Changes may be coming to Alberta’s Local Authorities Election Act that would allow local politicians to have their political party affiliations listed alongside their name on the ballet.
Such legislative changes are currently being considered by Alberta’s United Conservatives allowing local politicians at the municipal level to run on behalf of provincial and federal parties, or create their own.
The proposed changes would resemble how certain municipalities already operate like Montreal, Quebec City and Longueil in Quebec and Vancouver, Victoria, Surrey and Richmond in B.C.
“It’s still under debate, it’s still under consultation. We’re still going through the process on that. (It) may not apply to everyone, may just be a pilot project, and may just be targeted to the major cities,” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told a room full of civic leaders in Edmonton on Friday.
Smith said the reason for the proposed change is to offer Albertans a better understanding of who and what kind of politician they are voting for.
Under the current Local Authorities Election Act, party affiliation is prohibited.
“It may be that that dynamic has not developed in most of the municipalities but it’s clearly developing in Calgary and Edmonton. We just think that there does need to be some transparency and governance around that,” added Smith.
“If that’s going to occur, we feel there just needs to be some structure around what the reporting looks like on that, because we want to make sure that people have the transparency that we have in provincial politics and that we have in federal politics.”
Some municipal leaders oppose the potential change, however, like Tyler Gandam, president of Alberta Municipalities and mayor of Wetaskiwin.
“I think it might change the dynamics of how people run, period. I’m not sure why this is going to improve how a municipality is able to govern and create better communities,” Gandam told Global News.
“Which colour pyjamas I wear at night for a political party that I might align with I don’t feel is relevant to why we’re spending more money on infrastructure, or the parks or the roads and sidewalks we’re going to repair or replace.”
However, those who support the change believe that voters have a right to know if the candidate they are voting for will uphold the same policies as the incumbent politicians or if they are aligned with a party offering different platforms.
The proposed changes would still allow politicians to run as independents.
While it remains unknown if the changes to the legislature will be implemented in time, the province is scheduled to hold its next municipal elections in 2025.
