| 30thAlberta Legislature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Majority parliament | |||
| May 21, 2019 – May 1, 2023 | |||
 | |||
| Parliament leaders | |||
| Premier | Jason Kenney April 30, 2019 – October 11, 2022 | ||
| Danielle Smith October 11, 2022 – present | |||
| Cabinet | Smith cabinet | ||
| Leader of the Opposition | Rachel Notley April 30, 2019 – June 24, 2024 | ||
| Party caucuses | |||
| Government | United Conservative Party | ||
| Opposition | New Democratic Party | ||
| Legislative Assembly | |||
| Speaker of the Assembly | Nathan Cooper May 21, 2019 — present | ||
| Government House Leader | Jason Nixon April 30, 2019 — October 23, 2022 | ||
| Joseph Schow October 24, 2022 – present | |||
| Opposition House Leader | Deron Bilous May 21, 2019 – February 24, 2020 | ||
| Heather Sweet February 25, 2020 – February 7, 2021 | |||
| Christina Gray February 8, 2021 – present | |||
| Members | 87 MLA seats | ||
| Sovereign | |||
| Monarch | Elizabeth II 6 February 1952 – 8 September 2022 | ||
| Charles III 8 September 2022 –present | |||
| Lieutenant Governor | Lois Mitchell June 12, 2015 – August 26, 2020 | ||
| Salma Lakhani August 26, 2020 – present | |||
| Sessions | |||
| 1st session 22 May 2019 – 24 February 2020 | |||
| 2nd session 25 February 2020 – 21 February 2022 | |||
| 3rd session 22 February 2022 – 30 October 2022 | |||
| 4th session 29 November 2022 – 1 May 2023 | |||
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The30thAlberta Legislative Assembly was constituted after thegeneral election on April 16, 2019. TheUnited Conservative Party (UCP), led byJason Kenney, won a majority of seats and formed the government. TheNew Democrats, led by outgoing PremierRachel Notley, won the second most seats and formed the official opposition.[1] Thepremiership of Jason Kenney began on April 30, 2019, whenJason Kenney and his firstcabinet were sworn in byLieutenant Governor of Alberta,Lois Mitchell. On October 11, 2022, Kenney resigned, andDanielle Smith, the new leader of the UCP, was sworn in as premier by Lieutenant GovernorSalma Lakhani. The 30th Legislature was dissolved on May 1, 2023, triggering ageneral election on May 29.
Among the legislation adopted during the first session of the 30th Legislature,An Act to Repeal the Carbon Tax (Bill 1) repealed theClimate Leadership Act and itscarbon levy, Bill 2 amended the Employment Standards Code and the Labour Relations Code to change how overtime hours are calculated from time-and-a-half to straight time, reduced the minimum wage for workers aged 13 to 17 to $13 an hour (from $15 an hour) and changed rules for union certification processes,[2] Bill 26 exempted the Labour Relations Code from applying to farming or ranching employees and exempted farms with less than five employees from the Employment Standards Code and the requirement to hold workplace insurance,[3] Bill 8 replaced theSchool Act with theEducation Act which, among other changes, included eliminating of certain protections ofgay–straight alliances and eliminating the restriction on the number ofcharter schools that are permitted,[4][5] and Bills 7 and 29 amended theMunicipal Government Act to allow individual municipalities to offer tax deferrals or exemptions for the purpose of encouraging the development of non-residential properties.[6][7] Bill 19 renamed theClimate Change and Emissions Management Act to theEmissions Management and Climate Resilience Act and established new rules for targets, prices and credits applicable to industrial emitters.[8] Bill 22 was anomnibus bill that amended, repealed or enacted numerous acts and included the transferring of the Alberta Teachers' Retirement Fund and funds invested by the Workers Compensation Board to theAlberta Investment Management Corporation, dissolving the Office of the Election Commissioner and the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation, repealing theAlberta Sport Connection Act,Social Care Facilities Review Committee Act, theAlberta Competitiveness Act, and theAlberta Capital Finance Authority Act while enacting theLocal Authorities Capital Financing Act.[9][10] Bill 25, among other measures aimed at red tape reduction, repealed theDevelopmental Disabilities Foundation Act and theSmall Power Research and Development Act, as well as dissolved the Health Professions Advisory Board, created provisions to allow digital signature to give consent for organ donation, and provided greater flexibility for theGlenbow Museum to loan out its collection.[11]
Among financial measures, Bill 3 lowered the province's corporate tax rate from 12% to 8%,[12] and Bill 12 created a 10-year freeze on oil and gas royalty rates for newly drilled wells.[13] Legislative measures arising from the2019 Alberta budget were implemented in Bills 20 and 21. Bill 20 repealed Edmonton's and Calgary'sCity Charters Fiscal Framework Act and replaced it with the newLocal Government Fiscal Framework Act and thePublic Transit and Green Infrastructure Project Act; repealed theInteractive Digital Media Tax Credit Act and replaced it with theFilm and Television Tax Credit Act;[14] repealed theAccess to the Future Act regarding advanced education, theAlberta Cancer Prevention Legacy Act regardingcancer prevention, and theInvesting in a Diversified Alberta Economy Act regarding tax credits for investment in small non-oil/gas-related businesses;[15] eliminated the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Fund which was a security deposit fund for land reclamation resulting from industrial activities, and the Lottery Fund which had re-direct gaming revenue to charities; and raised tobacco taxes.[16] Bill 21, among other measures, ended the provincetuition freeze, increasedstudent loan interest rates by 1%, endedindexation of the bottom tax bracket and of theAssured Income for the Severely Handicapped, and allowsreplacement workers to be used in the public sector.[17]
In addition to thePublic Sector Wage Arbitration Deferral Act (Bill 9),[18] new acts that were created included theRed Tape Reduction Act (Bill 4) to require reports on government initiatives to prevent unnecessary regulatory and administrative requirements. TheFair Registration Practices Act (Bill 11) established the Fair Registration Practices Office to facilitate the use of foreign credentials within professional organizations,[19] and theAlberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation Act (Bill 14) established the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation to facilitate investment by indigenous groups in natural resource projects.[20] TheOpioid Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act (Bill 28) allowed Alberta to join British Columbia's class-actionlawsuit against opioid manufacturers.[21]
TwoPrivate member's bills were passed by the Alberta Legislature during the first session. United Conservative Party MLAJackie Armstrong-Homeniuk'sProtection of Students with Life-threatening Allergies Act (Bill 201) requires all publicly funded schools to have adrenalin autoinjectors (EpiPens) at the ready, should someone have an unexpected,life-threatening allergic reaction.[22] Bill 201 received Royal Assent on June 28, 2019, and came into force on January 1, 2020.
UCP MLAMike Ellis'Child, Youth and Family Enhancement (Protecting Alberta's Children) Amendment Act, 2019 (Bill 202, also known as Serenity's Law) built onto the previous legislated requirement for adults to report child abuse to a child welfare director, allowing an individual to report abuse to police and increasing the fines for failure to report from $2,000 to $10,000. The bill was proposed in response to the 2014 death of a four year old named Serenity who died after falling from atire swing inMaskwacis, and a subsequent panel to investigate the province's child intervention system. Bill 202 received Royal Assent and came into force on October 30, 2019.[23]
The second session opened on February 25, 2020, with no changes to theExecutive Council of Alberta. The session would soon be interrupted by theCOVID-19 pandemic in Alberta and numerous health and COVID-related legislation would be adopted. Addressing the pandemic, theTenancies Statutes (Emergency Provisions) Amendment Act, 2020 (Bill 11) andCommercial Tenancies Protection Act (Bill 23) prohibited residential and commercial evictions and rent increases;Public Health (Emergency Powers) Amendment Act, 2020 (Bill 10) andCOVID-19 Pandemic Response Statutes Amendment Act, 2020 (Bill 24) gave any minister in theExecutive Council the ability to make a law outside of the legislature (though this would be repealed in Bill 66),[24] expanded certain powers held by the Minister of Health and the Chief Medical Officer to apply beyond public health emergencies, created a right to unpaid COVID-relatedleave for employees;Emergency Management Amendment Act, 2020 (No. 2) (Bill 13) created new offences related to price fixing, travel, and refusing to render expert aid or be conscripted during a state of emergency;Utility Payment Deferral Program Act (Bill 14) created an electricity and natural gas Utility Payment Deferral Program; Bill 70 provided liability protection to long-term care and supportive-living facilities and their employees; and Bill 71 inserted "COVID-19 Vaccination Leave" into theEmployment Standards.[25][26][27][28] Other health-related legislation included theHealth Statutes Amendment Act, 2020 (Bill 30) that created regulations to allow for-profit corporations to charge the province for health services and conduct surgeries in private clinics, as well as bring the Health Quality Council under the direction of the Minister of Health.[29] Bill 17 was adopted as the government's response toJH v Alberta Health Services that found several sections of theMental Health Act to be unconstitutional.[30] Bill 19 renamed theTobacco and Smoking Reduction Act to theTobacco, Smoking and Vaping Reduction Act and inserted new regulations to addressvaping.[31]
New acts created during the second session included theCritical Infrastructure Defence Act (Bill 1) which creates a definition of "essential infrastructure" and increases penalties for related trespassing (Trespass to Premises Act) and vandalism includingwarrantless arrests;[32] theProtecting Survivors of Human Trafficking Act (Bill 8) which allows a court to issue a Human Trafficking Protection Order with conditions to protect victims;[33] theProvincial Administrative Penalties Act (Bill 21) created SafeRoads AB and the Immediate Roadside Sanction program to administer penalties for impaired driving, rather than the court system;[34] theAlberta Investment Attraction Act (Bill 33) created the Invest Alberta Corporation to promote investment activities;[35] theGeothermal Resource Development Act (Bill 36) and theMineral Resource Development Act (Bill 82) to expand the jurisdiction of theAlberta Energy Regulator to includegeothermal-related activities and the mining of certain metals and minerals.[36][37] theFinancing Alberta's Strategic Transportation Act (Bill 43) to allowtolls to be used on roads and bridges;[38] theCitizen Initiative Act (Bill 51) andRecall Act (Bill 52) to create mechanisms for citizens to petition for aninitiative orrecall election;[39][40] theFreedom to Care Act (Bill 58) to create liability protection and regulatory exemptions that apply to volunteers doing unpaid work for non-profits;[41] theCaptive Insurance Companies Act (Bill 76) to legalizecaptive insurance and;[42] theTrails Act (Bill 79) to regulate recreational trails on public lands.[43]
Fiscal Measures and Taxation Act, 2020 (Bill 5) implemented the legislative amendments resulting from the 2020 budget, including extending the province'stourism levy toshort-term rentals booked through online platforms.[44] Bill 22 was an omnibus bill that addressed numerous topics aimed at "red tape reduction" and, among other items, repealed theRecreation Development Act, dissolved Energy Efficiency Alberta, and removed the restrictions that members of corporate or non-profit boards of directors, as well as applicants for grazing dispositions on public lands, be residents of Alberta.[45] Bill 25 requiresscrap metal dealers to report transactions of certain metals to police.[46] Bill 2 endedprohibition inCardston andWarner Counties.[47] Bill 18 created the Alberta Parole Board to take over the responsibilities of theParole Board of Canada while Bill 16 expanded the mandate of the Victims of Crime Fund to also include funding for initiatives that promote public safety.[48] Bill 12 allows the Orphan Well Association to operateabandoned wells and pipelines.[49] Concerning future elections, Bill 26 expanded the scope of what a provincial referendum can consider and increased the spending limits of third-party advertisers, while Bill 29 increased donation limits applicable to local government elections, extended the deadline for donation disclosure statements until after the election has occurred, and required unspent campaign funds be donated to a charity.[50]
| By-election | Date | Incumbent | Party | Winner | Party | Cause | Retained | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooks-Medicine Hat | November 8, 2022 | Michaela Frey | United Conservative | Danielle Smith | United Conservative | Resigned to provide a seat for new UCP leader andPremier of Alberta,Danielle Smith. | Yes | ||
| Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche | March 15, 2022 | Laila Goodridge | United Conservative | Brian Jean | United Conservative | Resigned to run federally inFort McMurray—Cold Lake; elected. | Yes | ||
| Crown in Alberta |  | |
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| Lieutenant Governor | ||
| Premier | ||
| Legislature | ||
| Political parties |
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| Elections | ||
