# 1997 Alberta general election

The 1997 Alberta general election was held on March 11, 1997, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
The Progressive Conservative government led by Premier Ralph Klein won its eighth consecutive mandate going back to 1971, increasing its share of votes and seats in the Legislature relative to the previous election in 1993. The Liberal Party retained Official Opposition status, though it lost nearly half its seats. After an electoral wipeout in 1993, the NDP returned to the Legislature by winning two seats.

## Background

The Progressive Conservative Association had governed Alberta since 1971, and premier Ralph Klein led the party into his second general election as party leader. The previous election in 1993 was the best result for the Liberal Party since its last electoral victory in 1917.
This was the second consecutive election fought on a new set of electoral boundaries, due to an Alberta Court of Appeal decision that was critical of the map created in 1992. The government amended the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act, introducing the present system where the commission is made up of a justice from the Court, two members appointed by the governing party, and two members appointed by the official opposition. A new Commission was created, which issued its recommendations for a new set of electoral boundaries in 1996.

## Opinion polls

Evolution of voting intentions at provincial level :
| Polling firm | Last day of survey | PCA | ALP | ANDP | Other | ME | Sample |
| Election 1995 | March 11, 1997 | 51.17 | 32.75 | 8.81 | 7.27 | | |
| Angus Reid | January 25, 1997 | 63 | 24 | 11 | 3 | 3.5 | 801 |
| Angus Reid | August 28, 1995 | 64 | 25 | 6 | 5 | 3.5 | 811 |
| Election 1993 | June 15, 1993 | 44.49 | 39.73 | 11.01 | 4.77 | | |

## Results

Ralph Klein's second election as leader of the PCs was considerably more successful than his first. The party won over half the popular vote, and 63 of the 83 seats in the legislature for its eighth consecutive term in government. The party continued to dominate in Calgary and rural areas, and managed to regain a foothold in Edmonton where it won two seats.
The Liberal Party of Grant Mitchell lost about 7% of the popular vote it had won in the 1993 election. The party's legislative caucus was reduced from 32 members to 18.
Pam Barrett led the New Democratic Party back into the legislature with two seats (both in Edmonton), despite winning an even smaller share of the popular vote than in 1993.
The Social Credit Party also re-emerged, placing a strong second in several rural ridings, but did not win any seats.
Overall voter turnout was 53.75%.
| Party | Party | Party leader | # of candidates | Seats | Seats | Seats | Popular vote | Popular vote | Popular vote |
| Party | Party | Party leader | # of candidates | 1993 | Elected | % Change | # | % | % Change |
| | Progressive Conservative | Ralph Klein | 83 | 51 | 63 | +23.5% | 483,914 | 51.17% | +6.68% |
| | Liberal | Grant Mitchell | 83 | 32 | 18 | -43.8% | 309,748 | 32.75% | -6.98% |
| | New Democratic | Pam Barrett | 77 | - | 2 | | 83,292 | 8.81% | -2.20% |
| | Social Credit | Randy Thorsteinson | 70 | - | - | - | 64,667 | 6.84% | +4.43% |
| | Natural Law | Maury Shapka | 16 | - | - | - | 1,303 | 0.14% | -0.37% |
| | Green | David Parker | 7 | - | - | - | 1,039 | 0.11% | -0.09% |
| | Independent | Independent | 6 | - | - | - | 1,092 | 0.11% | -0.82% |
| | Forum | William Finn | 4 | * | - | * | 597 | 0.06% | * |
| | Communist | Naomi Rankin | 1 | - | - | - | 61 | 0.01% | x |
| Total | Total | Total | 347 | 83 | 83 | - | 945,713 | 100% | |
| Source: Elections Alberta ||||||||||
Notes:
* Party did not nominate candidates in the previous election.
x – less than 0.005% of the popular vote
Popular vote
PC
51.17%
Liberal
32.75%
New Democratic
8.81%
Social Credit
6.84%
Others
0.43% :
Seats summary
PC
75.90%
Liberal
21.69%
New Democratic
2.41% :

## Results by riding

| Electoral district | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Incumbent |
| Electoral district | PC | PC | Liberal | Liberal | NDP | NDP | Social Credit | Social Credit | Other | Other | Incumbent | Incumbent |
| Airdrie-Rocky View | | Carol Louise Haley 8,492 68.93% | | James Welsh 2,197 17.83% | | Doris Bannister 482 3.91% | | Peter Smits 1,125 9.13% | | | |
| Athabasca-Wabasca | | Mike Cardinal 3,380 58.65% | | Tony Mercredi 1,481 25.70% | | Dean Patriquin 300 5.21% | | Curtis Gunderson 468 8.12% | | Harlan Light (Green) 100 1.74% | Mike Cardinal |
| Banff-Cochrane | | Janis Tarchuk 7,180 60.96% | | Judy Stewart 3,151 26.75% | | Jeff Eamon 754 6.40% | | Scott Mudford 661 5.61% | | | Brian Evans |
| Barrhead-Westlock | | Kenneth R. Kowalski 6,195 60.49% | | Dale Greig 2,130 20.80% | | Joe Woytowich 643 6.28% | | J. Harvey Yuill 1,244 12.15% | | | Kenneth R. Kowalski |
| Bonnyville-Cold Lake | | Denis Ducharme 4,593 58.32% | | Leo Vasseur 2,323 29.50% | | | | Robert Kratchmer 948 12.04% | | | |
| Calgary-Bow | | Bonnie Laing 6,664 54.07% | | Mark Dickerson 4,091 33.19% | | Brent Johner 1,144 9.28% | | | | Ronnie Shapka (Nat. Law) 158 1.28% David Crowe (Green) 187 1.52% | Bonnie Laing |
| Calgary-Buffalo | | Terri-Lynn Bradford 4,115 43.52% | | Gary Dickson 4,310 45.58% | | Neil McKinnon 547 5.79% | | Raymond Neilson 300 3.17% | | Ralph Holt (Nat. Law) 115 1.22% | Gary Dickson |
| Calgary-Cross | | Yvonne Fritz 5,964 66.88% | | Keith Jones 2,456 27.54% | | | | Maurizio Terrigno 467 5.24% | | | Yvonne Fritz |
| Calgary-Currie | | Jocelyn Burgener 5,952 53.83% | | Mairi Matheson 3,636 32.88% | | Liz Blackwood 712 6.44% | | Jeff Townsend 610 5.52% | | Richard Shelford (Nat. Law) 109 0.99% | Jocelyn Burgener |
| Calgary-East | | Moe Amery 4,857 59.78% | | Kelly McDonnell 1,990 24.49% | | Marg Elliot 609 7.50% | | Raymond (Chick) Hurst 613 7.54% | | | Moe Amery |
| Calgary-Egmont | | Denis Herard 8,842 64.48% | | Pam York 3,336 24.33% | | Larry Kowalchuk 654 4.77% | | Douglas Cooper 836 6.10% | | | Denis Herard |
| Calgary-Elbow | | Ralph Klein 8,237 57.78% | | Harold Swanson 5,195 36.44% | | Shawn Christie 307 2.15% | | Lera G. Shirley 421 2.95% | | Frank Haika (Nat. Law) 75 0.53% | Ralph Klein |
| Calgary-Fish Creek | | Heather Forsyth 8,274 66.47% | | Marie Cameron 3,020 24.26% | | Muriel Turner-Wilkinson 348 2.80% | | Jeff Willerton 778 6.25% | | | Heather Forsyth |
| Calgary-Foothills | | Patricia Black 8,849 60.35% | | Albert W. Ludwig 4,339 29.59% | | Brenda Wadey 720 4.91% | | Kevin Davidson 735 5.01% | | | Patricia Black |
| Calgary-Fort | | Wayne Cao 4,410 48.53% | | Shirley-Anne Reuben 2,817 31.00% | | Ken Sahil 891 9.81% | | Bren Blanchet 916 10.08% | | | |
| Calgary-Glenmore | | Ron Stevens 8,247 58.02% | | Wayne Stewart 4,919 34.61% | | Grace Johner 435 3.06% | | Vernon Cook 583 4.10% | | | Dianne Mirosh |
| Calgary-Lougheed | | Marlene Graham 7,761 65.89% | | Darryl G. Hawkins 2,906 24.67% | | Mara Vogel 533 4.53% | | Hub Blanchet 560 4.75% | | | Jim Dinning |
| Calgary-McCall | | Shiraz Shariff 5,118 58.67% | | Amar Singh 2,701 30.96% | | | | Rory M. Cory 876 10.04% | | | Harry Sohal |
| Calgary-Montrose | | Hung Pham 4,556 58.56% | | Diane Danielson 2,576 33.11% | | | | Christopher Dick 536 6.89% | | Neeraj Varma (Nat. Law) 94 1.21% | Hung Pham |
| Calgary-Mountain View | | Mark Hlady 5,468 48.36% | | Patricia Ennis 3,269 28.91% | | Gordon M. Christie 2,085 18.44% | | Jason Nicholas 450 3.98% | | | Mark Hlady |
| Calgary-North Hill | | Richard Charles Magnus 6,379 58.36% | | John Schmale 3,297 30.16% | | Jason Ness 1,183 10.82% | | | | | Richard Charles Magnus |
| Calgary-North West | | Greg Melchin 9,190 53.19% | | Frank Bruseker 7,226 41.82% | | Jeff Pattinson 342 1.98% | | Douglas A. Picken 503 2.91% | | | Frank Bruseker |
| Calgary-Nose Creek | | Gary Mar 7,815 64.33% | | Peter Willott 2,894 23.82% | | Doral Johnson 696 5.73% | | Greg Greene 715 5.89% | | | Gary Mar |
| Calgary-Shaw | | Jonathan Niles Havelock 12,304 75.21% | | Sharon L. Howe 2,860 17.48% | | Shawn Keown 485 2.96% | | Michael Roth 624 3.81% | | Almas Walden (Nat. Law) 69 0.42% | Jonathan Niles Havelock |
| Calgary-Varsity | | Murray D. Smith 7,232 51.34% | | Carrol Jaques 5,414 38.43% | | Dirk Huysman 640 4.54% | | Mike Bressers 646 4.59% | | Joel Ashworth (Green) 132 0.94% | Murray D. Smith |
| Calgary-West | | Karen Kryczka 8,478 56.18% | | Paul Adams 4,995 33.10% | | Rudy Rogers 534 3.54% | | Craig Chandler 1,070 7.09% | | | Danny Dalla-Longa |
| Cardston-Taber-Warner | | Ron Hierath 5,157 59.06% | | James Jackson 1,471 16.85% | | Suzanne Sirias 518 5.93% | | Ken Rose 1,568 17.96% | | | |
| Clover Bar-Fort Saskatchewan | | Rob Lougheed 6,864 47.61% | | Muriel Abdurahman 6,364 44.14% | | Michael Berezowsky 922 6.39% | | | | Max Cornelssen (Ind.) 235 1.63% | Muriel Abdurahman |
| Cypress-Medicine Hat | | Lorne Taylor 5,754 63.18% | | Beverley Britton Clarke 2,217 24.34% | | Don Crisall 383 4.21% | | Maurice Perron 728 7.99% | | | Lorne Taylor |
| Drayton Valley-Calmar | | Tom Thurber 6,492 60.41% | | Moe Hamdon 2,912 27.10% | | Tom Fuller 823 7.66% | | | | Roy Andresen (Ind.) 488 4.55% | Tom Thurber |
| Drumheller-Chinook | | Shirley McClellan 6,063 63.28% | | Einar B. Davison 1,432 14.95% | | | | Dale Trefz 2,056 21.46% | | | |
| Dunvegan | | Glen Clegg 5,149 54.56% | | Fred Trotter 3,314 35.11% | | Margaret McCuaig-Boyd 961 10.18% | | | | | Glen Clegg |
| Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview | | Julius E. Yankowsky 3,484 34.93% | | Johanne Tardif 3,127 31.35% | | Bill Stephenson 2,842 28.49% | | Doug Smith 376 3.77% | | Andy Chichak (Ind.) 100 1.00% William Finn (Forum) 29 0.29% | |
| Edmonton-Calder | | Lynn Faulder 3,860 32.32% | | Lance D. White 4,802 40.21% | | Alex McEachern 3,250 27.21% | | | | | |
| Edmonton-Castle Downs | | Ihor Broda 4,373 40.43% | | Pamela Paul 4,456 41.20% | | Peter Johnsen 1,494 13.81% | | David H. Friesen 460 4.25% | | | |
| Edmonton-Centre | | Don Weiderman 3,634 33.36% | | Laurie Blakeman 4,769 43.78% | | Jenn Smith 1,845 16.94% | | Alan Cruikshank 420 3.86% | | Emil van der Poorten (Forum) 98 0.90% Richard Johnsen (Nat. Law) 83 0.76% | Michael Henry |
| Edmonton-Ellerslie | | Jasbeer Singh 2,641 25.96% | | Debby Carlson 5,752 56.54% | | Henry Johns 913 8.97% | | Ken Way 840 8.26% | | | Debby Carlson |
| Edmonton-Glengarry | | Don Clarke 3,474 34.38% | | Bill Bonner 4,765 47.15% | | William Kobluk 1,366 13.52% | | Barbie-Jo Williams 335 3.32% | | David Sharkey (Nat. Law) 76 0.75% Carl Williams (Ind.) 46 0.46% | Laurence Decore |
| Edmonton-Glenora | | Kim MacKenzie 4,368 36.18% | | Howard Sapers 5,785 47.92% | | Arlene Young 1,198 9.92% | | Jon Dykstra 630 5.22% | | Sam Thomas (Nat. Law) 69 0.57% | Howard Sapers |
| Edmonton-Gold Bar | | Susan Green 5,819 37.52% | | Hugh MacDonald 7,528 48.55% | | Walter Heneghan 1,970 12.70% | | | | David J. Parker (Green) 92 0.59% Maury Shapka (Nat. Law) 75 0.48% | Bettie Hewes |
| Edmonton-Highlands | | Jim Campbell 2,793 24.96% | | Chris Smith 2,284 20.41% | | Pam Barrett 5,638 50.38% | | Tim Friesen 419 3.74% | | | |
| Edmonton-Manning | | Tony Vandermeer 4,358 35.44% | | Ed Gibbons 5,140 41.80% | | Hana Razga 2,229 18.13% | | R. Jordan Harris 524 4.26% | | | Peter Sekulic |
| Edmonton-McClung | | Michael Mooney 5,259 40.71% | | Grant Mitchell 6,322 48.94% | | Richard Vanderberg 713 5.52% | | Patrick D. Ellis 542 4.20% | | Wade McKinley (Nat. Law) 61 0.47% | Grant Mitchell |
| Edmonton-Meadowlark | | Laurie Pushor 4,672 38.72% | | Karen Leibovici 6,047 50.11% | | Terry McNally 831 6.89% | | Aaron Hinman 435 3.60% | | Geoff Toane (Nat. Law) 55 0.46% | Karen Leibovici |
| Edmonton-Mill Creek | | Sukhi Randhawa 3,679 28.23% | | Gene Zwozdesky 6,757 51.84% | | Stephen Crocker 1,804 13.84% | | Christie Forget 776 5.95% | | | |
| Edmonton-Mill Woods | | Ziad N. Jaber 2,993 29.97% | | Don Massey 5,113 51.19% | | Ricardo Acuna 1,266 12.68% | | John Filp 546 5.47% | | Raymond Boyko (Green) 52 0.52% | Don Massey |
| Edmonton-Norwood | | Andrew Beniuk 2,583 27.98% | | Sue Olsen 3,357 36.36% | | Sherry McKibben 2,767 29.97% | | Ray Loyer 485 5.25% | | | Andrew Beniuk |
| Edmonton-Riverview | | Gwen Harris 5,122 35.43% | | Linda Sloan 6,066 41.96% | | Donna Fong 2,261 15.64% | | David Prenoslo 805 5.57% | | William Chapman (Nat. Law) 87 0.60% Naomi Rankin (Comm.) 61 0.42% | |
| Edmonton-Rutherford | | Brenda Platzer 5,078 38.91% | | Percy Wickman 6,007 46.03% | | Will Hodgson 1,156 8.86% | | David Lincoln 674 5.16% | | Ian Zaharko (Ind.) 19 0.15% | Percy Wickman |
| Edmonton-Strathcona | | John Logan 4,096 30.44% | | Mary MacDonald 4,214 31.31% | | Raj Pannu 4,272 31.74% | | John Forget 552 4.10% | | Eshwar Jagdeo (Nat. Law) 47 0.35% Myles Kitagawa (Green) 236 1.75% | Al Zariwny |
| Edmonton-Whitemud | | David Hancock 7,973 50.79% | | Corky Meyer 5,953 37.92% | | Charan Khehra 1,012 6.45% | | Kevin Bialobzyski 635 4.04% | | Randy T. Fritz (Nat. Law) 59 0.38% | Mike Percy |
| Fort McMurray | | Guy C. Boutilier 5,420 55.64% | | John S. Vyboh 4,008 41.14% | | Rodney McCallum 280 2.87% | | | | | Adam Germain |
| Grande Prairie-Smoky | | Walter Paszkowski 5,753 64.49% | | John A. Croken 1,995 22.36% | | Linda Smith 1,143 12.81% | | | | | Walter Paszkowski |
| Grande Prairie-Wapiti | | Wayne Jacques 5,592 63.08% | | Ray Stitsen 2,003 22.59% | | Campbell Ross 1,247 14.07% | | | | | Wayne Jacques |
| Highwood | | Don Tannas 9,551 69.76% | | Howard Paulsen 1,944 14.20% | | Hugh Logie 592 4.32% | | John Bergen 1,566 11.44% | | | Don Tannas |
| Innisfail-Sylvan Lake | | Gary Severtson 7,012 59.53% | | Raymond C. Reckseidler 2,206 18.73% | | Linda Neilson 583 4.95% | | Carl Thorsteinson 1,960 16.64% | | | Gary Severtson |
| Lac La Biche-St. Paul | | Paul Langevin 4,799 53.71% | | Vital Ouellette 2,901 32.47% | | Grace Johnston 419 4.69% | | Peter Tychkowsky 483 5.41% | | Don Ronaghan (Forum) 191 2.14% Louis Real Theriault (Ind.) 114 1.28% | Paul Langevin |
| Lacombe-Stettler | | Judy Gordon 6,414 61.62% | | Garfield Marks 1,181 11.35% | | Lynne Gendron 1,068 10.26% | | Bob Argent 1,725 16.57% | | | Judy Gordon |
| Leduc | | Albert Klapstein 6,857 51.42% | | Terry Kirkland 4,797 35.97% | | Bill Schlacht 767 5.75% | | Henry Neumann 891 6.68% | | | Terry Kirkland |
| Lesser Slave Lake | | Pearl M. Calahasen 3,389 60.33% | | Ralph Chalifoux 1,139 20.28% | | Glenn Laboucan 442 7.87% | | Robert J. Alford 624 11.11% | | | Pearl M. Calahasen |
| Lethbridge-East | | Leah Waters 3,813 29.46% | | Ken Nicol 7,578 58.54% | | Inga Jesswein 674 5.21% | | Jonathan Williams 853 6.59% | | | Ken Nicol |
| Lethbridge-West | | Clint Dunford 5,679 45.23% | | Leslie Vaala 4,765 37.95% | | Tom Hovan 806 6.42% | | Brian Stewart 1,043 8.31% | | Don Ferguson (Green) 240 1.91% | Clint Dunford |
| Little Bow | | Barry McFarland 6,726 69.17% | | Alida Hess 2,075 21.34% | | Marko Hilgersom 868 8.93% | | | | | Barry McFarland |
| Livingstone-Macleod | | David Coutts 5,337 50.84% | | Ernie Patterson 3,924 37.38% | | Gwen De Maere 508 4.84% | | Bob Bysouth 703 6.70% | | | |
| Medicine Hat | | Rob Renner 5,853 51.48% | | Trevor Butts 3,232 28.43% | | George Peterson 1,065 9.37% | | Dale Glasier 1,177 10.35% | | | Rob Renner |
| Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills | | Richard Marz 6,958 56.95% | | Dave Herbert 1,562 12.78% | | Anne Wilson 247 2.02% | | Don MacDonald 3,422 28.01% | | | |
| Peace River | | Gary Friedel 3,745 61.25% | | Bruce MacKeen 2,323 37.99% | | | | | | | Gary Friedel |
| Ponoka-Rimbey | | Halvar C. Jonson 5,750 63.80% | | Joshua Phillpotts 912 10.12% | | Liz Wetheral 879 9.75% | | Randy Jones 1,439 15.97% | | | Halvar C. Jonson |
| Red Deer-North | | Stockwell Day 4,683 55.37% | | Norm McDougall 2,547 30.11% | | Linda Kaiser 560 6.62% | | E. Patricia Argent 655 7.74% | | | Stockwell Day |
| Red Deer-South | | Victor Doerksen 5,751 46.91% | | Larry Pimm 4,966 40.51% | | Joanne Stanley 367 2.99% | | Randy Thorsteinson 1,145 9.34% | | | Victor Doerksen |
| Redwater | | Dave Broda 5,297 43.76% | | Mary Anne Balsillie 4,980 41.14% | | Tom Turner 737 6.09% | | Don Bell 987 8.15% | | E. Benjamin Toane (Nat. Law) 71 0.59% | Nicholas Taylor |
| Rocky Mountain House | | Ty Lund 5,610 54.69% | | Roxanne V. Prior 880 8.58% | | Christine McMeckan 481 4.69% | | Lavern J. Ahlstrom 3,264 31.82% | | | Ty Lund |
| Sherwood Park | | Iris Evans 8,610 47.80% | | Bruce Collingwood 8,305 46.11% | | Vaughn Dyrland 1,064 5.91% | | | | | Bruce Collingwood |
| Spruce Grove-Sturgeon-St. Albert | | Gary Swinamer 5,388 42.52% | | Colleen Soetaert 6,275 49.51% | | Thomas Elchuk 476 3.76% | | Clinton Day 491 3.87% | | | Colleen Soetaert |
| St. Albert | | Mary O'Neill 6,696 43.53% | | Len Bracko 6,680 43.43% | | Chris Samuel 1,198 7.79% | | John Reil 781 5.08% | | | Len Bracko |
| Stony Plain | | Stan Woloshyn 6,267 48.85% | | Peter Marchiel 3,906 30.44% | | Felice Young 895 6.98% | | Pat Hansard 1,742 13.58% | | | Stan Woloshyn |
| Strathmore-Brooks | | Lyle Oberg 7,235 72.40% | | Roger Nelson 1,272 12.73% | | Richard Knutson 600 6.00% | | Dan Borden 862 8.63% | | | |
| Vegreville-Viking | | Ed Stelmach 6,090 49.71% | | Ross Demkiw 3,639 29.70% | | Greg Kurulok 1,684 13.74% | | Clifford Gundermann 810 6.61% | | | Ed Stelmach |
| Vermilion-Lloydminster | | Steve West 5,616 55.33% | | Pat Gulak 2,787 27.46% | | Wes Neumeier 602 5.93% | | Jeff Newland 1,125 11.08% | | | Steve West |
| Wainwright | | Robert A. (Butch) Fischer 6,232 52.61% | | Ronald Williams 1,568 13.24% | | Lilas I. Lysne 668 5.64% | | Jerry D. Barber 3,348 28.27% | | | Robert A. (Butch) Fischer |
| West Yellowhead | | Ivan J. Strang 4,498 41.96% | | Duco Van Binsbergen 3,795 35.40% | | Glenn Taylor 2,130 19.87% | | John Ahlstrom 275 2.57% | | | Duco Van Binsbergen |
| Wetaskiwin-Camrose | | LeRoy Johnson 7,244 58.39% | | Jody Saddleback 1,166 9.40% | | Rick Jantz 2,060 16.60% | | Karen Richert 1,622 13.07% | | Bruce Hinkley (Forum) 279 2.26% | Ken Rostad |
| Whitecourt-Ste. Anne | | Peter Trynchy 5,759 54.12% | | Sara Lynn Burrough 2,954 27.76% | | Chauncey Featherstone 704 6.62% | | Earle Cunningham 1,183 11.12% | | | Peter Trynchy |