the Assembly
|-
|[[Dave Hunter (politician)|David Hunter]]
|1962
|1964
|-
|[[Michael Maccagno]]  
|1964
|January 15, 1966
|Interim Leader
|-
|[[Adrian Douglas Berry]]
|January 15, 1966
|November 7, 1966
|-
|[[Michael Maccagno]]
|November 7, 1966
|1969
|-
|[[John T. Lowery]]
|1969
|1970
|-
|[[Bob Russell (Alberta politician)|Robert Russell]]
|1971
|1974
|-
|[[Nicholas Taylor (politician)|Nicholas Taylor]]
|1974
|1988
|-
|[[Laurence Decore]]
|1988
|1994
|-
|[[Bettie Hewes]]
|1994
|1994
|Interim Leader
|-
|[[Grant Mitchell (politician)|Grant Mitchell]]
|1994
|1998
|-
|[[Nancy MacBeth]]
|1998
|2001
|-
|[[Ken Nicol (politician)|Ken Nicol]]
|2001
|2004
|-
|[[Don Massey]]
|2004
|2004
|Interim Leader
|-
|[[Kevin Taft]]
|2004
|December 13, 2008
|-
|[[David Swann]]
|December 13, 2008
|September 10, 2011
|-
|[[Raj Sherman]]<ref>{{cite web|agency=The Canadian Press |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/raj-sherman-elected-alberta-liberal-leader-1.1048276 |title=Raj Sherman elected Alberta Liberal leader |publisher=CBC News |location=Canada  |date=September 10, 2011 |access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref>
|September 10, 2011
|January 26, 2015<ref name=shermanresignation/>
|Led the party through the 2012 election
|-
|[[David Swann]]
|February 1, 2015
|June 4, 2017
|Returned as Interim Leader, and led the party through the 2015 election
|-
|[[David Khan (politician)|David Khan]]
|June 4, 2017
|November 22, 2020
|
|-
|[[John Roggeveen]]
|March 6, 2021
|December 8, 2022
|Interim Leader
|-
|John Roggeveen
|December 8, 2022
|
|Permanent leader
|-
|}

==Election results==
===Legislative Assembly===
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
|-
! Election
! Leader
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/–
! Position
! Status
|-
! [[1905 Alberta general election|1905]]
| rowspan=2 | [[Alexander Cameron Rutherford]]
| 14,485
| 57.56
| {{Composition bar|22|25|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
|  
| 1st
| {{yes2|Majority}}
|-
! [[1909 Alberta general election|1909]]
| 29,634
| 59.26
| {{Composition bar|36|41|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{increase}} 14
| {{steady}} 1st
| {{yes2|Majority}}
|-
! [[1913 Alberta general election|1913]]
| rowspan=2 |[[Arthur Sifton]]
| 47,748
| 49.23
| {{Composition bar|39|56|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{increase}} 3
| {{steady}} 1st
| {{yes2|Majority}}
|-
! [[1917 Alberta general election|1917]]
| 54,212
| 48.14
| {{Composition bar|34|58|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{decrease}} 5
| {{steady}} 1st
| {{yes2|Majority}}
|-
! [[1921 Alberta general election|1921]]
| [[Charles Stewart (premier)|Charles Stewart]]
| 86,250
| 28.92
| {{Composition bar|15|61|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{decrease}}19
| {{decrease}} 2nd
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1926 Alberta general election|1926]]
| [[Joseph Tweed Shaw]]
| 47,450
| 26.17
| {{Composition bar|7|60|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{decrease}} 12
| {{steady}} 2nd
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1930 Alberta general election|1930]]
| [[John W. McDonald]]
| 46,275
| 24.59
| {{Composition bar|11|63|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{increase}} 4
| {{steady}} 2nd
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1935 Alberta general election|1935]]
| [[William R. Howson]]
| 69,845
| 23.14
| {{Composition bar|5|63|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{decrease}} 6
| {{steady}} 2nd
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1940 Alberta general election|1940]]
| [[Edward Leslie Gray]]
| 2,755
| 0.89
| {{Composition bar|1|57|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{decrease}} 5
| {{decrease}} 4th
| {{no2|Fourth party}}
|-
! [[1944 Alberta general election|1944]]
| colspan=7 style="text-align: center;" | ''Did not contest''
|-
! [[1948 Alberta general election|1948]]
| rowspan=3 | [[James Harper Prowse]]
| 52,655
| 17.86
| {{Composition bar|2|57|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{increase}} 2
| {{increase}} 3rd
| {{no2|Third party}}
|-
! [[1952 Alberta general election|1952]]
| 66,738
| 22.37
| {{Composition bar|3|60|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{increase}} 1
| {{increase}} 2nd
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1955 Alberta general election|1955]]
| 117,741
| 31.13
| {{Composition bar|15|61|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{increase}} 12
| {{steady}} 2nd
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1959 Alberta general election|1959]]
| [[Grant MacEwan]]
| 57,408
| 13.88
| {{Composition bar|1|65|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{decrease}} 14
| {{decrease}} 3rd
| {{no2|Third party}}
|-
! [[1963 Alberta general election|1963]]
| [[Dave Hunter (politician)|Dave Hunter]]
| 79,709
| 19.76
| {{Composition bar|2|63|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{increase}} 1
| {{increase}} 2nd
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1967 Alberta general election|1967]]
| [[Michael Maccagno]]
| 53,847
| 10.81
| {{Composition bar|3|65|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{increase}} 1
| {{decrease}} 3rd
| {{no2|Third party}}
|-
! [[1971 Alberta general election|1971]]
| [[Bob Russell (Canadian politician)|Bob Russell]]
| 6,475
| 1.01
| {{Composition bar|0|75|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{decrease}} 2
| {{decrease}} 4th
| {{eliminated|No seats}}
|-
! [[1975 Alberta general election|1975]]
| rowspan=4 | [[Nicholas Taylor (politician)|Nicholas Taylor]]
| 29,424
| 4.98
| {{Composition bar|0|75|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{steady}} 
| {{steady}} 4th
| {{eliminated|No seats}}
|-
! [[1979 Alberta general election|1979]]
| 43,792
| 6.16
| {{Composition bar|0|79|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{steady}} 
| {{steady}}  4th
| {{eliminated|No seats}}
|-
! [[1982 Alberta general election|1982]]
| 17,074
| 1.81
| {{Composition bar|0|79|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{steady}} 
| {{steady}}  4th
| {{eliminated|No seats}}
|-
! [[1986 Alberta general election|1986]]
| 87,239
| 12.22
| {{Composition bar|4|83|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{increase}} 4
| {{increase}} 3rd
| {{no2|Third party}}
|-
! [[1989 Alberta general election|1989]]
| rowspan=2 | [[Laurence Decore]]
| 237,787
| 28.68
| {{Composition bar|8|83|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{increase}} 4
| {{steady}} 3rd
| {{no2|Third party}}
|-
! [[1993 Alberta general election|1993]]
| 392,899
| 39.73
| {{Composition bar|32|83|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{increase}} 28
| {{increase}} 2nd
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1997 Alberta general election|1997]]
| [[Grant Mitchell (politician)|Grant Mitchell]]
| 309,748
| 32.75
| {{Composition bar|18|83|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{decrease}} 14
| {{steady}} 2nd
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[2001 Alberta general election|2001]]
| [[Nancy MacBeth]]
| 276,854
| 27.33
| {{Composition bar|7|83|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{decrease}} 11
| {{steady}} 2nd
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[2004 Alberta general election|2004]]
| rowspan=2 | [[Kevin Taft]]
| 261,471
| 29.4
| {{Composition bar|16|83|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{increase}} 8
| {{steady}} 2nd
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[2008 Alberta general election|2008]]
| 251,158
| 26.43
| {{Composition bar|9|83|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{decrease}} 7
| {{steady}} 2nd
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[2012 Alberta general election|2012]]
| [[Raj Sherman]]
| 127,645
| 9.89
| {{Composition bar|5|87|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{decrease}} 4
| {{decrease}} 3rd
| {{no2|Third party}}
|-
! [[2015 Alberta general election|2015]]
| [[David Swann]]
| 62,171
| 4.19
| {{Composition bar|1|87|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{decrease}} 4
| {{decrease}} 4th
| {{no2|No status}}
|-
! [[2019 Alberta general election|2019]]
| [[David Khan (politician)|David Khan]]
| 18,546
| 0.98
| {{Composition bar|0|87|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{decrease}} 1
| {{steady}} 4th
| {{eliminated|No seats}}
|-
! [[2023 Alberta general election|2023]]
| [[John Roggeveen]]
| 4,259
| 0.24
| {{Composition bar|0|87|hex={{Canadian party colour|AB|Liberal}}}}
| {{steady}} 
| {{decrease}} 7th
| {{eliminated|No seats}}
|}

==See also==
*[[List of Alberta Liberal leadership conventions]]
*[[Alberta Liberal Party candidates in the 2012 Alberta provincial election]]
*[[List of Alberta general elections]]
*[[List of Canadian political parties]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=nb}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.albertaliberal.com Alberta Liberal Party] – official site
*[http://www.liberalopposition.com Alberta Liberal Caucus] – official site
*[http://www.glenbow.org/collections/search/findingAids/archhtm/liberal.cfm Glenbow Museum Archives: Alberta Liberals]

{{S-start}}
{{Succession box
 | title  = [[Government of Alberta|Governing party of Alberta]]
 | years  = 1905–1921
 | before = [[Northwest Territories Liberal-Conservative Party|Liberal-Conservative Party]]
 | after  = [[United Farmers of Alberta]]
}}
{{S-end}}

{{Alberta provincial political parties}}
{{Alberta Liberal Party}}
{{Major Canadian Liberal Parties}}
{{Alberta politics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Alberta Liberal Party| ]]
[[Category:1905 establishments in Alberta]]
[[Category:Alberta Liberal Party MLAs]]
[[Category:Liberal parties in Canada]]
[[Category:Centrist parties in Canada]]
[[Category:Organizations based in Edmonton]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1905]]
[[Category:Provincial political parties in Alberta|Liberal]]