Top 5 Political Moments of 2024 in Alberta

It is that time of year again. With the fall sitting scheduled to wrap up on December 5th, the Legislature will adjourn until late February 2025 when the next provincial budget is tabled. It is expected that the vast majority of the outstanding business on the Order Paper will be handled by Thursday afternoon, so one cannot rule out the possibility of kicking off the spring sitting with a Speech from the Throne.

We will not know for sure whether or not a throne speech is anticipated until closer to the start of the spring sittings, so stay tuned to The NEWS for updates on this development.

With the final sitting days coming to a close, we wanted to take an opportunity to participate in a bit of a retrospective exercise. There is no doubt that 2024 was a contentious year for Alberta MLAs and political stories more broadly, so please note that the following rankings are merely one representation of the importance of particular events to the province. They do not necessarily represent the views of this writer or Alberta Counsel as a whole.

With the formalities out of the way, let us begin.

5. AIMCo Board Changes

Earlier this fall, Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board made a surprise announcement to say he had relieved the board  and four executives of the Alberta investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) and placing himself in the chairman position. Ray Gilmour was posted as interim CEO.

Minister Horner told the Legislature that “we’ve been watching this closely and it was my determination it wasn’t going to change without a major reset.” Among the reasons cited for their the board’s dismissal was rising costs and poor returns.

Shortly thereafter, we learned that former Prime Minister Stephen Harper was named the next chair of the AIMCo board and was doing so on a pro bono basis. Three directors that were fired initially were brought back, as well.

4. Municipal Electoral Changes

No matter where you live in Alberta, the next round of municipal elections in October 2025 are going to look a little different. The UCP government passed legislation that made significant changes to the way municipalities run their elections.

If you’re in Edmonton or Calgary, you will be introduced to municipal political parties for the first time (something that only exists in Vancouver and Montreal). But regardless of where you call home, Alberta will no longer permit tabulators at voting stations.

Additionally, union and corporate political donations to local candidates are back. Donations can also be made outside of the election year. As for expenses, “mayoral candidates may spend up to $1 per person based on the population of the municipality, or $20,000,whichever is greater,” while council candidates will be permitted to spend “up to $1 per person based on the average population of the wards in the municipality, or $20,000, whichever is greater, or where there are no wards, up to $1 per person based on the population of the municipality, or$20,000, whichever is greater.”

3. Jasper Fire

Of course, we would be remise if we did not include one of the top national stories in this list. In July, 25,000 residents and visitors were forced to evacuate Jasper as a result of a massive wildfire complex. We can’t hope to do this story justice in the short space available in this article.

Tragically, Morgan Kitchen, a firefighter combating the blaze, was killed in the line of duty.

It took nearly a month of fighting the wildfire to get the complex under control. According to Parks Canada’s website, the perimeter of the fire was estimated to be 278.03 km. Hundreds of structures were destroyed, including Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland’s home.

All levels of government have been committed to supporting those impacted by the fire and helping to rebuild what was lost. The provincial government has committed $112 million to build modular housing in Jasper and Hinton as an interim measure. Rebuilding efforts will take many years and many dollars, but Albertans and Canadians are up to the task.

2. Naheed Nenshi Wins Alberta NDP Leadership

When Rachel Notley announced that she would be stepping down as leader of the Alberta NDP, rumours about an “outsider” candidate for leadership began to emerge. Eventually, the question became “will he or won’t he?”

He did, and he won.

In June, Naheed Nenshi emerged as the party’s new leader with a staggering 86% of the vote on the first ballot (with more than 67,000 ballots cast). Not only did he win in a landslide, he (along with the other leadership candidates) grew the party to more than 85,000 members. The Alberta NDP has never been larger, but the important test for him and the party will be to see how many they are able to retain going forward.

Questions still linger about what the Alberta NDP’s future will look like under Nenshi’s leadership – answers that will begin to form once he wins a by-election contest to become an MLA. While no confirmations have been made about where he might run, the safe bet is to look at his back yard of Calgary.

It will be interesting to see how former classmates Nenshi and Premier Smith engage with one another on the provincial political landscape.

1. Premier Danielle Smith’s Leadership Review

Given that this has been a story since the conclusion of the 2023 provincial election, it is hard to put anything else at the top of the list. As you have likely deduced for yourself, much of what has happened in Alberta politics in that time has centred around the Premier’s team securing a win for her at the UCP AGM last month.

Historically, leadership reviews in Alberta have served as critical indicators of a leader's standing within their party. For instance, former Progressive Conservative premiers Ed Stelmach and Alison Redford received 77% support in their respective reviews, a level of endorsement that, while seemingly strong, preceded their eventual resignations due to internal party pressures.

In contrast, Smith's 91.5% approval suggests a robust consolidation of her leadership, reflecting a high degree of confidence from UCP members. With that said, many will point to the difference in voter turnout between Danielle Smith’s leadership review and Jason Kenney’s as an indicator that the 91.5% may not be representative of the membership’s support as a whole.

The leadership review is also likely responsible for the introduction of some of the most controversial bills of the decade so far, including amendments to the Alberta Bill of Rights, debate around parental and transgender student rights, and others.