The Alberta Justice Minister criticized the Alberta NDP for accusing the UCP of enabling election manipulation through the Alberta electoral boundaries commission’s final report. Mickey Amery dismissed the claims as baseless, emphasizing that the government was still reviewing the report and considering its recommendations. In response, Alberta NDP Opposition leader Naheed Nenshi raised concerns about potential political interference, insisting that implementing the majority report in full was crucial to avoid election rigging.
Every eight to ten years, a five-member electoral boundaries commission is appointed to determine the placement of electoral boundaries. The latest commission, comprising government and opposition appointees along with a judge selected by Premier Danielle Smith’s cabinet, recently released its final report. The commission’s task was to redraw Alberta’s electoral map to accommodate the province’s population growth, mainly concentrated in urban areas like Calgary and Edmonton.
While the majority report proposed removing two rural seats to address the population shift, a minority report presented alternative maps suggesting combining urban and rural areas. Justice Minister Amery stated that the government was evaluating all options, including potentially increasing the number of legislative seats from 89 to 91 as recommended by the majority.
Nenshi criticized the minority report’s maps as gerrymandered and vowed legal action if the government adopted them or established a new commission. Previous boundary commissions in 2010 and 2017 had also included minority reports, but the maps were not redrawn based on individual commissioners’ recommendations.
The chair of the latest commission deemed the minority report unconstitutional and cautioned against its adoption. Keith Archer, a former commission member, emphasized that the government ultimately decides whether to accept the commission’s recommendations. Amery highlighted that the government was still examining the lengthy report and that any decisions would be subject to debate in the legislative assembly.