Legislative Assembly of Alberta

Legislative Assembly of Alberta
31st Alberta Legislature
Type
Type	Unicameral house of the Alberta Legislature
History
Founded	September 9, 1905 (1905-09-09)
Preceded by	North-West Legislative Assembly
Leadership
Speaker	Ric McIver, UCP since May 13, 2025
Premier	Danielle Smith, UCP since October 11, 2022
Government House Leader	Joseph Schow, UCP since October 24, 2022
Opposition Leader	Naheed Nenshi, NDP since July 12, 2025
Opposition House Leader	Christina Gray, NDP since February 8, 2021
Structure
Seats	87
Political groups	Government   United Conservative (47) Official Opposition   New Democratic (38) Other parties   Independent (2)
Elections
Last election	May 29, 2023
Next election	On or before October 18, 2027
Meeting place
Alberta Legislature Building Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Website
assembly.ab.ca

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 first past the post from single-member electoral districts.^[1] 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.^[2] 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.^[3] 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.^[4] 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.^[5]

The 30th Alberta Legislature was dissolved on May 1, 2023. The members-elect of the 31st Alberta Legislature were elected on May 29.

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,^[6] Edmonton, and the future site for the Alberta Legislature Building: the bank of the North Saskatchewan River. Allan Merrick Jeffers,^[7] 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.^[8][9]

In September 1912 Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, Governor General of Canada, declared the new Legislature building officially open.^[10][11][12]

Louise McKinney and Roberta MacAdams were the first women elected to the assembly, in the 1917 election. They were also the first women in any legislature of the British Empire. The United Farmers of Alberta held a majority of seats in the legislative assembly from 1921 to 1935 and formed the longest-lived agrarian revolt government in Canada. From 1926 to 1955, Edmonton and Calgary MLAs were elected through a form of proportional representation. In 1935, the Alberta Social Credit Party held a majority in the Assembly.^[13]

The members of the 31st Alberta Legislature were elected in the 31st Alberta general election held on May 29, 2023. Bold indicates cabinet members, and party leaders are italicized.

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.^[15]

• Party leaders are italicized. Bold indicates cabinet minister.

^[16]

• Legislative Assembly of Alberta web site
• Legislative Assembly of Alberta history - Citizens guide
• Canadian Governments Compared
• Legislative Assembly of Alberta - History