Premier-designate seeks Brooks-Medicine Hat seat, leaves Calgary-Elbow vacant

Premier-designate Danielle Smith announced Saturday she will seek a seat in the riding of Brooks-Medicine Hat, sparking controversy from opposition critics who say she’s neglecting Calgary voters.

The newly elected leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP) plans to take over the constituency after Michaela Frey resigned from the post this week.

A by-election date is still to be determined but the move now means the highly contested riding of Calgary-Elbow will continue to sit vacant following UCP MLA Doug Schweitzer’s resignation on Aug. 31.

Smith says the seat will now sit empty until the next provincial election on May 29.

“Part of the reason for that is that there has been a convention that when a leader is chosen who does not have a seat, there is an expectation that she will seek a seat at an early opportunity,” Smith said Saturday.

“But there is also a convention as well that if you're within a year of having a general election that you don't need to call by-elections.

“There may be other candidates who are also stepping away and so I think I think rather than have a rolling series of by-elections, we may as well just stick with the convention of having the adjacent MLA take care of the issues in the riding and we'll stick with the fixed election date.”

Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley called the move shameful in a Twitter post Friday evening.

“Danielle Smith has chosen to hide from the voters of Calgary-Elbow. Not only is she refusing to run there, Smith is denying the opportunity for ANYONE to contest the vacant seat,” Notley said.

“What a shameful first act as premier. Calgarians deserve a voice.”

At a Saturday morning press conference in Calgary, Alberta NDP justice critic Irfan Sabir also denounced the move.

“Tens of thousands of Calgary families will have no voice in the legislature as Smith tries to push through a radical agenda,” he said.

“This is a deep injustice and a slap in the face of Calgary families. If Danielle Smith is calling a by-election, so she can have a seat in the legislature, she must call one in Calgary-Elbow as well.”

University of Calgary political scientist Melanee Thomas also weighed in.

“There is no justifiable reason to leave one district that's open without a by-election while you're calling it for another. This is putting a party over province and the reason why is that everybody knows that the seats that will ultimately determine government in May 2023 are likely going to be the Calgary districts,” Thomas said.

“This is cowardly and it's undemocratic. It is a direct violation … of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which outlines the democratic rights that Canadians have the right to vote and the right to stand for public office.”

Thomas went on to say that Smith is undermining “the spirit of legislation that requires a by-election be called within six months of a member of legislative assembly vacating their seat.”

“If (she) is saying that she is going to govern for all Albertans, this is not the call,” Thomas said.

“If she says that she is prepared to learn from her mistakes, what she needs to do is to reverse this one.”

Smith, who has roots in High River, Alta., says she intends to spend a lot of time in the riding of Brooks-Medicine Hat despite living three hours away.

“I'm prepared to travel a lot and be in communities a lot and do town halls a lot and reach out a lot,” Smith said.

“I know that because I have that work ethic, that people will be able to have full access to me and I will be advocating for their issues.”

Smith noted the riding of Brooks-Medicine Hat and the riding she lives in are similar, as are most rural ridings, and she will be committed to giving a voice to rural Albertans.

“If we can solve some of the issues here, I think we'll be able to solve them for all the municipalities,” she said.

Her main focus will be on mental health and addictions support, as well as improvements to highway and bridge infrastructure in the region.

“I feel very confident I'll be able to represent this riding well.”

Smith is scheduled to be sworn in as Alberta’s new premier on Tuesday. 

—With files from Damien Wood