Smith’s Meddling in Electoral Boundaries Is Part of a Grim Pattern | The Tyee The goal is power for the UCP, not democracy.

Important read here via @jlisayoung.bsky.social.
Smith's Meddling in Electoral Boundaries Is Part of a Grim Pattern via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/Opinion/2026...

Another voice raising concerns over Alberta's plan to redraw the electoral map, with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association saying the UCP's plan "casts a doubt over the equity and fairness of Alberta’s electoral process."

Duane Bratt: Gerrymandering electoral map will erode Alberta democracy Thursday was a bad day for democracy, and possibly setting up an even worse day for democracy.

edmontonjournal.com/opinion/colu...

UCP government’s electoral map move undemocratic: commission member - Red Deer Advocate Electoral Boundaries Commission majority report rejected by government

“The UCP government’s plan to dismiss an independent electoral boundary commission riding map recommendations and undertake a redo is a “stab in the heart for democracy,” said one commission member.”

#abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli

reddeeradvocate.com/2026/04/20/u...

Opinion: Possible changes to Alberta’s electoral map put democracy at risk If the UCP fiddles with the map, it could guarantee a conservative supermajority for a generation

www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti... Rachel Notley speaks out.

Let's make electoral boundaries boring again Years ago, I was at a political science conference where the after-dinner speaker gave a history of electoral boundary processes in Canada.

Let's make electoral boundaries boring again
open.substack.com/pub/lisayoun... from the always wise @jlisayoung.bsky.social

UCP move reveals potential for a Smith-friendly electoral map Danielle Smith has said she will appoint a UCP-led committee to redraw election boundaries. The move could lead to partisan gerrymandering — and a proposal by two UCP MLAs provides a roadmap for a par...

“If the govt were looking to... gerrymander districts... this new, hastily designed process undercuts [public consultation] and puts the decisions in the hands of partisan appointees in a way that we have not seen in Canada since the 1940s.”

www.nationalobserver.com/2026/04/17/n...

Elections are about people choosing their representatives, not politicians choosing their voters. Yet that is what the UCP is planning. It is planning to deliberately disenfranchise urban voters. Red Deer and Lethbridge would not exist as autonomous political entities. Calgary/Edmonton hurt too.

There is a reason that we do not have MLAs decide on electoral boundaries. Tossing out the Electoral Boundaries Commission and replacing it with a UCP-dominated committee is not just a bad idea. It is really bad for democracy. Ask the US, ask Hungary. This is not normal!

It is not the increase from 89 to 91 that is problematic. It is this part of the motion. Throwing out the Electoral Boundaries Commission (and all of their work) and instead creating a new committee of MLAs with a new advisory panel.

Over on Twitter, Greg Clark, former leader of the Alberta Party and Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission committee member shared his thoughts on the UCP's failure to act on the recommendations of the Commission.

He was one of the most reasonable politicians I've ever worked with. Worth a look.

It is true that Miller recommended the creation of a Select All-party Legislative Committee. But only to gather better statistical information on Indigenous populations and to examine case law on electoral commissions. not to redo the work of the existing EBC.

Lunty is suggesting that Justice Miller recommended redoing everything. As opposed to this: For all the reasons stated herein, the majority recommends the adoption of the majority report in its totality.

1) Influential right-wing figures say "they're the enemy, hate them" using lies, cherry-picks, and exaggerations

2) Followers believe them, get increasingly riled up

3) "The people don't trust the institutions, it's the institutions' fault"

4) Repeat 1

Worked on elections, higher ed, and more.

I call on all Albertans, all political leaders, and all Canadians who believe in democracy to speak up now — sound the alarm, write to the Premier, call the UCP ministers and MLAs, and tell them:

Stop cheating. Stop trying to steal the next election. /7

This matters.

Free and fair elections are fundamental to every democracy.

Albertans who live in cities or don’t support the UCP deserve to have their voices represented in the Legislature. /6

Since January, this government has attempted to exert political pressure on the independent Boundaries Commission to create maps that would dilute the voices of voters living in cities.

Their map carves up Lethbridge, Red Deer, and Calgary, all to deliberately increase the UCP's seat count. /5

In the United States, by contrast, Donald Trump and the Republicans have brought their democracy to the brink of collapse by redrawing maps to rig elections in their favour.

Now Danielle Smith is doing the same thing. /4

For generations across all Canadian jurisdictions, independent bodies have done the essential work of reviewing and updating electoral maps to ensure ridings deliver fair representation and are deliberately set up to be independent to prevent political interference /3

Danielle Smith and the UCP have consistently shown that they will break the rules, however undemocratic, just to hang on to power. /2

UCP GOVERNMENT REVEALS PLAN TO CHEAT, RIG ELECTION MAPS Engaging Albertans to build an economy for the future.

Today, Danielle Smith and the UCP caucus unveiled plans to rig the next election:

A new motion indicates the UCP's plans to manipulate the election maps for the next election in their favour, and without any requirement to consult the public.

This has never been done in Canadian history. /1

They are literally making it up as they go along. When they don't like the outcome, the Smith government rigs the process.

It's a worrisome pattern for those who care about procedural fairness and institutional forebearance.

You know, real conservatives.

Alberta separatists have argued that the only people supporting Canada are NDP/Liberals. But it is not a partisan issue. So I am pleased to see prominent conservatives start to speak up: Jason Kenney, Monte Solberg, Jeromy Farkas, Stephen Harper, Pierre Polievre.

BREAKING: Following the American threat of an “Avignon Papacy,” Robert Kennedy has begun a Diet of Worms

How First Nations’ Treaties can hold back the tide of Alberta separatism ⋆ The Breach Danielle Smith pledged to hold a referendum on separating Alberta from Canada. First Nations in the province are going to court this week to argue that she has no legal right to do that

“The separatist threat “opened our eyes to what’s going on,” Chief Allan Adam of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in Treaty 8 told The Breach. “It’s a white supremacist movement. I hate to say it that way, but there’s no other way to say it.”

breachmedia.ca/how-first-na...

🧵 Democracy feels like it's in a rough state at the moment across the globe, and we hear various explanations, like polarisation, extremism, disinformation, and loss of trust. But what if those explanations are mainly symptoms and we've been trying to treat them rather than the underlying causes?

How far-right groups brought the culture war to Alberta schools | Xtra Magazine Many of the most vocal groups in developing Alberta’s school policies have no affiliation to kids or the education system

The Alberta government is now considering some level of book restrictions in public libraries, not just schools. And once again they are taking aim at LGBTQ2S+ books.

Don't forget where this focus came from.

It was never actually about "concerned parents."

xtramagazine.com/power/politi...

Among the Separatists | The Tyee I wanted to learn the true target of their angry dreams. What I heard made me tremble for the Alberta I love.

This descriptive, thoroughly reported and very troubling essay about the separatist movement in Alberta by @marcellodicintio.bsky.social is critical reading for Albertans. Great journalism in the public interest.

Among the Separatists via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/Analysis/202...

It remains outrageous that no one in Canada even bothered with a proper inquiry into the massive failures of the pandemic.

COVID-19 lockdown revisionism The term “lockdown” has become a powerful and perverted word in the infodemic about democracies’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdown, as used in public discourse, has expanded to include any ...

Lockdown revisionism www.cmaj.ca/content/195/...

We wrote about COVID spin 3 yrs ago. 👆

We worried that if the narrative becomes dominant, it will do grave long-term harm.

Well, it has become dominant. The doubtmongering & lies –about vaccines & public health measures – have been absorbed.