26th Alberta Legislature

26th Alberta Legislature
26th Alberta Legislature
Majority parliament
1 March 2005 – 4 February 2008
Parliament leaders
Premier	Ralph Klein ; December 14, 1992 – December 14, 2006
	Ed Stelmach ; December 14, 2006 – October 7, 2011
Cabinets	Klein cabinet ; Stelmach cabinet
Leader of the; Opposition	Kevin Taft ; March 27, 2004 – December 14, 2008
Party caucuses
Government	Progressive Conservative Association
Opposition	Liberal Party
Recognized	New Democratic Party
Unrecognized	Wildrose Party
Legislative Assembly
Speaker of the; Assembly	Ken Kowalski ; April 14, 1997 – May 23, 2012
Government; House Leader	Dave Hancock ; May 26, 1999 – November 24, 2006
	Gene Zwozdesky ; April 6, 2006 – December 14, 2006
	Dave Hancock ; December 15, 2006 – December 5, 2013
Members	83 MLA seats
Sovereign
Monarch	Elizabeth II ; February 6, 1952 – September 8, 2022
Lieutenant; Governor	Hon. Lois Hole ; February 10, 2000 – January 6, 2005
	Hon. Norman Kwong ; January 20, 2005 – May 11, 2010
Sessions
	1st session; March 1, 2005 – December 1, 2005
	2nd session; February 22, 2006 – September 8, 2006
	3rd session; March 7, 2007 – December 7, 2007
	4th session; February 4, 2008 – February 4, 2008
← 25th	→ 27th

Last updated January 10, 2025

The 26th Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from March 1, 2005, to February 4, 2008, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 2004 Alberta general election held on November 22, 2004. The Legislature officially resumed on March 1, 2005, and continued until the fourth session was prorogued and dissolved on February 4, 2008, prior to the 2008 Alberta general election on March 3, 2008.^[1]

Alberta's twenty-sixth government was controlled by the majority Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta, led by Premier Ralph Klein until his resignation on December 24, 2006, after which he was succeeded by Ed Stelmach. The Official Opposition was led by Kevin Taft of the Liberal Party. The Speaker was Ken Kowalski. In the list below, cabinet members' names are bolded; leaders of official parties are italicized.

This legislature had the distinction of being addressed by Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, to help celebrate Alberta's centennial.^[2]

Party standings after 26th General Elections

Members of the 26th Legislature by district

Member	Party	Constituency	First elected/ previously elected	Notes
Tony Abbott	Progressive Conservative	Drayton Valley-Calmar	2001
Cindy Ady	Progressive Conservative	Calgary Shaw	2001
Bharat Agnihotri	Liberal	Edmonton Ellerslie	2004
Moe Amery	Progressive Conservative	Calgary East	1993
Dan Backs	Liberal	Edmonton Manning	2004	Elected as a Liberal, expelled from caucus in November 2006
Dan Backs		Edmonton Manning	2004	Elected as a Liberal, expelled from caucus in November 2006
Independent
Laurie Blakeman	Liberal	Edmonton Centre	1997
Bill Bonko	Liberal	Edmonton Decore	2004
Guy Boutilier	Progressive Conservative	Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo	1997
Neil Brown	Progressive Conservative	Calgary-Nose Hill	2004
Pearl Calahasen	Progressive Conservative	Lesser Slave Lake	1989
Wayne Cao	Progressive Conservative	Calgary-Fort	1997
Mike Cardinal	Progressive Conservative	Athabasca-Redwater	1989
Harvey Cenaiko	Progressive Conservative	Calgary-Buffalo	2001
Harry B. Chase	Liberal	Calgary-Varsity	2004
Craig Cheffins	Liberal	Calgary-Elbow	2007	Succeeded Ralph Klein in a by-election June 12, 2007.
David Coutts	Progressive Conservative	Livingstone-Macleod	1993
Ray Danyluk	Progressive Conservative	Lac La Biche-St. Paul	2001
Alana DeLong	Progressive Conservative	Calgary-Bow	2001
Victor Doerksen	Progressive Conservative	Red Deer South	1993
Denis Ducharme	Progressive Conservative	Bonnyville-Cold Lake	1997
Clint Dunford	Progressive Conservative	Lethbridge-West	1993
David Eggen	NDP	Edmonton-Calder	2004
Mo Elsalhy	Liberal	Edmonton-McClung	2004
Iris Evans	Progressive Conservative	Sherwood Park	1997
Jack Flaherty	Liberal	St. Albert	2004
Heather Forsyth	Progressive Conservative	Calgary-Fish Creek	1993
Yvonne Fritz	Progressive Conservative	Calgary-Cross	1993
Hector Goudreau	Progressive Conservative	Dunvegan	2001
Gordon Graydon	Progressive Conservative	Grande Prairie Wapiti	2001
Doug Griffiths	Progressive Conservative	Battle River-Wainwright	2002
George Groeneveld	Progressive Conservative	Highwood	2004
Carol Haley	Progressive Conservative	Airdrie-Chestermere	1993
David Hancock	Progressive Conservative	Edmonton-Whitemud	1997
Jack Hayden	Progressive Conservative	Drumheller-Stettler	2007	Succeeded Shirley McClellan in a by-election June 12, 2007.
Denis Herard	Progressive Conservative	Calgary-Egmont	1993
Paul Hinman	Alberta Alliance	Cardston-Taber-Warner	2004	The Alberta Alliance Party was dissolved, and the Wildrose Alliance Party was formed in early 2008
Paul Hinman		Cardston-Taber-Warner	2004
Wildrose Alliance
Doug Horner	Progressive Conservative	Spruce Grove-Sturgeon-St. Albert	2001
Mary Anne Jablonski	Progressive Conservative	Red Deer-North	2000
LeRoy Johnson	Progressive Conservative	Wetaskiwin-Camrose	1997
Arthur Johnston	Progressive Conservative	Calgary-Hays	2004
Ralph Klein	Progressive Conservative	Calgary-Elbow	1989	Resigned as Premier December 14, 2006 and from legislature January 15, 2007; succeeded by Craig Cheffins as MLA for Calgary-Elbow and by Ed Stelmach as Premier.
Mel Knight	Progressive Conservative	Grande Prairie-Smoky	2001
Ken Kowalski †	Progressive Conservative	Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock	1979
Ron Liepert	Progressive Conservative	Calgary-West	2004
Fred Lindsay	Progressive Conservative	Stony Plain	2004
Rob Lougheed	Progressive Conservative	Strathcona	1997
Thomas Lukaszuk	Progressive Conservative	Edmonton-Castle Downs	2001
Ty Lund	Progressive Conservative	Rocky Mountain House	1989
Hugh MacDonald	Liberal	Edmonton-Gold Bar	1997
Richard Magnus	Progressive Conservative	Calgary-North Hill	1993
Gary Mar	Progressive Conservative	Calgary-Mackay	1993	Resigned November 2007; seat left vacant until the 2008 election
Ray Martin	NDP	Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview	1982^[a], 2004
Richard Marz	Progressive Conservative	Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills	1997
Brian Mason	NDP	Edmonton Highlands Norwood	2000
Weslyn Mather	Liberal	Edmonton Mill Woods	2004
Shirley McClellan	Progressive Conservative	Drumheller-Stettler	1987	Resigned January 15, 2007, succeeded by Jack Hayden.
Barry McFarland	Progressive Conservative	Little Bow	1992
Greg Melchin	Progressive Conservative	Calgary North West	1997
Bruce Miller	Liberal	Edmonton-Glenora	2004
Richard Miller	Liberal	Edmonton Rutherford	2004
Leonard Mitzel	Progressive Conservative	Cypress-Medicine Hat	2004
Ted Morton	Progressive Conservative	Foothills-Rocky View	2004
Lyle Oberg	Progressive Conservative	Strathmore-Brooks	1993	Suspended from P.C. caucus March 22, 2006; re-admitted July 25, 2006.
Frank Oberle	Progressive Conservative	Peace River	2004
Luke Ouellette	Progressive Conservative	Innisfail-Sylvan Lake	2001
Raj Pannu	NDP	Edmonton Strathcona	1997
Bridget Pastoor	Liberal	Lethbridge East	2004
Hung Pham	Progressive Conservative	Calgary Montrose	1993
Ray Prins	Progressive Conservative	Lacombe-Ponoka	2004
Rob Renner	Progressive Conservative	Medicine Hat	1993
David Rodney	Progressive Conservative	Calgary Lougheed	2004
George Rogers	Progressive Conservative	Leduc-Beaumont-Devon	2004
Shiraz Shariff	Progressive Conservative	Calgary McCall	1995
Lloyd Snelgrove	Progressive Conservative	Vermilion-Lloydminster	2001
Ed Stelmach	Progressive Conservative	Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville	1993
Ron Stevens	Progressive Conservative	Calgary-Glenmore	1997
Ivan Strang	Progressive Conservative	West Yellowhead	1997
David Swann	Liberal	Calgary Mountain View	2004
Kevin Taft	Liberal	Edmonton Riverview	2001
Janis Tarchuk	Progressive Conservative	Banff-Cochrane	1997
Dave Taylor	Liberal	Calgary Currie	2004
Maurice Tougas	Liberal	Edmonton Meadowlark	2004
George VanderBurg	Progressive Conservative	Whitecourt-Ste. Anne	2001
Len Webber	Progressive Conservative	Calgary-Foothills	2004
Gene Zwozdesky	Progressive Conservative	Edmonton Mill Creek	1993^[b]

The Alberta Court of Appeal declared Thomas Lukaszuk the victor more than two months after the election. The election-night vote count had given Chris Kibermanis of the Liberals a five-vote win, but the judicial recount gave Lukaszuk a three-vote margin of victory.
A party requires four seats to have official party status in the legislature. Parties with fewer than four seats are not entitled to party funding although their members will usually be permitted to sit together in the chamber.

Notable events

The province's centennial occurred during the 26th Legislature, on September 1, 2005. Earlier that year, on May 24, 2005, Elizabeth II made an official visit to the province in commemoration of the centennial.^[3]
On March 1, 2006, premier Ralph Klein announced a series of controversial health care reforms which involved allowing greater levels of privatization in Alberta's public health care system. Later that day, the premier received significant media attention after throwing a book at a 17-year-old page.
On March 15, 2006, and throughout the year, the Legislative Assembly celebrated the centennial of the first sitting of the Legislature.
On April 6, 2006, Ted Morton introduced the controversial Bill 208, Protection of Fundamental Freedoms (Marriage) Statutes Amendment Act, 2006. Critics maintained that the bill removed limitations on free speech where homosexual individuals were concerned, potentially removing recourse for verbal abuse and discrimination. The bill died on the order paper on May 18, 2006.

Standings changes during the 26th Assembly

Number of members per party by date		2004	2005	2006			2007			2008
Number of members per party by date		Nov 22	Feb 2	Mar 22	Jul 25	Nov 20	Jan 15	Jun 12	Sep 27	Jan 19
	Progressive Conservative	61	62	61	62		60	61	60
	Liberal	17	16			15		16
	New Democratic	4
	Wildrose Alliance	0								1
	Independent	0		1	0	1
	Alberta Alliance	1								0
	Total members	83					81	83	82
	Vacant	0					2	0	1
	Government Majority	39	41	39	41		39		38

February 2, 2005 Chris Kibermanis, Edmonton Castle Downs removed from office after a judicial recount.
February 2, 2005 Thomas Lukaszuk, Edmonton Castle Downs becomes the MLA by court order.
March 22, 2006 Lyle Oberg, Strathmore-Brooks suspended from the Progressive Conservative caucus
July 25, 2006 Lyle Oberg, Strathmore-Brooks rejoins the Progressive Conservatives
January 15, 2007 Ralph Klein, Calgary-Elbow resigns
January 15, 2007 Shirley McClellan, Drumheller-Stettler resigns
June 12, 2007 Craig Cheffins, Calgary-Elbow elected in by-election
June 12, 2007 Jack Hayden, Drumheller-Stettler elected in by-election
November 20, 2006 Dan Backs, Edmonton Manning was expelled from the Liberal caucus.
September 27, 2007 Gary Mar, Calgary Mackay resigns to accept a government appointment.
January 19, 2008 Paul Hinman, Cardston-Taber-Warner forms the Wildrose Alliance caucus.

Notes

↑ Edmonton-Norwood
↑ First elected as a Liberal

Related Research Articles

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 resumed on April 9, 2001, and continued until the fourth session was prorogued and dissolved on October 25, 2004, prior to the 2004 Alberta general election on November 22, 2004.

Strathmore-Brooks was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first-past-the-post method of voting from 1997 to 2019.

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 Legislature officially began on November 9, 1905, and continued until the fourth session was prorogued on February 25, 1909, and dissolved the next day on February 26, 1909, prior to the 1909 Alberta general election.

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 resumed on February 2, 1922, and continued until the sixth session was prorogued on May 22, 1926 and dissolved on May 25, 1926, prior to the 1926 Alberta general election.

The 24th Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from April 14, 1997, to February 12, 2001, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1997 Alberta general election held on March 11, 1997. The Legislature officially resumed on April 14, 1997, and continued until the fifth session was prorogued and dissolved on February 12, 2001, prior to the 2001 Alberta general election on March 12, 2001.

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 resumed on August 30, 1993, and continued until the fifth session was prorogued and dissolved on February 11, 1997, prior to the 1997 Alberta general election on March 11, 1997.

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 on June 1, 1989, and continued until the fourth session was prorogued and dissolved on May 18, 1993, prior to the 1993 Alberta general election on June 15, 1993.

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 resumed on June 12, 1986, and continued until the fourth session was prorogued on February 17, 1989, and dissolved on February 20, 1989, prior to the 1989 Alberta general election on March 20, 1989.

The 20th Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from March 10, 1983, to April 10, 1986, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1982 Alberta general election held on November 2, 1982. The Legislature officially resumed on March 10, 1983, and continued until the fourth session was prorogued and dissolved on April 10, 1986, prior to the 1986 Alberta general election on May 8, 1986.

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 resumed on May 24, 1979, and continued until the fourth session was prorogued on May 4, 1982 and dissolved on October 5, 1982, prior to the 1982 Alberta general election on November 2, 1982.

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 resumed on May 15, 1975, and continued until the fourth session was prorogued on November 3, 1978 and dissolved on February 14, 1979, prior to the 1979 Alberta general election on March 14, 1979.

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 resumed on February 15, 1968, and continued until the fourth session was prorogued on April 27, 1971, and dissolved on July 22, 1971, prior to the 1971 Alberta general election.

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 resumed on September 16, 1913, and continued until the fifth session was prorogued on April 17, 1917 and dissolved on May 14, 1917, prior to the 1917 Alberta general election.

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 resumed on February 7, 1918, and continued until the fourth session was prorogued on April 19, 1921 and dissolved on June 23, 1921, prior to the 1921 Alberta general election.

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 resumed on February 13, 1964, and continued until the fifth session was prorogued on April 11, 1967, and dissolved on April 14, 1967, prior to the 1967 Alberta general election.

The 9th Alberta Legislature was in session from February 20, 1941, to July 7, 1944, with the membership of the Legislative Assembly determined by the results of the 1940 Alberta general election held on March 21, 1940. The Legislature officially resumed on February 20, 1941, and continued until the fourth session was prorogued on March 24, 1944, and dissolved on July 7, prior to the 1944 Alberta general election.

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 resumed on February 22, 1945, and continued until the fifth session was prorogued on March 31, 1948 and dissolved on July 16, 1948, prior to the 1948 Alberta general election.

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 resumed on February 17, 1949, and continued until the fifth session was prorogued on April 10, 1952 and dissolved on July 3, 1952, prior to the 1952 Alberta general election.

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 resumed on February 19, 1953, and continued until the third session was prorogued and dissolved on May 12, 1955, prior to the 1955 Alberta general election.

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 on August 17, 1955, and continued until the fifth session was prorogued on April 7, 1959, and dissolved on May 9, 1959, prior to the 1959 Alberta general election.

References

↑ Perry, Sandra E.; Footz, Valerie L. (2006). Massolin, Philip A. (ed.). A Higher Duty: Speakers of the Legislative Assemblies. Edmonton, AB: Legislative Assembly of Alberta. p. 504. ISBN 0-9689217-3-6 . Retrieved August 9, 2020.
↑ "Centenary of Alberta joining Confederation, Alberta Legislature, Canada, 24 May". The British Monarchy. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
↑ Hansard for Tuesday, May 24, 2006, Afternoon. Retrieved on September 26, 2006.

External links

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[3] Edmonton-Norwood

[4] First elected as a Liberal

[1] Perry, Sandra E.; Footz, Valerie L. (2006). Massolin, Philip A. (ed.). A Higher Duty: Speakers of the Legislative Assemblies. Edmonton, AB: Legislative Assembly of Alberta. p. 504. ISBN 0-9689217-3-6 . Retrieved August 9, 2020.

[2] "Centenary of Alberta joining Confederation, Alberta Legislature, Canada, 24 May". The British Monarchy. Retrieved July 28, 2012.

[5] Hansard for Tuesday, May 24, 2006, Afternoon. Retrieved on September 26, 2006.

[1]

[2]

[a]

[b]

[3]