Sun, Stampede, and (Political) Storms – What to Expect from Summer 2025
Alberta’s MLAs have officially been out of the Legislature following the end of spring sittings in mid-May, but that does not mean there is a lack of important stories to discuss. After all, the next time we publish The NEWS, three by-elections will have concluded in our province and the time to break down how each campaign went will begin.
But before we dive into who will be the three newest MLAs in Alberta, we want to take a look at the summer ahead as we approach the halfway mark of the 31st Legislature term.
The Calgary Stampede – Alberta’s Political Petting Zoo
If you were able to join our Stampede 101 webinar at the beginning of June, you would have heard former MLA and current senior advisor for Alberta Counsel, Richard Gotfried, refer to Stampede as a “petting zoo” for politicians. After all – Stampede is the largest political networking event in the country each year, so the analogy is apt.
But in all seriousness, Stampede is an incredibly important time of year for MLAs, political staffers, municipal election candidates, and the organizations that have government relations goals they wish to achieve.
If you missed the webinar, we encourage you to check out the recording available at https://www.albertacounselnews.com/webinars.
From pancake breakfasts and industry events to hospitality suites and rodeo grandstands, there’s a good chance the person you want to speak with will be there. With that said, it is important for organizations to maximize the limited time they have to speak with elected officials and their staff at stampede events throughout the fortnight.
1. Don’t come with a briefing binder or one-pager.
Do come with business cards and a friendly demeanour.
2. Don’t do a deep dive into your issue/concern.
Do tell them who you are and what you’re working on.
3. Don’t try to steal all their time/attention.
Do set up a follow-up with their staffer for a later date.
This year, you can expect Stampede events to be as busy as ever. In addition to the usual political nature of Stampede, this is also a municipal election year – meaning that council hopefuls in Calgary will be out in full force for the entire two weeks as well.
To make the most of the festivities, it would be wise for organizations that dabble in both provincial and municipal affairs to come prepared to speak with both orders of government. Of course, there are always federal politicians and staff that attend so it never hurts to have a plan in place for all three. Many Indigenous leaders attend the same Stampede events, so that presents a fantastic opportunity to build relationships with nations across the province.
Alberta and the G7 Meetings
Although our provincial government is not hosting the long-anticipated G7 Summit in Kananaskis Country, there is no question that the province will have an important role to play in the event. As delegate planes arrived at the Calgary International Airport, Premier Danielle Smith joined Mayor Jyoti Gondek and others to welcome world leaders as they stepped onto the tarmac.
While Alberta is not “officially” a host, the Premier is looking forward to the province being the stage G7 leaders will use for their business.
“I’m pretty excited about the fact that Alberta is the showcase for the G7,” she said, “especially as we’re going through having a recalibration and conversation about the role of traditional energy in the energy mix.”
“I’m really hopeful that the G7 come together and have a positive statement about the role Alberta and Canada can play in providing global energy security on reducing emissions, as well as making sure we’re reducing global energy poverty.” (PULL QUOTE – Premier Danielle Smith)
According to reports from CBC, Premier Danielle Smith was scheduled to host a reception with non-member leaders also in Alberta during the summit, but details of who will be attending were not available at the time of writing this article.
Opposition leader Naheed Nenshi issued a statement welcoming G7 leaders on behalf of the Alberta NDP.
“This summit comes at a time of global uncertainty, but also of great opportunity. Alberta knows a thing or two about both. We’ve seen how progress is built through resilience, innovation, and collaboration—values that are deeply reflected in the work ahead.” (Pull Quote – Naheed Nenshi)
By-Election Update
On June 23rd, residents of three Alberta ridings will vote on who they will send to the Legislature when MLAs return at the end of October. We did a deep dive into the by-elections in the last issue of The NEWS – you can read that article here.
We are not in the business of predicting election results, and we shall not begin that practice here. However, it is a safe statement to say that the most important race to watch is happening in south Edmonton.
In Edmonton-Ellerslie, former MLA Rod Loyola resigned his seat in the Alberta Legislature to run in the federal election. The Alberta NDP has held the seat since the 2015 “Orange Wave” and earned 61.75% of the popular vote in the 2023 general election.
The last non-NDP MLA to hold the seat is Naresh Bhardwaj – and he is running in this by-election for the UCP. He previously served with the Progressive Conservatives as the Associate Minister of Persons with Disabilities. He held the seat from 2008-2015.
There are also candidates running for four other parties, but the race is expected to remain mostly between the UCP and incumbent NDP (now represented by Gurtej Singh Brar). And for both parties, the by-election stakes are highest in this riding.
For the NDP, securing Edmonton-Ellerslie means they will continue to be the only party to hold a seat in Alberta’s capital after MLA Nathan Ip defeated former cabinet minister Kaycee Madu in Edmonton-South West in 2023.
For the UCP, a win in Ellerslie would represent an important breakthrough for conservatives in the city. While the city is represented almost entirely by Conservative MPs federally, Edmonton has been challenging for the UCP to win in. It would also represent the first by-election loss for an incumbent party since the Progressive Conservatives lost Calgary-Foothills to the Wildrose in 2015.
In the final two weeks of campaigning, expect both parties to put significant resources into the battleground riding. Whatever the result is in this race, it will mark an important victory for the winner. Both parties have sent MLAs to the riding to help shore up whatever support they can before advanced voting begins this week and leading up to next week’s election day.
