Proposed Alberta riding map draws accusations of gerrymandering

A proposed redraw of Alberta’s electoral map would see several northwest Calgary ridings expanded to include nearby rural communities.

Among the recommendations is a change that would see Calgary-West become Calgary-West-Springbank.

Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas is among those raising concerns about the proposal, which would give Calgary two additional seats under the proposed map.

“The city of Calgary voter is being asked to be put into very, very large electoral districts. It essentially means our votes mean less,” the mayor argued.

Mount Royal University political scientist Lori Williams believes the move could backfire politically for the governing UCP.

“The premier clearly is trying to win back Calgary so she can win the next election and this is likely to alienate voters not only here in Calgary, but also in Banff-Canmore, Lethbridge and other parts of the province,” said Williams.

A UCP supporter who lives in Springbank told CityNews it’s not the boundaries that bother him, but how it came about.

“It certainly happens in the U.S. a lot, but it doesn’t mean it should happen here,” the resident said.

Another Springbank resident also questioned how the map was drawn, saying that it seemed like the premier was trying “to make urban ridings quasi-rural ridings where her support is.”

The electoral boundaries commission, made up of UCP and NDP appointees, says the communities being grouped together share common interests and that the changes would not dilute representation.

Democracy Watch co-founder Duff Conacher disagrees.

“This is an attempt to gerrymander or rig certain ridings in favour of the UCP ruling party by premier Danielle Smith. It’s deeply undemocratic and unethical and I think at the end will be rejected,” Conacher said.

Justice Minister Mikey Amery said the recommendations will now go before the legislature, where MLAs will decide whether to accept them.

Alberta’s proposed new riding boundaries were released to the public on Monday, and the Opposition NDP is already calling for the government to change course.

The majority has also proposed splitting Lethbridge’s two current ridings into four, with one riding being strictly urban while the other three districts become what are known as hybrid ridings. Those districts would include some city neighbourhoods and stretch into surrounding rural areas.

In Calgary, the panel’s majority has proposed two hybrid ridings in the city’s northwest, near where the NDP and UCP battled in a number of tight races in the 2023 election.

Gerrymandering, which is common in the United States, sees electoral districts drawn up not for reasons of shared geography and priorities but by voting patterns in order to assist one political party.

With files from the Canadian Press