EDMONTON — Politicians in the Alberta legislature are expected to vote today on a controversial motion that directly affects next year’s general election.

Premier Danielle Smith’s governing United Conservatives have put forward a motion to revisit a panel report on how the ridings should be redrawn ahead of the 2027 vote.

Smith says they are acting on the recommendation of the panel chairman to add more seats to make sure rural voters are properly represented.

But the Opposition NDP says Smith doesn’t have to go back to the drawing board to add the extra seats.

NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi says the real reason Smith wants to revisit the report is in order to accept the recommendations of the UCP-appointed members of that panel.

Those panel members called for a slew of urban-rural hybrid ridings, which even other members of the panel warned skewed the map in favour of the rural-dominant UCP.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2026.

Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press