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EDMONTON — The Alberta New Democratic Party are accusing the United Conservative Party government of gerrymandering after a new motion signalled potential changes to electoral boundaries ahead of the next provincial election.
Opposition Leader Naheed Nenshi said the proposal would allow the government to override the work of the independent electoral boundaries commission and redraw maps without public consultation.
He alleged the move would give the governing party greater control over the redistribution process and could alter representation in urban centres.
Premier Danielle Smith and the UCP caucus have not publicly detailed the full scope of the proposed changes, but the motion added to the legislature’s order paper indicates a review of the current boundaries process.
Electoral boundaries in Alberta are typically reviewed by an independent commission tasked with ensuring fair representation based on population changes and community interests.
Nenshi said the current commission’s work followed public input from Albertans across the province and should be implemented without political interference.
He also raised concerns about potential changes to ridings in cities such as Calgary, Red Deer and Lethbridge, suggesting proposed adjustments could redistribute urban voters into surrounding rural constituencies.
The UCP government has previously said it is examining options to ensure representation reflects Alberta’s growth and changing demographics.
The New Democrats are calling on the government to proceed with the independent commission’s final report and maintain what they describe as a fair and transparent process for electoral boundary changes.
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