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EDMONTON — Alberta’s government has shut down a suggestion to postpone the next provincial election from the agency that is overseeing the vote.
Justice Minister Mickey Amery says that Alberta’s United Conservative Party government has no intention of changing the Oct. 18, 2027 election date.
Amery says in a letter addressing Elections Alberta’s chief electoral officer, which was posted Sunday on social media, that the electoral system is designed in such a way that a fair vote can be held on short notice.
He says elections have been held on short notice in other provinces, and the UCP government has allocated financial resources for Elections Alberta to hold them.
Amery’s message comes after Gordon McClure, the officer, said in a letter to legislature Speaker Ric McIver that the agency has been stretched thin after a referendum last month on separation, and the counting of the petitions that came before it.
He said a contentious report on new electoral boundaries that’s set to drop in the legislature on Monday may also leave the agency with little time to organize a vote, and he suggested the next general election should be held with the current electoral boundaries, or be postponed.
“I urge all Members to consider the time required for implementation as deliberations concerning electoral boundaries proceed,” McClure said in the letter, which was dated Friday.
“A timely and definitive resolution, together with an appropriate contingency plan should additional time be required, is essential to protecting the readiness and successful delivery of Alberta’s next Provincial General Election.”
McClure’s letter was also addressed to Alberta MLAs.
This is not the first time lines have been drawn due to the forthcoming report on provincial electoral boundaries.
The report was the subject of a heated back-and-forth between Premier Danielle Smith and Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi in the legislature this past week.
Nenshi said, after being briefed on it, that the report gerrymanders ridings in two cities in southern Alberta — Lethbridge and Calgary.
Gerrymandering is a tactic that sees voting districts designed not to reflect geography or population patterns but to concentrate or fragment voters to benefit a particular political party.
Two members on the all-party legislative committee behind the report said the suggested ridings draw a line between rural and urban voters.
Recent provincial elections have seen the UCP dominate in rural areas and smaller cities, while the NDP has controlled Edmonton. The two have battled for advantage in Calgary.
Nenshi said if those boundaries are redrawn after passing a legislative vote, NDP support would dilute in favour of the UCP. He said his party would challenge the ridings in court on constitutional grounds.
The Constitution protects voters’ rights to effective representation.
Amery said in his Sunday letter to McClure, who addressed news reports about judicial challenges, to not assume the report will cause delays because of potential court proceedings.
“We see no value in considering hypothetical judicial outcomes at this time,” the minister said.
“The final electoral boundaries enacted by the Legislative Assembly will constitute the law of Alberta, and Elections Alberta is expected to prepare accordingly. Speculation about hypothetical legal proceedings serves no useful purpose in discharging that responsibility.”
In the legislature last week, Smith denied accusations from the NDP that her government is pulling strings to manipulate the vote in her favour.
She told Nenshi to quit complaining and begin campaigning.
The report has been put before an all-party legislative committee and is set to be tabled in the legislature on Monday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2026.
– With files from Lisa Johnson and Jack Farrell
The Canadian Press
