The Legislature of Alberta is the
unicameral
Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one.
Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...
legislature of the province of
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
, Canada. The legislature is made of two elements: the
Lieutenant Governor of Alberta
The lieutenant governor of Alberta () is the viceregal representative in Alberta of the . The lieutenant governor is appointed in the same manner as the other provincial viceroys in Canada and is similarly tasked with carrying out most of the m ...
,
[.] and the
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of Alberta, Canada. It sits in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. The Legislative Assembly currently has 87 members, elected first past the post from singl ...
. The legislature has existed since Alberta was formed out of part of the
North-West Territories
The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...
in 1905.
Like the Canadian federal government, Alberta uses a
Westminster-style parliamentary government
A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...
, in which members are sent to the Legislative Assembly after
general elections
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
and the lieutenant governor appoints the person who can command a majority of the members of the Assembly, typically the leader of the party with the most seats, as
Premier of Alberta
The premier of Alberta is the first minister for the Canadian province of Alberta, and the province's head of government. The current premier is Danielle Smith, leader of the United Conservative Party, who was sworn in on October 11, 2022.
The ...
. The premier then recommends the appointment of the
Executive Council of Alberta
The Executive Council of Alberta (the Cabinet) is a body of ministers of the Crown in right of Alberta, who along with the lieutenant governor, exercises the powers of the Government of Alberta. Ministers are selected by the premier and typical ...
. The premier is Alberta's
head of government
The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a gro ...
, while the
King of Canada
The monarchy of Canada is Canada's form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is at the core of Canada's constitutional Canadian federalism, federal structure and Westminster system, Westminster-style Parliamentar ...
is its
head of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
.
List of legislatures
Following is a list of the times the legislature has been convened since 1905. For previous legislatures, see
List of Northwest Territories Legislative Assemblies
This is a list of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assemblies dates and legislative sessions from 1870–present. The current capital is Yellowknife since 1967. There have been twenty-seven legislatures since becoming a territory in 1870.
* ...
.
*
1st Alberta Legislature
The 1st Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from November 9, 1905, to Monday, March 22, 1909, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1905 Alberta general election which was held on November 9, 1905. The Leg ...
: 1905–1909
*
2nd Alberta Legislature
The 2nd Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from March 23, 1909, to April 17, 1913, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1909 Alberta general election which was held on March 22, 1909. The Legislature offic ...
: 1909–1913
*
3rd Alberta Legislature
The 3rd Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from September 16, 1913, to April 5, 1917, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1913 Alberta general election held on April 17, 1913. The Legislature officially r ...
: 1913–1917
*
4th Alberta Legislature
The 4th Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from February 7, 1918, to June 23, 1921, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1917 Alberta general election held on June 7, 1917. The Legislature officially resume ...
: 1917–1921
*
5th Alberta Legislature
The 5th Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from February 2, 1922, to May 25, 1926, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1921 Alberta general election held on July 18, 1921. The Legislature officially resum ...
: 1921–1926
*
6th Alberta Legislature
The 6th Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from February 10, 1927, to May 10, 1930, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1926 Alberta general election held on June 28, 1926. The Legislature officially resum ...
: 1926–1930
*
7th Alberta Legislature
The 7th Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from January 29, 1931, to July 22, 1935, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1930 Alberta general election held on June 19, 1930. The Legislature officially resu ...
: 1930–1935
*
8th Alberta Legislature
The 8th Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from February 6, 1936, to February 16, 1940, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1935 Alberta general election held on August 22, 1935. The Legislature officially ...
: 1935–1940
*
9th Alberta Legislature
The 9th Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from February 20, 1941, to July 7, 1944, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1940 Alberta general election held on March 21, 1940. The Legislature officially resu ...
: 1940–1944
*
10th Alberta Legislature
The 10th Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from February 22, 1945, to July 16, 1948, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1944 Alberta general election held on August 8, 1944. The Legislature officially re ...
: 1944–1948
*
11th Alberta Legislature
The 11th Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from February 17, 1949, to July 3, 1952, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1948 Alberta general election held on August 17, 1948. The Legislature officially re ...
: 1948–1952
*
12th Alberta Legislature
The 12th Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from February 19, 1953, to May 12, 1955, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1952 Alberta general election held on August 5, 1952. The Legislature officially re ...
: 1952–1955
*
13th Alberta Legislature
The 13th Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from August 17, 1955, to May 9, 1959, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1955 Alberta general election held on June 29, 1955. The Legislature officially resumed ...
: 1955–1959
*
14th Alberta Legislature
The 14th Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from February 11, 1960, to May 9, 1963, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1959 Alberta general election held on June 18, 1959. The Legislature officially resu ...
: 1959–1963
*
15th Alberta Legislature
The 15th Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from February 13, 1964, to April 14, 1967, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1963 Alberta general election held on June 17, 1963. The Legislature officially r ...
: 1963–1967
*
16th Alberta Legislature
The 16th Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from February 15, 1968, to April 27, 1971, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1967 Alberta general election held on May 23, 1967. The Legislature officially re ...
: 1967–1971
*
17th Alberta Legislature
The 17th Alberta Legislative Assembly was in Legislative session, session from March 2, 1972, to February 14, 1975, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1971 Alberta general election held on August 30, 1971. The Leg ...
: 1971–1975
*
18th Alberta Legislature
The 18th Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from May 15, 1975, to February 14, 1979, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1975 Alberta general election held on March 26, 1975. The Legislature officially re ...
: 1975–1979
*
19th Alberta Legislature
The 19th Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from May 24, 1979, to October 5, 1982, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1979 Alberta general election held on March 14, 1979. The Legislature officially resu ...
: 1979–1982
*
20th Alberta Legislature: 1982–1986
*
21st Alberta Legislature
The 21st Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from June 12, 1986, to February 20, 1989, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1986 Alberta general election held on May 8, 1986. The Legislature officially res ...
: 1986–1989
*
22nd Alberta Legislature
The 22nd Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from June 1, 1989, to May 18, 1993, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1989 Alberta general election held on March 20, 1989. The Legislature officially resumed ...
: 1989–1993
*
23rd Alberta Legislature
The 23rd Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from August 30, 1993, to February 11, 1997, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1993 Alberta general election held on June 15, 1993. The Legislature officially r ...
: 1993–1997
*
24th Alberta Legislature: 1997–2001
*
25th Alberta Legislature
The 25th Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from April 9, 2001, to October 25, 2004, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 2001 Alberta general election held on March 12, 2001. The Legislature officially re ...
: 2001–2004
*
26th Alberta Legislature: 2004–2008
*
27th Alberta Legislature: 2008–2012
*
28th Alberta Legislature
The 28th Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from May 23, 2012, to April 7, 2015, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 2012 Alberta general election held on April 23, 2012. The Legislature officially resume ...
: 2012–2015
*
29th Alberta Legislature
The 29th Alberta Legislative Assembly was constituted after the general election on May 5, 2015. The New Democrats, led by Rachel Notley, won a majority of seats and formed the government. The Wildrose Party, which won the second most seats, for ...
: 2015–2019
*
30th Alberta Legislature
The 30th Alberta Legislative Assembly was constituted after the general election on April 16, 2019. The United Conservative Party (UCP), led by Jason Kenney, won a majority of seats and formed the government. The New Democrats, led by outgoing Pr ...
: 2019–present
References
External links
Alberta Legislative Assembly official YouTube Alberta Legislative AssemblyAlberta Legislative Assembly official Facebook page
{{Alberta politics
Legislative Assemblies