Alberta general election, 1982

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The Alberta general election of 1982 was the twentieth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on November 2, 1982 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.

Less than four years had passed since the Progressive Conservatives won their landslide victory in 1979. Premier Peter Lougheed decided to call a snap election to catch fledgling new parties off guard, most notably the separatist Western Canada Concept which was capitalizing on anger over Lougheed's perceived weakness in dealings with the federal government, in particular his acceptance of the hugely unpopular National Energy Program. The WCC had won a by-election earlier in the year, and Lougheed decided that it would be wise to stage a showdown with the WCC sooner rather than later.

Lougheed then proceeded to mount a campaign based largely on scare tactics, warning Albertans angry with Ottawa but yet uneasy with the WCC that they could end up with a separatist government by voting for a separtist party. The strategy worked for the Tories, who won their fourth consecutive term in government, and returned to the 62% popular vote level it had attained in the 1975 election. The PC party won 75 of the 79 seats in the legislature.

The Alberta Liberal Party was punished in the wake of the NEP and was barely able to field candidates in a third of the ridings, and went down to one of its worst showings in party history.

The Social Credit Party collapsed: its share of the popular vote fell from almost 20% to less than one percent after its legislative caucus had resigned from the party. Two of its members won re-election as independents, and later formed the Representative Party of Alberta.

The New Democratic Party, led by Grant Notley, became the official opposition when it doubled its legislative caucus from one member to two.

The WCC, a party that advocated the separation of the four western provinces of Canada to form a new country, had surprised Canadians when Gordon Kesler won his by-election and took a seat in the Alberta legislature. Although Kesler lost his seat in this election after he changed electoral districts from Olds-Didsbury and ran in Highwood, the WCC won almost 12% of the popular vote.

The Alberta Reform Movement a new party founded by ex-Progressive Conservative Tom Sindlinger was not ready for the election and ended up losing its only seat in Calgary Buffalo

[edit] Results

Party Party leader # of
candidates
Seats Popular vote
1979 Dissolution Elected % Change # % % Change
     Progressive Conservative
Peter Lougheed
79 74 73 75 +1.4% 588,485 62.28% +4.88%
     New Democrats
Grant Notley
79 1 1 2 +100% 177,166 18.75% +3.00%
     Independent 34 - 2 2   36,590 3.87% +3.10%
     Western Canada Concept
Gordon Kesler
78 * 1 - * 111,131 11.76% *
     Liberal
Nicholas Taylor
29 - - - - 17,074 1.81% -4.35%
     Social Credit 23 4 1 - -100% 7,843 0.83% -19.04%
     Alberta Reform Movement
Tom Sindlinger
14 * 1 - -100% 6,258 0.66% *
     Communist 8 - - - - 389 0.04% -0.01%
Total 344 79 79 79 - 944,936 100%
 
Source: Elections Alberta

Note:

* Party did not nominate candidates in the previous election.

[edit] Members elected

For complete electoral history, see individual districts

20th Alberta Legislative Assembly
  District Member Party
     Athabasca Frank Pierpoint Appleby Progressive Conservative
     Banff-Cochrane Greg Stevens Progressive Conservative
     Barrhead Ken Kowalski Progressive Conservative
     Bonnyville Ernie Isley Progressive Conservative
     Bow Valley Tom Musgrove Progressive Conservative
     Calgary Bow Neil Webber Progressive Conservative
     Calgary Buffalo Brian Lee Progressive Conservative
     Calgary Currie Dennis Anderson Progressive Conservative
     Calgary Egmont David J. Carter Progressive Conservative
     Calgary Elbow David John Russell Progressive Conservative
     Calgary Fish Creek William Edward Payne Progressive Conservative
     Calgary Foothills Janet Koper Progressive Conservative
     Calgary Forest Lawn John Zaozirny Progressive Conservative
     Calgary Glenmore Hugh Planche Progressive Conservative
     Calgary McCall Stan Nelson Progressive Conservative
     Calgary McKnight Eric Musgreave Progressive Conservative
     Calgary Millican Gordon Shrake Progressive Conservative
     Calgary Mountain View Bohdan Zip Progressive Conservative
     Calgary North Hill Ed Oman Progressive Conservative
     Calgary North West Sheila Embury Progressive Conservative
     Calgary West Peter Lougheed Progressive Conservative
     Camrose Gordon Stromberg Progressive Conservative
     Cardston John Thompson Progressive Conservative
     Chinook Henry Kroeger Progressive Conservative
     Clover Bar Walt Buck Independent
     Cypress Alan Hyland Progressive Conservative
     Drayton Valley Shirley Cripps Progressive Conservative
     Drumheller Lewis Clark Progressive Conservative
     Edmonton Avonmore Horst Schmid Progressive Conservative
     Edmonton Belmont Walter Szwender Progressive Conservative
     Edmonton Beverly Bill Diachuk Progressive Conservative
     Edmonton Calder Tom Chambers Progressive Conservative
     Edmonton Centre Mary LeMessurier Progressive Conservative
     Edmonton Glengarry Rollie Cook Progressive Conservative
     Edmonton Glenora Lou Hyndman Progressive Conservative
     Edmonton Gold Bar Al Hiebert Progressive Conservative
     Edmonton Highlands David Thomas King Progressive Conservative
     Edmonton Jasper Place Leslie Young Progressive Conservative
     Edmonton Kingsway Carl Paproski Progressive Conservative
     Edmonton Meadowlark Gerard Amerongen Progressive Conservative
     Edmonton Mill Woods Milt Pahl Progressive Conservative
     Edmonton Norwood Ray Martin NDP
     Edmonton Parkallen Neil Stanley Crawford Progressive Conservative
     Edmonton Sherwood Park Henry Woo Progressive Conservative
     Edmonton Strathcona Julian Koziak Progressive Conservative
     Edmonton Whitemud Kieth Alexander Progressive Conservative
     Edson Ian Reid Progressive Conservative
     Grande Prairie Bob Elliott Progressive Conservative
     Highwood Harry Alger Progressive Conservative
     Innisfail Nigel Pengelly Progressive Conservative
     Lac La Biche-McMurray Norm Weiss Progressive Conservative
     Lacombe Ronald Moore Progressive Conservative
     Lesser Slave Lake Larry Shaben Progressive Conservative
     Lethbridge East Archibald D. Johnston Progressive Conservative
     Lethbridge West John Gogo Progressive Conservative
     Little Bow Raymond Speaker Independent
     Lloydminster Bud Miller Progressive Conservative
     Macleod LeRoy Fjordbotten Progressive Conservative
     Medicine Hat Jim Horsman Progressive Conservative
     Olds-Didsbury Stephen Stiles Progressive Conservative
     Peace River Al Adair Progressive Conservative
     Pincher Creek-Crowsnest Frederick Deryl Bradley Progressive Conservative
     Ponoka Halvar Jonson Progressive Conservative
     Red Deer Jim McPherson Progressive Conservative
     Redwater-Andrew George Topolnisky Progressive Conservative
     Rocky Mountain House Jack Campbell Progressive Conservative
     Smoky River Marvin Moore Progressive Conservative
     Spirit River-Fairview Grant Notley New Democrat
     St. Albert Myrna Fyfe Progressive Conservative
     St. Paul John Drobot Progressive Conservative
     Stettler Graham Harle Progressive Conservative
     Stony Plain William Purdy Progressive Conservative
     Taber-Warner Robert Bogle Progressive Conservative
     Three Hills Connie Osterman Progressive Conservative
     Vegreville John Batiuk Progressive Conservative
     Vermilion-Viking Tom Lysons Progressive Conservative
     Wainwright Robert Fischer Progressive Conservative
     Wetaskiwin-Leduc Donald H. Sparrow Progressive Conservative
     Whitecourt Peter Trynchy Progressive Conservative

[edit] See also


Preceded by
1979 Alberta election
Alberta elections Succeeded by
1986 Alberta election
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