Fixed election dates appear headed to Alberta and legislation implementing them is expected this fall.
Premier Alison Redford, told a Calgary television station she expects a bill paving the way for fixed dates will be introduced this fall.
Redford promised during the Progressive Conservative leadership to bring in the legislation and after her victory she promised Albertans would go to the polls in the next 12 months.
Her spokesperson, Kim Misik said Friday that she was unsure whether the bill would set a specific date for the next election or simply mandate fixed dates in the future.
“The legislation is still being drafted so it is a wait-and-see thing until we actually see the final bill,” she said. “They are still putting the final touches on the legislation.”
Local MLA Ken Allred has long been a proponent of fixed election dates and put forward a private member’s bill on the issue as one of his first acts in the legislature in 2008.
Allred said there are a lot of practical reasons to have fixed election dates, including ensuring candidates, parties and Elections Alberta all have plenty of time to prepare.
He said most importantly, however, voters will know when they are going to the polls so people, including snowbirds who might otherwise be out of the country, have time to prepare.
“It tells the electorate when the election is going to be and they can adjust accordingly.”
Allred’s bill never made it through the legislature and the issue essentially died when former premier Ed Stelmach rejected the idea after the province’s chief electoral officer suggested it.
Allred said beyond just the practical benefits of fixed dates it is a fairness issue, which allows the opposition to know just as much about the election as the government.
“They can prepare for it just as well as the government.”
Allred’s bill envisioned fall elections every four years. He also proposed switching municipal terms to four years from the current three so Albertans would go to the polls once every two years in the fall.
He said he hopes the new bill will fix the date of the next election, as well as subsequent dates.
“I think if we are going to do it we might as well do it,” he said. “I would assume if we are going to do it, it will start with this one.”
The fall legislative session is currently suspended and is to reconvene on Nov. 21.
