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2015 Alberta general election

29th general election of Alberta, Canada

2015 Alberta general election

29th general election of Alberta, Canada

FieldValue
election_name2015 Alberta general election
countryAlberta
typeparliamentary
ongoingno
party_nameno
previous_election2012 Alberta general election
previous_year2012
outgoing_members[outgoing members](28th-alberta-legislative-assembly)
election_dateMay 5, 2015
elected_members[elected members](29th-alberta-legislature)
next_election2019 Alberta general election
next_year2019
seats_for_election[87 seats](2010-alberta-electoral-redistribution) in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
majority_seats44
opinion_polls#Opinion polls
turnout57.0%
1data1Includes votes from the voided election in the riding of Calgary-Foothills
image1[[File:Rachel Notley crop.jpg150x150px]]
colour1
leader1Rachel Notley
party1
leader_since1[October 18, 2014](2014-alberta-new-democratic-party-leadership-election)
leaders_seat1Edmonton-Strathcona
last_election14 seats, 9.85%
seats_before14
seats1**54**
seat_change150
popular_vote1**604,518**
percentage1**40.62%**
swing130.77pp
image2[[File:Brian Jean April 28 2015.jpg150x150px]]
colour2
leader2Brian Jean
party2
leader_since2[March 28, 2015](2015-wildrose-party-leadership-election)
leaders_seat2Fort McMurray-Conklin
last_election217 seats, 34.28%
seats_before25
seats221
seat_change216
popular_vote2360,511
percentage224.22%
swing210.06pp
image3[[File:Jim Prentice.jpg150x150px]]
colour3
leader3Jim Prentice
party3
leader_since3[September 6, 2014](2014-progressive-conservative-association-of-alberta-leadership-election)
leaders_seat3Calgary-Foothills *(disclaimed re-election)*
last_election361 seats, 43.97%
seats_before370
seats39
seat_change361
popular_vote3413,610
percentage327.79%
swing316.17pp
image4[[File:David Swann - April 12, 2010.jpg150x150px]]
colour4
leader4David Swann
party4
leader_since4February 1, 2015
leaders_seat4Calgary-Mountain View
last_election45 seats, 9.89%
seats_before45
seats41
seat_change44
popular_vote462,153
percentage44.18%
swing45.71pp
image5[[File:Greg Clark, Leader of the Alberta Party, 2014.jpg150x150px]]
colour5
leader5Greg Clark
party5
leader_since5September 21, 2013
leaders_seat5Calgary-Elbow
last_election50 seats, 1.31%
seats_before50
seats51
seat_change51
popular_vote533,221
percentage52.23%
swing50.92pp
map_imageAlberta_Election_Map_2015.svg
map_size375px
map_captionPopular vote by riding. As this is a first-past-the-post election, seat totals are not determined by total popular vote, but instead by results in each riding. Riding names are listed at the bottom.
titlePremier
before_electionJim Prentice
before_party
posttitlePremier after election
after_electionRachel Notley
after_party

The 2015 Alberta general election was held on May 5, following a request of Premier Jim Prentice to the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Donald Ethell to dissolve the Legislative Assembly on April 7. This election elected members to the 29th Alberta Legislature. It was only the fourth time in provincial history that saw a change of governing party, and was the last provincial election for both the Alberta Progressive Conservative and Wildrose parties, which merged in 2017 to form the United Conservative Party (although each ran a token candidate in the 2019 election).

The provincial Election Act fixed the election date to a three-month period between March 1 and May 31 in the fourth calendar year after the preceding election day in this case, April 23, 2012. However, the act does not affect the powers of the Lieutenant Governor to dissolve the Legislature before this period.

As a result of the election, the Alberta New Democratic Party (NDP) were elected to a majority government under leader Rachel Notley. The NDP formed government for the first time in Alberta history since the NDP's founding in the early 1960s.

The 2015 election is sometimes called the "Orange Chinook", a reference to the province's dramatic swing to the NDP, the NDP's orange colour and the weather shifts occasioned by strong Chinook winds that southern Alberta commonly experiences.

The NDP win ousted the PCs, who were reduced to third place in seats. Prentice resigned as PC leader and MLA for Calgary-Foothills on election night.

The Progressive Conservatives (PCs) had a majority in the outgoing Assembly and had won every provincial election since the 1971 election, making them the longest-serving provincial government in Canadian history being in office for 44 years. This was only the fourth change of governing party in Alberta since becoming a province in 1905, and one of the worst defeats a provincial government has suffered in Canada. 31 PC MLAs lost re-election to the legislature, the largest number in one election in Alberta history. It also marked the first time in almost 80 years that a left-of-centre political party had formed government in Alberta since the defeat of the United Farmers of Alberta in 1935 and the Depression-era radical monetary reform policies of William Aberhart's Social Credit government.

The Wildrose Party under leader Brian Jean remained the Official Opposition, gaining four seats since 2012 despite winning 81,814 fewer votes and a 10.1% lower share of the popular vote than in the previous election. The Alberta Liberal Party and Alberta Party each won a single seat with Alberta Party leader Greg Clark becoming the party's first MLA. The Alberta Liberal Party lost four seats, only returning interim leader David Swann to the Legislative Assembly.

After the Calgary-Glenmore seat was allocated through a recount, 28 women were known to be elected in this election.

Following the election, Notley and her cabinet were sworn in on May 24.

Overall, across the province, 1,488,248 valid votes were cast in this election.

Background

Main article: 28th Alberta Legislative Assembly

In the 2012 general election the PCs lost a portion of their caucus, but were able to continue as majority government, despite their share of the popular vote decreasing to under 50%. The Wildrose Party formed the official opposition for the first time, while the other two parties in the Assembly, the Alberta Liberal Party and Alberta New Democratic Party (NDP), both held official party status with five and four seats respectively. On September 4, 2014, the PCs became the longest serving political dynasty in Canadian history, at 43 years, 5 days.

Prentice, who succeeded former premier and interim leader of the Progressive Conservatives Dave Hancock in September 2014, was not obligated to call an election until 2016. However, seeking a new mandate to pass his budget, he asked Lieutenant Governor Donald Ethell to dissolve the legislature on April 7. In accordance with Canadian constitutional practice, Ethell granted the request, beginning a month long campaign. The early election call was criticized by some as unethical, as it violated the fixed election dates specified in the Elections Act, but it was constitutionally valid and followed the general practice of the reserve powers of the Crown, specifically the constitutional convention of following the advice of the premier.

Results

The NDP received the most votes (more votes than any other party) overall and in 54 districts (more than half the districts), though did not receive a majority of the vote overall nor in many districts. It received 40.6 percent of the vote and captured 62 percent of the seats in the Legislature.

Due to First-past-the-post voting, the NDP swept the Edmonton seats, won a majority of the seats in Calgary and just less than half of seats in rural Alberta. NDP MLAs were elected in all 21 Edmonton districts, 15 of the 26 Calgary districts and 18 of the 40 districts outside the major cities.

NDP candidates received over 50% of the votes in each Edmonton riding as well as the ridings of Sherwood Park, St. Albert and Lethbridge-West. All opposition (non-NDP) candidates received less than half the votes in the riding where they ran, except for the Wildrose candidates in Cypress-Medicine Hat, Strathmore-Brooks and Olds-Disbury, each of whom captured a majority of the district votes.

The election produced some very close races and small leads for some winning candidates. In Calgary Glenmore the winning candidate won with a lead of six votes over her leading contender. In Calgary McCall an NDP candidate won with less than 30 percent of the vote; in Calgary Shaw an NDP candidate won with but 31 percent of the vote; in Calgary South-East a PC won with only 32.5 percent of the votes cast.

In many ridings the combined votes of the Progressive Conservative and the Wildrose candidates surpassed that of the NDP.

In some ridings such as Red Deer North, Spruce Grove-St. Albert, Calgary-Buffalo, Calgary-Varsity, Lethbridge East and Lethbridge West, the combined vote of the NDP and the Liberal candidates totalled more than 50 percent of the district's votes, thus overwhelming the combined vote of the Conservative and Wild Rose candidate. This also held true for Calgary Mountain View where a Liberal was elected.

In many ridings no Liberal ran, which probably aided the NDP victory in those ridings. These included Lesser Slave Lake, Peace River, Edmonton-McClung, Sherwood Park, West Yellowhead and Whitecourt.

centre
PartyVotesSeats
604,51830.8pp
413,61016.2pp
360,51110.1pp
62,1535.7pp
33,2210.9pp

!rowspan="2" colspan="2" style="text-align:left;" |Party !rowspan="2" style="text-align:left;" |Party leader !rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |Number of candidates !colspan="4" style="text-align:center;" |Seats !colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" |Popular vote* |- |87 ||4 ||4 ||54 ||62.1 ||604,518 ||40.62 ||+30.77 |86 ||17 ||5 ||21 ||24.1 ||360,511 ||24.22 ||–10.06 |87 ||61 ||70 ||9 ||10.3 ||413,610 ||27.79 ||–16.17 |56 ||5 ||5 ||1 ||1.1 ||62,153 ||4.18 ||–5.71 |36 ||— ||— ||1 ||1.1 ||33,221 ||2.23 ||+0.92 |24 ||— ||— ||— ||— ||7,215 ||0.48 ||+0.09 |6 ||— ||— ||— ||— ||834 ||0.06 ||+0.03 |2 ||— ||— ||— ||— ||182 ||0.01 ||= |1 ||— ||— ||— ||— ||72 ||0.005 ||= |15 ||— ||1 ||— ||— ||5,932 ||0.40 ||+0.13 |2 |1**

1.1
!400 !!87 !!87 !!87 !!100.0% !!1,488,248 !!100.00% !!
}
:* The total popular vote includes votes from voided Calgary-Foothills election.
:** Incumbent Premier Jim Prentice disclaimed his victory in Calgary-Foothills. According to section 139 of the Alberta Elections Act, if a winning candidate disclaims their right to become an MLA before the end of the appeal period for the official results, that riding's election is declared void.
**Total**87(50)3(7)52(1)4(1)86

The election resulted in a majority government led by the New Democratic Party.

The result in Calgary-Glenmore remained unresolved on election night, as incumbent PC MLA Linda Johnson and NDP challenger Anam Kazim finished the vote count in an exact tie of 7,015 votes each, necessitating a recount process. On May 15, the recount determined NDP candidate Anam Kazim won the riding by six votes.

The Alberta NDP had been leading in most polls since late April. They had been expected to do well in Edmonton, which historically had been more favourable to centre-left parties and candidates than Alberta in general. However, in a result that exceeded even the most optimistic projections for the NDP, Edmonton swung dramatically to support Notley, who represents an Edmonton riding. The NDP took every seat in the city, all by very large margins (4,000 votes or more with absolute majority support). The NDP also won 15 of the 25 seats in Calgary, the power base of the PCs for most of the previous four decades. The NDP also swept the province's third and fourth-largest cities, Lethbridge and Red Deer. NDP support remained relatively lower in rural Alberta, where they won only a handful of ridings in the north of the province, as well as some rural ridings around Edmonton.

Notley later said that she had known a week before the election that the NDP would win. She told the Canadian Press that she had been sitting in a hotel room in either Calgary or Lethbridge when she saw a very credible poll showing the NDP was poised to rebound from a mere four seats in the legislature – the minimum for official party status – to an outright majority. She was stunned at first, but recovered long enough to drop her plans for a whirlwind schedule to close out the campaign. Her original plan would have not only resulted in her looking extremely haggard in her first speech as premier-elect, but would have left her without time to begin a transition.

The PCs finished second in the popular vote, 53,099 votes ahead of the Wildrose. However, their caucus was decimated due to a near-total collapse in the major cities, as well as a more pronounced split in the right-of-centre vote. They were completely shut out in Edmonton, Lethbridge, and Red Deer, and lost 12 of their 20 seats in Calgary. Since the first-past-the-post system awards seats solely on the basis of plurality district contests (not by proportional representation), the PCs were knocked down to third place with 10 seats, and only two outside Calgary. This was further reduced to nine when Prentice disclaimed victory in his riding. The PCs were reduced to their smallest presence in the Legislative Assembly since 1967. With a few exceptions, their support in the cities transferred to the NDP, while their rural support moved to the Wildrose. All but three members of Prentice's cabinet were defeated.

The Wildrose had its legislative caucus greatly reduced in 2014 when then-leader and Leader of the Official Opposition Danielle Smith and all but 5 Wildrose MLAs crossed the floor to sit with the governing PCs. In the 2015 general election, the party rebounded to 21 seats and retained Official Opposition status. All of their gains were in rural ridings taken from the PCs, and they failed to win a seat in Edmonton or Calgary.

Greg Clark, leader of the Alberta Party, won the first ever seat for his party in the Legislative Assembly. He won the seat of Calgary-Elbow.

For the first time the NDP won a majority of seats in Calgary, taking 15 of the city's 26 seats. This centre-left success was deepened by a Liberal candidate and an Alberta Party candidate also scoring wins in that city. Such had not happened since 1921, when Labour candidates and Independents took seats there.

Results by riding

Bold indicates cabinet members, and party leaders are italicized. Candidate names appear as they appeared on the ballot.

Colour band in gulley indictes winner of the election.

All results are sourced from Elections Alberta.

Northern Alberta

|- | ||Jeff Johnson 5,016 - 29.9% | ||Travis Olson 4,973 - 29.6% | || || ||Colin Piquette 6,797 - 40.5% | || | || ||

Jeff Johnson
4,876 - 26.6%
7,206 - 39.3%
6,232 - 34.0%
Maureen Kubinec
-
3,594 - 30.4%
5,452 - 46.2%
2,136 - 18.1%
628 - 5.3%
Genia Leskiw†
-
2,766 - 28.8%
3,147 - 32.8%
3,692 - 38.4%
Hector Goudreau†
-
1,502 - 22.3%
2,950 - 43.9%
204 - 3.0%
2,071 - 30.8%
Don Scott
-
2,486 - 25.9%
3,835 - 40.0%
345 - 3.6%
2,915 - 30.4%
Mike Allen
-
4,968 - 30.8%
5,343 - 33.2%
787 - 4.9%
5,009 - 31.1%
Everett McDonald
-
6,229 - 35.6%
4,175 - 23.8%
5,062 - 28.9%
2,048 - 11.7%
Wayne Drysdale
-
3,004 - 24.4%
4,763 - 38.7%
4,214 - 34.2%
339 - 2.8%
Shayne Saskiw†
-
1,944 - 21.5%
3,198 - 35.3%
3,915 - 43.2%
Pearl Calahasen
-
3,529 - 36.4%
1,979 - 20.4%
3,821 - 39.4%
376 - 3.9%
Frank Oberle

Central Edmonton

|- | ||Tony Caterina 2,524 - 15.5% | ||Stephanie Diacon 1,248 - 7.6% | ||Tomi Yellowface 359 - 2.2% || ||Deron Bilous 12,049 - 73.8% | ||Owais Siddiqui 147 - 0.9% | || ||

Deron Bilous
3,222 - 17.8%
1,565 - 8.6%
527 - 2.9%
12,837 - 70.7%
David Eggen
-
2,228 - 13.5%
772 - 4.7%
4,199 - 25.4%
8,983 - 54.4%
295 - 1.8%
Rory Joe Koopmans (Ind.)
40 - 0.2%
Laurie Blakeman
-
3,145 - 17.3%
1,394 - 7.6%
553 - 3.0%
12,473 - 68.4%
463 - 2.5%
195 - 1.1%
Heather Klimchuk
-
4,147 - 18.6%
1,422 - 6.4%
702 - 3.2%
15,349 - 68.9%
662 - 3.0%
David Dorward
-
1,778 - 12.0%
967 - 6.5%
494 - 3.3%
11,555 - 78.1%
Brian Mason
-
3,848 - 23.9%
1,365 - 8.5%
1,896 - 11.8%
9,025 - 55.9%
Gene Zwozdesky
-
2,920 - 19.1%
1,437 - 9.4%
850 - 5.6%
9,930 - 64.9%
129 - 0.8%
Naomi Rankin
(Communist)
44 - 0.3%
Sohail Quadri
-
3,732 - 19.3%
1,350 - 7.0%
1,416 - 7.3%
12,108 - 62.8%
487 - 2.5%
135 - 0.7%
Glenn Miller (Ind.)
59 - 0.3%
Steve Young
-
3,940 - 22.5%
1,644 - 9.4%
741 - 4.2%
11,214 - 63.9%
Fred Horne†
-
2,242 - 13.6%
658 - 4.0%
13,592 - 82.4%
Rachel Notley

Suburban Edmonton

|- | ||Thomas Lukaszuk 4,182 - 23.1% | ||Gerrit Roosenboom 1,383 - 7.6% | ||Todd Ross 880 - 4.9% || ||Nicole Goehring 11,689 - 64.5% | || | || ||

Thomas Lukaszuk
2,847 - 18.4%
1,289 - 8.3%
691 - 4.5%
10,531 - 67.9%
150 - 1.0%
Janice Sarich
-
3,549 - 19.8%
2,499 - 13.9%
839 - 4.7%
11,034 - 61.6%
Naresh Bhardwaj§
-
2,599 - 15.1%
1,475 - 8.6%
776 - 4.5%
12,376 - 71.8%
Peter Sandhu§
-
4,408 - 25.9%
2,373 - 14.0%
9,412 - 55.4%
808 - 4.8%
David Xiao
-
3,924 - 22.8%
1,972 - 11.5%
1,507 - 8.8%
9,796 - 57.0%
Raj Sherman†
-
6,316 - 27.8%
2,290 - 10.1%
1,199 - 5.3%
12,352 - 54.4%
543 - 2.4%
Matt Jeneroux
-
7,177 - 32.2%
1,423 - 6.4%
629 - 2.8%
12,805 - 57.4%
182 - 0.8%
John Baloun (Ind.)
73 - 0.3%
Stephen Mandel
-
5,655 - 25.9%
4,815 - 22.1%
11,365 - 52.0%
Cathy Olesen
-
6,340 - 27.9%
2,858 - 12.6%
778 - 3.4%
12,220 - 53.9%
493 - 2.2%
Stephen Khan

West Central Alberta

|- | ||Diana J. McQueen 5,182 - 30.5% || ||Mark Smith 6,284 - 37.0% | || | ||Katherine Swampy 4,816 - 28.4% | ||Connie Jensen 416 - 2.5% | ||Jennifer R. Roach (Green) 276 - 1.6% ||

Diana McQueen
5,136 - 28.0%
7,829 - 42.7%
4,244 - 23.1%
1,135 - 6.2%
Kerry Towle
-
5,274 - 26.3%
10,692 - 53.4%
3,366 - 16.8%
685 - 3.4%
Bruce Rowe†
-
3,836 - 22.7%
4,173 - 24.7%
3,262 - 19.3%
4,969 - 29.4%
683 - 4.0%
Mary Anne Jablonski†
-
5,414 - 27.6%
4,812 - 24.6%
738 - 3.8%
7,024 - 35.9%
1,035 - 5.3%
274 - 1.4%
Patti Argent (Ind.)
232 - 1.2%
William Berry (Ind.)
60 - 0.3%
Cal Dallas†
-
5,296 - 31.8%
6,670 - 40.1%
2,791 - 16.8%
1,871 - 11.3%
Joe Anglin
-
6,362 - 25.6%
4,631 - 18.7%
916 - 3.7%
11,546 - 46.5%
1,081 - 4.4%
269 - 1.1%
Vacant
-
4,944 - 25.7%
5,586 - 29.1%
657 - 3.4%
7,268 - 37.8%
538 - 2.8%
220 - 1.1%
Ken Lemke
-
3,433 - 32.3%
3,055 - 28.8%
4,135 - 38.9%
Robin Campbell
-
4,721 - 31.1%
4,996 - 33.0%
5,442 - 35.9%
George VanderBurg

East Central Alberta

|- | ||Blake Prior 5,057 - 31.2% || ||Wes Taylor 6,862 - 42.3% | ||Ron Williams 500 - 3.1% | ||Gordon Naylor 3,807 - 23.5% | || | || ||

Vacant
5,388 - 33.9%
7,570 - 47.7%
2,927 - 18.4%
Rick Strankman
-
5,527 - 28.3%
3,959 - 20.2%
475 - 2.4%
8,983 - 45.9%
324 - 1.7%
285 - 1.5%
Jacquie Fenske
-
5,018 - 27.6%
6,502 - 35.7%
5,481 - 30.1%
1,206 - 6.6%
Rod Fox§
-
6,225 - 28.3%
6,543 - 29.7%
8,321 - 37.8%
612 - 2.8%
301 - 1.4%
George Rogers
-
6,623 - 30.1%
5,286 - 24.0%
9,376 - 42.6%
721 - 3.3%
Dave Quest
-
5,935 - 47.4%
4,171 - 33.3%
2,428 - 19.4%
Richard Starke
-
5,951 - 34.7%
3,685 - 21.5%
7,531 - 43.9%
Verlyn Olson

Central Calgary

|- | ||Jonathan Denis 4,602 - 29.0% | ||Linda Carlson 4,985 - 31.4% | ||Nicholas Borovsky 765 - 4.8% || ||Brandy Payne 5,506 - 34.7% | || | || ||

Jonathan Denis
3,738 - 28.1%
1,351 - 10.2%
3,282 - 24.7%
4,671 - 35.1%
263 - 2.0%
Kent Hehr†
-
4,501 - 35.3%
2,060 - 16.2%
1,194 - 9.4%
4,602 - 36.1%
236 - 1.9%
Katherine Le Rougetel (Ind.)
143 - 1.1%
Yvonne Fritz†
-
4,577 - 24.7%
3,769 - 20.3%
1,441 - 7.8%
7,387 - 39.8%
1,006 - 5.4%
373 - 2.0%
Christine Cusanelli
-
3,971 - 28.3%
3,633 - 25.9%
806 - 5.7%
5,506 - 39.2%
138 - 1.0%
Moe Amery
-
6,254 - 30.3%
1,786 - 8.7%
565 - 2.7%
3,256 - 15.8%
8,707 - 42.2%
67 - 0.3%
Gordon Dirks
-
6,198 - 32.9%
5,568 - 29.6%
6,069 - 32.2%
850 - 4.5%
148 - 0.8%
Heather Forsyth†
-
3,204 - 22.7%
3,003 - 21.3%
476 - 3.4%
7,027 - 49.8%
410 - 2.9%
Wayne Cao†
-
7,015 - 33.2%
5,058 - 23.9%
1,345 - 6.4%
7,021 - 33.2%
719 - 3.4%
Linda Johnson
-
4,878 - 26.8%
4,206 - 23.0%
1,104 - 6.0%
8,098 - 44.3%
0 - 0.0%
Kyle Fawcett
-
4,699 - 23.9%
2,070 - 10.5%
7,204 - 36.7%
5,673 - 28.9%
David Swann
-
5,700 - 30.2%
2,598 - 13.8%
1,862 - 9.9%
8,297 - 43.9%
424 - 2.2%
Donna Kennedy-Glans†

Suburban Calgary

|- | ||Byron Nelson 5,419 - 33.0% | ||Trevor Grover 3,752 - 22.8% | ||Matt Gaiser 682 - 4.2% || ||Deborah Drever 5,669 - 34.5% | ||Jonathon Himann 459 - 2.8% | ||David Reid (Green) 448 - 2.7% ||

Alana DeLong†
7,163 - 40.3%
3,216 - 18.1%
1,271 - 7.2%
5,748 - 32.4%
363 - 2.0%
Jim Prentice
-
5,337 - 42.8%
2,627 - 21.1%
4,513 - 36.2%
Manmeet Bhullar
-
6,378 - 31.2%
4,448 - 21.7%
736 - 3.6%
7,443 - 36.4%
925 - 4.5%
455 - 2.2%
Len Skowronski (Social Credit)
90 - 0.4%
Jason Luan
-
6,671 - 38.3%
4,562 - 26.2%
722 - 4.1%
5,138 - 29.5%
250 - 1.4%
Zachary Doyle (Social Credit)
93 - 0.5%
Ric McIver
-
5,939 - 35.0%
4,781 - 28.2%
817 - 4.8%
5,437 - 32.0%
Dave Rodney
-
4,587 - 27.4%
4,914 - 29.3%
768 - 4.6%
6,177 - 36.9%
316 - 1.9%
Neil Brown
-
2,317 - 18.2%
3,367 - 26.4%
2,224 - 17.5%
3,812 - 29.9%
1,010 - 7.9%
Darshan Kang†
-
6,320 - 32.7%
5,163 - 26.7%
935 - 4.8%
5,724 - 29.6%
1,176 - 6.1%
Sandra Jansen
-
5,343 - 30.7%
4,392 - 25.3%
1,000 - 5.8%
6,641 - 38.2%
Teresa Woo-Paw
-
5,348 - 30.7%
5,301 - 30.4%
668 - 3.8%
5,449 - 31.2%
661 - 3.8%
Jeff Wilson
-
7,663 - 32.5%
6,892 - 29.2%
1,304 - 5.5%
7,358 - 31.2%
374 - 1.6%
Rick Fraser
-
8,312 - 46.8%
4,512 - 25.4%
4,940 - 27.8%
Mike Ellis
-
7,454 - 36.0%
7,676 - 37.0%
3,706 - 17.9%
1,093 - 5.3%
Coral Bliss Taylor (Green)
405 - 2.0%
Matt Grant (Ind.)
391 - 1.9%
Bruce McAllister
-

Southern Alberta

|- | ||Peter Brown 6,181 - 28.9% || ||Angela Pitt 7,499 - 35.1% | || | ||Chris Noble 6,388 - 29.9% | ||Jeremy Klug 912 - 4.3% | ||Jeff Willerton (Ind.) 399 - 1.9% ||

Rob Anderson†
5,555 - 28.2%
5,692 - 28.9%
8,426 - 42.8%
Ron Casey
-
4,356 - 35.5%
5,126 - 41.8%
2,407 - 19.6%
378 - 3.1%
Gary Bikman§
-
3,389 - 21.6%
8,544 - 54.6%
528 - 3.4%
3,201 - 20.4%
Drew Barnes
-
6,827 - 33.0%
8,504 - 41.1%
3,937 - 19.0%
892 - 4.3%
390 - 1.7%
Jeremy Fraser (Social Credit)
187 - 0.9%
Danielle Smith§
-
4,743 - 25.3%
3,918 - 20.9%
1,201 - 6.4%
8,918 - 47.5%
Bridget Pastoor†
-
3,938 - 21.0%
3,063 - 16.3%
634 - 3.4%
11,144 - 59.3%
Greg Weadick
-
4,793 - 35.3%
4,803 - 35.4%
377 - 2.8%
3,364 - 24.8%
249 - 1.8%
Ian Donovan
-
6,404 - 34.7%
7,362 - 39.9%
464 - 2.5%
4,338 - 22.9%
Pat Stier
-
3,427 - 21.1%
5,790 - 35.6%
6,160 - 37.9%
731 - 4.5%
137 - 0.8%
Blake Pedersen
-
4,452 - 27.0%
8,652 - 52.5%
200 - 1.2%
2,463 - 15.0%
304 - 1.8%
322 - 2.0%
Glen Dundas (Alberta First)
72 - 0.4%
Jason Hale†

Defeated incumbents

PartyNameConstituencyOffice held at electionYear electedDefeated byPartyABPC}}"ABWildrose}}"ABAlberta}}"ABWildrose}}"ABWildrose}}"ABWildrose}}"ABWildrose}}"ABWildrose}}"ABWildrose}}"ABLiberal}}"ABIndependent}}"ABWildrose}}"
Progressive
ConservativeMike AllenFort McMurray-Wood Buffalo[2012](2012-alberta-general-election)Tany YaoWildrose Party
Moe AmeryCalgary East[1993](1993-alberta-general-election)Robyn LuffNew Democratic Party
Pearl CalahasenLesser Slave LakeLongest-serving MLA at dissolution[1989](1989-alberta-general-election)Danielle LariveeNew Democratic Party
Jonathan DenisCalgary-AcadiaMinister of Justice and Solicitor General[2008](2008-alberta-general-election)Brandy PayneNew Democratic Party
Gordon DirksCalgary-ElbowMinister of Education2014Greg ClarkAlberta Party
Ian DonovanLittle Bow[2012](2012-alberta-general-election)Dave SchneiderWildrose Party
David DorwardEdmonton-Gold BarAssociate Minister of Aboriginal Relations[2012](2012-alberta-general-election)Marlin SchmidtNew Democratic Party
Jacquie FenskeFort Saskatchewan-Vegreville[2012](2012-alberta-general-election)Jessica LittlewoodNew Democratic Party
Matt JenerouxEdmonton-South West[2012](2012-alberta-general-election)Thomas DangNew Democratic Party
Jeff JohnsonAthabasca-Sturgeon-RedwaterMinister of Seniors[2008](2008-alberta-general-election)Colin PiquetteNew Democratic Party
Linda JohnsonCalgary-Glenmore[2012](2012-alberta-general-election)Anam KazimNew Democratic Party
Stephen KhanSt. AlbertMinister of Service Alberta[2012](2012-alberta-general-election)Marie RenaudNew Democratic Party
Heather KlimchukEdmonton-GlenoraMinister of Human Services[2008](2008-alberta-general-election)Sarah HoffmanNew Democratic Party
Maureen KubinecBarrhead-Morinville-WestlockMinister of Culture and Tourism[2012](2012-alberta-general-election)Glenn van DijkenWildrose Party
Thomas LukaszukEdmonton-Castle Downs[2001](2001-alberta-general-election)Nicole GoehringNew Democratic Party
Stephen MandelEdmonton-WhitemudMinister of Health2014Bob TurnerNew Democratic Party
Bruce McAllisterChestermere-Rocky View[2012](2012-alberta-general-election)Leela AheerWildrose Party
Everett McDonaldGrande Prairie-Smoky[2012](2012-alberta-general-election)Todd LoewenWildrose Party
Frank OberlePeace RiverMinister of Energy, Government House Leader[2004](2004-alberta-general-election)Debbie JabbourNew Democratic Party
Cathy OlesenSherwood Park[2012](2012-alberta-general-election)Annie McKitrickNew Democratic Party
Blake PedersenMedicine Hat[2012](2012-alberta-general-election)Bob WannerNew Democratic Party
Sohail QuadriEdmonton-Mill Woods[2012](2012-alberta-general-election)Christina GrayNew Democratic Party
George RogersLeduc-Beaumont[2004](2004-alberta-general-election)Shaye AndersonNew Democratic Party
Janice SarichEdmonton-Decore[2008](2008-alberta-general-election)Chris NielsenNew Democratic Party
Don ScottFort McMurray-ConklinMinister of Innovation and Advanced Education, Deputy House Leader[2012](2012-alberta-general-election)Brian JeanWildrose Party
Kerry TowleInnisfail-Sylvan Lake[2012](2012-alberta-general-election)Don MacIntyreWildrose Party
Jeff WilsonCalgary-Shaw[2012](2012-alberta-general-election)Graham SuchaNew Democratic Party
Teresa Woo-PawCalgary-Northern Hills[2008](2008-alberta-general-election)Jamie KleinsteuberNew Democratic Party
David XiaoEdmonton-McClung[2008](2008-alberta-general-election)Lorne DachNew Democratic Party
Steve YoungEdmonton-Riverview[2012](2012-alberta-general-election)Lori SigurdsonNew Democratic Party
Gene ZwozdeskyEdmonton-Mill CreekSpeaker[1993](1993-alberta-general-election)Denise WoollardNew Democratic Party
LiberalLaurie BlakemanEdmonton-Centre[1997](1997-alberta-general-election)David ShepherdNew Democratic Party
IndependentJoe AnglinRimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre[2012](2012-alberta-general-election)Jason NixonWildrose Party

MLAs who did not run again

;Progressive Conservative

  • Rob Anderson, Airdrie
  • Wayne Cao, Calgary-Fort
  • Cal Dallas, Red Deer-South
  • Alana DeLong, Calgary-Bow
  • Yvonne Fritz, Calgary-Cross
  • Hector Goudreau, Dunvegan-Central Peace-Notley
  • Jason Hale, Strathmore-Brooks
  • Fred Horne, Edmonton-Rutherford
  • Mary Anne Jablonski, Red Deer-North
  • Genia Leskiw, Bonnyville-Cold Lake
  • Donna Kennedy-Glans, Calgary-Varsity
  • Bridget Pastoor, Lethbridge-East
  • Bruce Rowe, Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills
  • Danielle Smith, Highwood

;Wildrose

  • Heather Forsyth, Calgary-Fish Creek
  • Shayne Saskiw, Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills

;Liberal

  • Kent Hehr, Calgary-Buffalo
  • Darshan Kang, Calgary-McCall
  • Raj Sherman, Edmonton-Meadowlark

Timeline

2012

  • April 23: The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta (PCs) win the 28th Alberta general election. The Wildrose Party wins the second-most seats, for the first time forming the Official Opposition.
  • May 3:The election results are certified and made official.
  • May 23: The 28th Alberta Legislative Assembly sits for the first time.

2013

  • May 14: The Separation Party of Alberta changes its name back to the Alberta First Party name it abandoned in 2004.
  • May 14: Edmonton-Manning PC MLA Peter Sandhu resigns from the PC caucus, becoming an Independent.
  • July 16: Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo PC MLA Mike Allen quits the PC caucus after being arrested in the US on a soliciting for prostitution charge.
  • December 10: Edmonton-Manning Independent MLA Peter Sandhu rejoins the PC caucus.

2014

  • March 12: After an expense scandal involving Premier Redford's trip to the funeral of Nelson Mandela, Calgary-Foothills PC MLA Len Webber leaves the PC caucus to sit as an Independent.
  • March 17: Calgary-Varsity PC MLA and Associate Minister for Electricity and Renewable Energy Donna Kennedy-Glans leaves the PC caucus to sit as an Independent.
  • March 20: Alison Redford resigns as leader of the PCs, and Dave Hancock is named interim leader.
  • March 23: Redford's resignation as Premier comes into effect and Deputy Premier and Edmonton-Whitemud MLA Dave Hancock is sworn in as Premier.
  • April 29: An NDP leadership election is initiated when leader Brian Mason announces his pending resignation as leader.
  • July 7: Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo Independent MLA Mike Allen is admitted back into the PC caucus after a caucus vote.
  • August 6: PC MLA Alison Redford resigns her Calgary-Elbow seat, triggering a by-election.
  • September 6: In the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta leadership election, former federal cabinet minister Jim Prentice is elected leader.
  • September 15: Dave Hancock resigns as Premier and his Edmonton-Whitemud seat, triggering a by-election. Jim Prentice is sworn in as premier.
  • September 17: Calgary-Varsity Independent MLA Donna Kennedy-Glans requests, and is accepted back into, the PC caucus.
  • September 29: Independent MLA Len Webber resigns his Calgary-Foothills seat, PC MLA Ken Hughes resigns his Calgary-West seat, and by-elections are called in their ridings as well as Calgary-Elbow and Edmonton-Whitemud.
  • October 18: At the Alberta NDP convention Rachel Notley is chosen party leader.
  • October 27: Four PC MLAs are elected in by-elections: Gordon Dirks in Calgary-Elbow, Jim Prentice in Calgary-Foothills, Mike Ellis in Calgary-West, and Stephen Mandel in Edmonton-Whitemud.
  • November 2: Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre Wildrose MLA Joe Anglin leaves the Wildrose caucus to sit as an Independent.
  • November 24: Innisfail-Sylvan Lake MLA Kerry Towle and Little Bow MLA Ian Donovan leave the Wildrose Party and join the PCs.
  • December 17: Nine Wildrose Party MLAs, including leader Danielle Smith and House Leader Rob Anderson cross the floor to join the PCs.
  • December 21: Heather Forsyth is named interim leader of the Wildrose Party.

2015

  • January 26: Raj Sherman resigns as leader of the Alberta Liberal Party, and PC MLA Doug Griffiths resigns from his Battle River-Wainwright seat.
  • January 31: PC MLA Doug Horner resigns his Spruce Grove-St. Albert seat.
  • February 1: David Swann is named interim leader of the Alberta Liberal Party.
  • March 26: Premier Jim Prentice tables his government's 2015-16 budget.
  • March 28: Former Conservative MP Brian Jean wins Wildrose Party leadership election, former Wildrose Party leader Danielle Smith loses PC nomination in Highwood to Okotoks councilor Carrie Fischer
  • April 7: Premier Jim Prentice drops the writ, calling for an election on May 5, 2015.
  • April 23: Televised leaders' debate.
  • May 5: Election results - the NDP win a majority of seats (53), and the Wildrose finish second with 21 seats. The Progressive Conservatives' run of nearly 44 years as government ends with a third-place finish of 10 seats. Premier Prentice announces resignation as PC leader and as Calgary-Foothills MLA. The initial result in Calgary-Glenmore is a tie.
  • May 15: Elections Alberta publishes the official result. NDP candidate Anam Kazim wins the riding of Calgary-Glenmore after recount, leaving the NDP holding 54 of 87 seats in the legislature.

Opinion polls

The following is a summary of published polls of voter intentions.

Date of PollingPolling FirmMargin of Error
(19 times out of 20)ABPC}}"PCABWildrose}}"WildroseABLiberal}}"LiberalABNDP}}"NDPABAlberta}}"AlbertaABIndependent}}"OtherABUndecided}}"Undecided
*May 5, 2015**Election 2015*27.824.24.2**40.6**2.21.0
Forum Research±3 pp23234**45**32
Insights West±3.1 pp23274**42**329
EKOS Research Associates±3.4 pp22.524.05.6**44.3**2.21.4
Forum Research±3 pp21245**42**53
Mainstreet Research±1.85 pp21265**44**314
Ipsos-Reid±4.1 pp24269**37**31
EKOS Research Associates±3.7 pp23.121.36.3**42.2**4.62.6
ThinkHQ±2.1 pp20279**39**41
Leger Marketing±2.8 pp30246**38**1116
Return On Insight±3.6 pp242110**38**4
**Televised leaders' debate**
Mainstreet Research±1.49 pp26**32**831421
Forum Research±3 pp20257**38**65
Mainstreet Research±1.78 pp25**35**431419
Mainstreet Research±1.76 pp24**31**1030523
Forum Research±2 pp27**30**122822
**Dissolution of the [28th Alberta Legislative Assembly](28th-alberta-legislative-assembly), campaign begins**
Mainstreet Research±1.78 pp27**31**1226324
ThinkHQ±2.3 pp25**31**122651
Insights West±3.9 pp**31**27142225
Mainstreet Research±1.8 pp**30****30**1718520
**Brian Jean [becomes leader](2015-wildrose-party-leadership-election) of the Wildrose Party**
Environics**46**1618174
**David Swann becomes interim leader of the Liberal Party**
**Raj Sherman resigns as leader of the Liberal Party**
Insights West**42**1419187
**Heather Forsyth becomes interim leader of the Wildrose Party**
Mainstreet Research**44**2014184
**Danielle Smith resigns as leader of the Wildrose Party, crosses the floor with 8 caucus members to the PCs**
Insights West**35**2915165
**Rachel Notley [becomes leader](2014-alberta-new-democratic-party-leadership-election) of the New Democratic Party**
Lethbridge College**32.6**30.812.816.87.0
**Jim Prentice [becomes leader](2014-progressive-conservative-association-of-alberta-leadership-election) of the Progressive Conservative Association and Premier**
Leger Marketing29**33**18164
Leger Marketing26**31**20194
**Brian Mason resigns as leader of the New Democratic Party, becomes interim leader**
Insights West21**50**11162
**Alison Redford resigns as Premier and leader of the Progressive Conservative Association, Dave Hancock becomes interim leader and Premier**
ThinkHQ19**46**161531
Angus Reid23**46**15134
Leger Marketing25**38**161532
Environics**36**3318122
Lethbridge College**36.1**29.415.712.21.15.6
Leger Marketing33**34**15153
Leger Marketing29**37**17143
ThinkHQ26**38**131634
Leger Marketing**40**2812136
Environics**45**2913121
Lethbridge College**44.6**23.911.114.03.03.4
Environics**43**2614133
Forum Research**39**3691222
*Election 2012*±0.0 pp**44.0**34.39.99.81.30.7

Media endorsements

The following media outlets endorsed the Progressive Conservatives during the campaign:

  • Calgary Herald (Postmedia)
  • Calgary Sun (Postmedia)
  • The Globe and Mail (The Woodbridge Company, majority owned by Thomson Reuters)
  • Edmonton Journal (Postmedia)
  • Edmonton Sun (Postmedia)

No media endorsements were made for any of the other parties.

Footnotes

References

References

Works cited

References

  1. "General Elections «".
  2. {{Cite canlaw. (2000)
  3. Bratt, Duane. (December 25, 2015). "NDP: The year of Alberta's Orange chinook". [[The Globe and Mail]].
  4. Casey, Sean. (June 20, 2014). "Could the "Orange Chinook" Extend into the October Election - Federal Election Tracker by Global Public Affairs". Globalelectioninsights.ca.
  5. [http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/jim-prentice-resignation-as-mla-too-fast-strategist-says-1.3063084 "Jim Prentice resignation as MLA too fast, strategist says"] {{Webarchive. link. (May 7, 2015 . [[CBC News]], May 6, 2015.)
  6. (1979). "Society and Politics in Alberta". Methuen.
  7. Kozicka, "Rachel Notley proud of historic number of women elected in Alberta" https://globalnews.ca/news/1983305/rachel-notley-proud-of-historic-number-of-women-elected-in-alberta/ accessed December 5, 2025
  8. [https://edmontonjournal.com/Notley+cabinet+ministers+sworn+Sunday+legislature/11068965/story.html Notley, 11 cabinet ministers to be sworn in Sunday at legislature] {{Webarchive. link. (May 27, 2015 . [[Edmonton Journal]], May 20, 2015.)
  9. "Election Results".
  10. Stolte, Elise. (April 23, 2012). "Alberta Election 2012: NDP picks up support, falls short of goal". Edmonton Journal.
  11. (April 23, 2012). "Alberta PCs win historic 12th straight majority". [[CTV News]].
  12. Giovannetti, Justin. (April 7, 2015). "Jim Prentice seeks mandate on May 5 in cautious Alberta election bid". [[The Globe and Mail]].
  13. (April 10, 2015). "Alberta election may be unethical, but it's not illegal". [[The Globe and Mail]].
  14. (5 May 2015). "Alberta election 2015 results: NDP wave sweeps across province in historic win". CBC.
  15. "Alberta election results 2015: A riding-by-riding breakdown of the vote".
  16. "Unofficial Results".
  17. Results compared to the [[Evergreen Party of Alberta. Evergreen Party's]] results in [[2012 Alberta General Election. 2012]]
  18. Results compared to the [[Separation Party of Alberta. Separation Party's]] results in [[2012 Alberta General Election. 2012]]
  19. Office of the Chief Electoral Officer. (June 5, 2015). "Notice: Members Elected to Serve in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta". The Alberta Gazette, Part I.
  20. RSA 2000, c E-1
  21. Toneguzzi, Mario. (May 5, 2015). "Calgary-Glenmore tied after all polls tallied". Calgary Herald.
  22. (2015). "Provincial Politics in Canada".
  23. Bennett, Dean. (May 10, 2015). "Notley says she knew NDP would win Alberta election a week before vote". [[CTV News]].
  24. A Report on Alberta Elections, 1905-1982
  25. "Provincial Results". [[Elections Alberta]].
  26. (February 7, 2015). "Retiring MLAs to take home $5M in severance pay". [[Calgary Herald]].
  27. (February 17, 2015). "After five terms, Calgary MLA Wayne Cao joins list of Tories not running again". [[Calgary Herald]].
  28. "Key Dates". Elections Alberta.
  29. Henton, Darcy. (May 2, 2012}}{{Dead link). "Redford says she wants to fast-track twinning of Highway 63". Calgary Herald.
  30. "Parties". Elections Alberta.
  31. O'Donnell, Sarah. (May 14, 2013). "Edmonton Conservative MLA withdraws from caucus while ethics investigation underway". Edmonton Journal.
  32. (July 16, 2013). "Alberta MLA quits PC caucus after U.S. prostitution arrest". CBC News.
  33. (December 10, 2013). "MLA Peter Sandhu back in PC caucus". CBC News.
  34. Wood, James. (March 12, 2014). "MLA won't remain a Tory 'with her as leader of the party'". Calgary Herald.
  35. Barrett, Jessica. (March 18, 2014). "Associate minister leaves Tories, blaming culture of entitlement". Calgary Herald.
  36. Janus, Andrea. (March 20, 2014). "Redford's replacement Dave Hancock promises 'government Albertans want'". CTV News.
  37. (March 19, 2014). "Dave Hancock to be interim Alberta premier". CBC News.
  38. Bennett, Dean. (May 2, 2014). "Alberta NDP to pick new leader in Edmonton". Global News.
  39. Mertz, Emily. (July 7, 2014). "Alberta MLA Mike Allen back in PC Caucus". Global News.
  40. (August 6, 2014). "Alison Redford resigns seat, leaves politics". Calgary Herald.
  41. (September 6, 2014). "Alberta PC leadership vote: Jim Prentice wins on 1st ballot". CBC News.
  42. Bennett, Dean. (September 12, 2014). "Outgoing Alberta premier Dave Hancock resigns MLA seat". [[The Globe and Mail]].
  43. (September 15, 2014). "Prentice promises 'new way of doing things' as smaller cabinet sworn in". Edmonton Journal.
  44. (September 17, 2014). "Kennedy-Glans returns to Alberta PC caucus". [[Global News]].
  45. (September 30, 2014). "Prentice to run in Calgary-Foothills as four byelections called". Calgary Herald.
  46. (October 18, 2014). "Rachel Notley becomes new leader of Alberta NDP". Global News.
  47. (October 27, 2014). "Alberta byelections swept by Jim Prentice's Progressive Conservative Party". CBC News.
  48. (November 2, 2014). "Joe Anglin quits Wildrose caucus, will sit as independent". CBC News.
  49. "Wildrose MLAs Kerry Towle and Ian Donovan cross floor to join Tories". Edmonton Journal.
  50. (December 17, 2014). "Cabinet minister has 'open mind' to Wildrose floor crossings". Global Edmonton.
  51. (December 21, 2014). "Wildrose turns to Heather Forsyth as party reels from defections". CBC News.
  52. Bellefontaine, Michelle. (January 26, 2015). "Raj Sherman stepping down as Alberta Liberal leader". CBC News.
  53. (January 22, 2015). "Doug Horner resigning as MLA at end of January". CBC News.
  54. (February 1, 2015). "David Swann chosen as interim leader of Alberta Liberals". CBC News.
  55. (May 15, 2015). "Official Poll Results".
  56. Calgary Herald Editorial Board. (May 2, 2015). "Our choice: Prentice deserves another mandate". Calgary Herald.
  57. Calgary Sun Editorial Board. (May 2, 2015). "Editorial: Alberta PC party the only viable choice". Calgary Sun.
  58. Mcintosh, Jeff. (May 1, 2015). "For Alberta, Jim Prentice is the best choice". The Globe and Mail.
  59. (May 2, 2015). "Saturday's Editorial: In this election, we are picking a CEO for the province". Edmonton Journal.
  60. (May 2, 2015). "Editorial: Alberta PC party the only viable choice". Edmonton Sun.
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