2022 Brooks-Medicine Hat provincial by-election

A by-election was held in the provincial riding of Brooks-Medicine Hat in Alberta, Canada, on November 8, 2022, following the resignation of incumbent United Conservative MLA Michaela Frey.

2022 Brooks-Medicine Hat by-election

← 2019 November 8, 2022 (2022-11-08) 2023 →
Riding of Brooks-Medicine Hat
Turnout	35.51% ( 30.27)
First party Second party Third party   NDP Candidate Danielle Smith Gwendoline Dirk Barry Morishita Party United Conservative New Democratic Alberta Party Popular vote 6,919 3,394 2,098 Percentage 54.51% 26.74 16.53% Swing 6.15 pp 8.85 pp 9.60 pp
MLA before election Michaela Frey United Conservative Elected MLA Danielle Smith United Conservative

Context

On October 6, 2022, former Wildrose Party leader Danielle Smith was elected leader of the United Conservative Party, defeating all other candidates including former Minister of Finance Travis Toews after six ballot counts. The election was triggered by the resignation of Jason Kenney following a leadership review. A week after her election, Smith was sworn in as the 19th Premier of Alberta. As Smith was not a member of the Legislative Assembly when she became premier,^[1] fellow UCP MLA Michaela Frey resigned her seat and had encouraged Smith to run in the by-election.^[2] Longstanding convention in Westminster systems when the leader of the governing party is not a member of the legislature to either hold a general election or a by-election, often caused by a sitting member in a safe seat resigning in order to allow the newly elected leader a chance to enter the legislature. Smith won the by-election, with 54.5% of the vote.^[3]

Constituency

The district is located in southeastern Alberta, containing the entirety of Newell County and the northern portions of Cypress County and Medicine Hat. It is named for its two largest communities, Medicine Hat and Brooks, and also contains CFB Suffield. Within the city of Medicine Hat, its border with Cypress-Medicine Hat runs southeast along Highway 1, then northeast along Highway 41A until the railroad tracks, then east along the South Saskatchewan River.

Candidates

The election was contested by 3 party leaders, Smith of the UCP, former Brooks mayor Barry Morishita of the Alberta Party, and Jeevan Mangat of the Wildrose Independence Party. Gwendolyn Dirk of the Alberta NDP would recontest the riding in the 2023 general election.^[4]

Results

Alberta provincial by-election, 8 November 2022: Brooks-Medicine Hat
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	United Conservative	Danielle Smith	6,919	54.51	-6.15
	New Democratic	Gwendoline Dirk	3,394	26.74	+8.85
	Alberta Party	Barry Morishita	2,098	16.53	+9.60
	Alberta Independence	Bob Blayone	225	1.77	+0.80
	Wildrose Independence	Jeevan Mangat	56	0.44	–
Total valid votes			12,692
Total rejected ballots			45
Turnout			12,695	35.51	-30.27
Eligible voters			35,872
	United Conservative hold		Swing		-7.48
Source(s) Source:Elections Alberta[5]

2019 results

v t e 2019 Alberta general election: Brooks-Medicine Hat
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	United Conservative	Michaela Glasgo	13,606	60.66	-11.42	$57,924
	New Democratic	Lynn MacWilliam	4,012	17.89	-5.33	$16,573
	Independent	Todd Beasley	2,759	12.30	–	$36,347
	Alberta Party	Jim Black	1,554	6.93	+4.30	$10,750
	Liberal	Jamah Bashir Farah	281	1.25	+0.05	$500
	Alberta Independence	Collin Pacholek	218	0.97	–	$1,751
Total			22,430	99.53	–
Rejected, spoiled and declined			105	0.47
Turnout			22,535	65.78	–
Eligible electors			34,257
	United Conservative notional hold		Swing		-3.05
Source(s) Source: Elections Alberta[6][7][8] Note: Expenses is the sum of "Election Expenses", "Other Expenses" and "Transfers Issued". The Elections Act limits "Election Expenses" to $50,000. United Conservative Party change is calculated from combined Wildrose and Progressive Conservative totals.