31st Alberta Legislature
| 31st Alberta Legislature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Majority parliament | |||
| Jun. 8, 2023 – present | |||
 | |||
| Parliament leaders | |||
| Premier | Danielle Smith Oct. 11, 2022 – present | ||
| Cabinet | Smith ministry | ||
| Leader of the Opposition | Rachel Notley Apr. 16, 2019 – Jun. 22, 2024 | ||
| Christina Gray Jun. 23, 2024 – Jul. 11, 2025 | |||
| Naheed Nenshi Jul. 12, 2025 – present | |||
| Party caucuses | |||
| Government | United Conservative Party | ||
| Opposition | New Democratic Party | ||
| Legislative Assembly | |||
 Seating arrangements of the Legislative Assembly | |||
| Speaker of the Assembly | Nathan Cooper May. 21, 2019 – May. 12, 2025 | ||
| Ric McIver May. 13, 2025 – present | |||
| Government House leader | Joseph Schow Oct. 24, 2022 – present | ||
| Opposition House leader | Christina Gray Feb. 8, 2021 – present | ||
| Members | 87 MLA seats | ||
| Sovereign | |||
| Monarch | Charles III Sep. 8, 2022 – present | ||
| Lieutenant governor | Salma Lakhani Aug. 26, 2020 – present | ||
| Sessions | |||
| 1st session 20 June 2023 – 22 October 2025 | |||
| 2nd session 23 October 2025 – present | |||
| |||
The 31st Alberta Legislative Assembly was constituted after the general election on 29 May 2023. The United Conservative Party (UCP), led by incumbent Premier Danielle Smith, won a majority of seats (49) and formed the government. The New Democrats, led by former Premier Rachel Notley, won the second most seats (38) and formed the official opposition.
First session
[edit]The first session began on 20 June 2023. Jennifer Johnson, who had appeared on the election ballot as a UCP candidate but was disavowed by the party during the campaign after making comments comparing transgender children to faeces, was seated as an independent on the Opposition side. After election of officers of the assembly, including Nathan Cooper's re-election as speaker, the assembly adjourned for the summer.[1]
The session resumed on 30 October with the speech from the throne. Among the bills passed over the ensuing months was an amendment to the Election Act, changing the fixed election date to the third Monday in October instead of the last Monday in May – this bill passed the assembly on 28 May 2024 and received royal assent on 30 May. The assembly adjourned for the summer on 29 May.
On 22 June, Naheed Nenshi was elected leader of the Alberta NDP. Because Nenshi did not have a seat in the assembly, he designated Christina Gray on 23 June to be Opposition leader in place of Rachel Notley.[2]
On 1 July, Shannon Phillips resigned as MLA for Lethbridge-West.[3] Rob Miyashiro of the NDP was elected on 18 December in the resulting byelection.[4]
On 9 October, Johnson returned to the UCP caucus.[5] The first session resumed with its fall sitting starting on 28 October.
On 5 November, Mickey Amery introduced Bill 31, which, among other things, empowered the Electoral Boundary Commission to add two more electoral districts, bringing the total to 89.[6] This bill received royal assent on 5 December.[7]
On 30 December, Notley resigned as MLA for Edmonton-Strathcona.[8]
On 7 March 2025, Scott Sinclair was removed from the UCP caucus for criticizing the government's budget.[9]
On 25 March 2025, Rod Loyola resigned from the legislature to run in the federal election as the Liberal candidate for the newly formed Edmonton Gateway riding.[10]
On 16 April, Peter Guthrie was expelled from the UCP caucus because he publicly criticized the government in the matter of the dismissal of Alberta Health Services' board of directors and chief executive officer.[11]
On 13 May, the assembly elected Ric McIver as speaker, after Nathan Cooper announced his plan to resign as an MLA at the conclusion of the spring sitting.[12] The assembly adjourned for the summer on 14 May, and Cooper resigned as MLA for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills on 22 May.[13]
Three by-elections held on 23 June 2025 returned members from the same parties elected in those ridings in 2023. Nenshi (NDP) won Edmonton-Strathcona, Gurtej Singh Brar (NDP) won Edmonton-Ellerslie, and Tara Sawyer (UCP) won Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills.[14]
The first session was prorogued on 22 October 2025.
Second session
[edit]The second session opened with the speech from the throne on 23 October 2025.[15] The government introduced Bill 2, the Back to School Act, on 27 October, and through fast-tracking of assembly procedures, the bill was passed on 28 October. This act, which uses the notwithstanding clause to override fundamental freedoms, legal rights, and equality rights, ended the teachers' strike that had begun on 6 October.[16]
On 9 December 2025, Peter Guthrie was announced as leader of the Alberta Party, and became the party's first representative in the Legislature since the 2019 Alberta general election.[17] Scott Sinclair remained an independent,[18] despite having jointly announced in with Guthrie in July that the two would be joining the Alberta Party and rebrand to the Progressive Conservatives.[19] In November, the United Conservative Party filed a lawsuit alleging conspiracy by Guthrie and Sinclair for their attempted use of the Progressive Conservative name.[20] In December, the government passed Bill 14, the Justice Statutes Amendment Act, 2025, which banned new or rebranding political parties from adopting names which resemble the name or abbreviation of another registered party or predecessor parties, explicitly including the word "conservative" among 11 others.[21] The Alberta Party officially changed its name to the Progressive Tory Party of Alberta on 18 December.
On 26 March 2026, the Electoral Boundaries Commission submitted its report recommending the limits of 89 ridings.[22]
In May 2026, Sinclair returned to the UCP caucus.
Members
[edit]Seating plan
[edit]- Party leaders are italicized. Bold indicates cabinet minister.
Seating plan last updated December 9, 2025.[24]
By-elections
[edit]| Riding | Date | Incumbent | Party | Winner | Party | Cause | Retained | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lethbridge-West | 18 December 2024 | Shannon Phillips | New Democratic | Rob Miyashiro | New Democratic | Resigned for personal reasons. | Yes | ||
| Edmonton-Strathcona | June 23, 2025 | Rachel Notley | New Democratic | Naheed Nenshi | New Democratic | Retired from politics. | Yes | ||
| Edmonton-Ellerslie | June 23, 2025 | Rod Loyola | New Democratic | Gurtej Singh Brar | New Democratic | Resigned to run in the 2025 Canadian federal election. | Yes | ||
| Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills | June 23, 2025 | Nathan Cooper | United Conservative Party | Tara Sawyer | United Conservative Party | Resigned to become Alberta's representative in Washington, D.C. | Yes | ||
Officeholders
[edit]Presiding officers
[edit]| Office | Photo | Party | Officer | Riding | Since | Until |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speaker | 
|
UCP | Nathan Cooper[25] | Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills | 21 May 2019 | 12 May 2025 |
|
UCP | Ric McIver[26] | Calgary-Hays | 13 May 2025 | Present | |
| Deputy Speaker and Chair of Committees | 
|
UCP | Angela Pitt[27] | Airdrie-East | 21 May 2019 | Present |
| Deputy Chair of Committees | 
|
UCP | Glenn van Dijken[28] | Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock | 20 June 2023 | Present |
Government leadership (United Conservative)
[edit]| Office | Photo | Officer | Riding | Since | Until |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier of Alberta | 
|
Danielle Smith | Brooks-Medicine Hat | 11 October 2022 | present |
| Deputy Premier | 
|
Mike Ellis | Calgary-West | 9 June 2023 | present |
| House Leader | Joseph Schow | Cardston-Siksika | 24 October 2022 | present | |
| Deputy House Leader | Mickey Amery | Calgary-Cross | 24 October 2022 | present | |
|
Dan Williams | Peace River | 13 July 2023 | present | |
| Chief Government Whip | 
|
Shane Getson | Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland | 9 June 2023 | 15 May 2025 |
|
Grant Hunter | Taber-Warner | 16 May 2025 | 2 January 2025[29] | |
| Justin Wright | Cypress-Medicine Hat | 2 January 2025[30][31] | present | ||
| Deputy Government Whip | 
|
Tany Yao | Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo | 18 October 2023[32] | present |
| Caucus Chair | Nathan Neudorf | Lethbridge-East | June 2021 | present |
Opposition leadership (New Democratic)
[edit]| Office | Photo | Officer | Riding | Since | Until |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leader of the Opposition | 
|
Rachel Notley | Edmonton-Strathcona | 16 April 2019 | 22 June 2024[36] |
|
Christina Gray | Edmonton-Mill Woods | 23 June 2024 | 11 July 2025[2] | |
|
Naheed Nenshi | Edmonton-Strathcona | 12 July 2025[37] | present | |
| Deputy Leader | 
|
Sarah Hoffman | Edmonton-Glenora | 13 May 2019 | 27 January 2024 |
|
|
Christina Gray | Edmonton-Mill Woods | 13 February 2024 | 24 June 2024 | |
|
Rakhi Pancholi | Edmonton-Whitemud | 24 June 2024 | present | |
| House Leader |
|
Christina Gray | Edmonton-Mill Woods | 8 February 2021 | present |
| Deputy House Leader | 
|
Irfan Sabir | Calgary-Bhullar-McCall | 20 October 2020 | present |
|
Heather Sweet | Edmonton-Manning | 27 February 2023 | 28 January 2024 | |
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|
David Shepherd | Edmonton-City Centre | 11 September 2024 | present | |
| Whip | 
|
David Eggen | Edmonton-North West | 21 May 2019 | 11 September 2024 |
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|
Kathleen Ganley | Calgary-Mountain View | 11 September 2024 | present | |
| Deputy Whip |
|
Sarah Hoffman | Edmonton-Glenora | 27 June 2023 | 27 January 2024 |
|
|
Heather Sweet | Edmonton-Manning | 28 January 2024 | 11 September 2024 | |
|
Janis Irwin | Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood | 11 September 2024 | present | |
| Deputy Assistant Whip | 
|
Samir Kayande | Calgary-Elbow | 27 June 2023 | 11 September 2024 |
| Amanda Chapman | Calgary-Beddington | 11 September 2024 | present | ||
| Caucus Chair | 
|
Joe Ceci | Calgary-Buffalo | 13 May 2019 | 11 September 2024 |
|
|
David Eggen | Edmonton-North West | 11 September 2024 | present | |
| Deputy Caucus Chair | Peggy Wright | Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview | 27 June 2023 | present |
[38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Highwood (First Elected as a Wildrose)
- ^ Edmonton-Calder
- ^ Fort McMurray-Conklin (First elected as a Wildrose)
References
[edit]- ^ "'Did a remarkable job': Cooper reelected as Speaker in Alberta legislature". Edmonton. 20 June 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Member Information". www.assembly.ab.ca. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ Markusoff, Jason (10 June 2024). "Shannon Phillips targeted climate and parks action. Then she got targeted. The NDPer is now leaving office".
- ^ "Lethbridge-West byelection results: NDP claim victory, Rob Miyashiro to become MLA". CBC News. 18 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
- ^ Bellefontaine, Michelle (9 October 2024). "Alberta MLA who compared transgender children to feces in food welcomed into UCP caucus". CBC News. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ "Alberta adding 2 seats to legislature, bringing total to 89 for next election | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
- ^ "Assembly Dashboard". www.assembly.ab.ca. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
- ^ Snowdon, Wallis (12 December 2024). "Former Alberta NDP premier Rachel Notley to resign as MLA". CBC News. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
- ^ "Rural Alberta MLA booted from UCP caucus for refusing to support budget | Globalnews.ca". globalnews.ca. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ "Longtime Alberta NDP MLA running for federal Liberals in Edmonton". CityNews Edmonton. 26 March 2025. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
- ^ "Peter Guthrie booted from UCP after calling out government's health probe process | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
- ^ "Alberta cabinet minister Ric McIver resigns, becomes new Speaker of the legislature | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
- ^ "Member Information". www.assembly.ab.ca. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
- ^ French, Janet (23 June 2025). "Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi heading for legislature after byelection win". CBC News. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ "Alberta throne speech pledges new pipelines and a boost for artificial intelligence". 23 October 2025. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
- ^ "Striking Alberta teachers forced back to work by fast-tracked legislation, notwithstanding clause". CBC News. 28 October 2025. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ^ Kavanagh, Hannah (9 December 2025). "Independent MLA Peter Guthrie assumes Alberta Party leadership". CTVNews. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
- ^ "Mr. Scott Sinclair MLA Information". www.assembly.ab.ca. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
- ^ Markusoff, Jason (23 July 2025). "Ex-UCP MLAs to join, rebrand Alberta Party instead of rebooting Progressive Conservatives from scratch". CBC. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
- ^ Dryden, Joel (17 November 2025). "UCP suing 2 of its former MLAs as skirmish over Progressive Conservative brand continues". CBC. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ^ Lampow, Gerry (5 December 2025). "Alberta's Bill 14 could ban conservative from party names, blocking Progressive Conservative revival". My Lloydminster Now. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
- ^ "Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission recommends more ridings, boundary changes | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
- ^ "Members of the Legislative Assembly". www.assembly.ab.ca. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
- ^ "Chamber Seating Plan" (PDF). www.assembly.ab.ca. 9 December 2025. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
- ^ "Honourable Nathan Cooper". www.assembly.ab.ca. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ "Honourable Ric McIver". www.assembly.ab.ca. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ "Ms Angela Pitt". www.assembly.ab.ca. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
- ^ "Mr. Glenn van Dijken". www.assembly.ab.ca. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
- ^ "Member Information". www.assembly.ab.ca. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
- ^ medicinehatnews (2 January 2026). "Schulz resigns, Wright named party whip and Hunter takes over environment". Medicine Hat News. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ^ "Member Information". www.assembly.ab.ca. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ^ "Mr. Tany Yao". www.assembly.ab.ca. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
- ^ "Premier Smith appoints new Alberta cabinet with many familiar faces in different portfolios". Edmonton. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
- ^ "Honourable Dan Williams, ECA". www.assembly.ab.ca. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
- ^ Herald (20 July 2021). "Neudorf takes on challenge as UCP caucus chair". Lethbridge Herald. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
- ^ "Member Information". www.assembly.ab.ca. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ "Member Information". www.assembly.ab.ca. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ Heidenreich, Phil (27 June 2023). "NDP announces shadow cabinet for largest Official Opposition in Alberta history". Global News. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
- ^ Bellefontaine, Michelle (13 May 2019). "'Challenging and exciting, fun and frustrating': NDP MLAs look ahead to next 4 years". CBC News. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
- ^ @shoffmanAB (28 January 2024). "Following today's Alberta NDP meeting to finalize our leadership contest, I have resigned my positions as Deputy Leader, Assistant Whip, and Municipal Affairs Critic for Edmonton and Calgary, effective immediately. I am filled with hope and optimism for the future of our party!" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ^ Staff, rdnewsNOW. "Alberta NDP announces changes to caucus leadership team and critic roles". EverythingGP. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ "Alberta NDP announce interim changes to caucus". Lethbridge News Now. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ "Member Information". www.assembly.ab.ca. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ Dryden, Joel (24 June 2024). "New Alberta NDP leader Nenshi outlines priorities as party names Opposition leader". CBC News. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ Black, Matthew (11 September 2024). "Alberta NDP unveils smaller shadow cabinet, new advisory team including Rachel Notley". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ Media, Pattison. "Alberta NDP Caucus shares leadership team and shadow minister shuffling". Lethbridge News Now. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "Your MLAs". www.albertandpcaucus.ca. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "Member Information Mr. Naheed K. Nenshi". www.assembly.ab.ca. Retrieved 19 July 2025.