A Historical Year in Alberta Politics

2015 was a historical year for politics within Alberta, Canada. On May 5th, 2015, the 29th general election of Alberta took place and a traditionally Progressive Conservative (PC) dominated government was taken over by the New Democratic Party (NDP). The election took place following a request by Jim Prentice, former Premier of Alberta, who has since given up his seat as well as his position as PC party leader.

The NDPs, led by Rachel Notley, won 53 seats, making them a majority government with the Wildrose Party becoming the official opposition when they claimed 21 seats. The PCs were left with only 10 seats and the Liberals and Alberta party both claimed one seat each.

This is the first time in 44 years that the PC government has not been a majority in Alberta and though some Albertans think this is a change for the better, many are still skeptical of having a new party in power. The New Democrats promise a change in many things, including education and health care, and Albertans are hoping that this wave of orange will help bring about change for the better.

The government of Canada is still a PC majority, but with the federal election set to take place October 19^th, 2015, NDP supports are hoping that this victory in Alberta will pave the way for a change in federal government as well.