Alberta's UCP Pushes for 91 Seats, Skipping Public Hearings

0:00It's April 22, I'm Cory with the story. This is Calgary News today, driven by AI. Alberta's legislative assembly just backed a United Conservative Party motion to shake up the province's electoral map for the next election. Their ditching the boundary is suggested by an independent commission and pushing for 91 C's total of four from the current 87 and two more than the bill passed last fall. The motion brought by government House leader Joseph Shoe on Tuesday and voted on Thursday sets up a fast track special committee to handle the redraw. Led by UCP MLA Brandon Luntie with three more UCP members and two from the NDP, it skips public hearings altogether. NDP folks are fired up, calling the whole thing illegitimate and undemocratic. Deputy leader Rocky Pontchley argued it lests the government draw the maps themselves, while opposition leader Nihid Nenshi slammed it as, gerrymandering aimed at watering down votes in big cities like Calgary and Edmonton.

1:01This comes after the commission's final report, dropped on March 26, with a majority pushing for 89 seats. Debate wrapped quick, just over an hour before show and vote to time limit. Now the committee dives in to build on that report and chase fair representation, but critics worry it'll tilt the playing field ahead of the vote.