Danielle Smith holds her first press conference as Alberta premier in Edmonton, on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022. She is expected to find out today if she has a seat in the legislature. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
MEDICINE HAT, ALBERTA, CANADA – Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is expected to find out today if she has a seat in the legislature.
Smith is one of five candidates running in a byelection in the southern constituency of Brooks-Medicine Hat.
The other candidates are Gwendoline Dirk of the NDP, Barry Morishita of the Alberta Party, Bob Blayone of the Independence Party and Jeevan Mangat of the Wildrose Independence Party.
The seat became open a month ago when Michaela Frey, the United Conservative Party legislature member, resigned.
Smith won the United Conservative Party leadership in early October but has not been a member of the legislature since 2015.
There are 34,000 eligible voters, and advance voting shows only about 4,200 cast votes, which is about half the total of those who came out to vote early in the 2019 provincial election.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2022
