The Socialist Party of Alberta was a provincial branch of the Socialist Party of Canada. The party formed out of a socialist movement that began with miners in the District of Alberta, Northwest Territories.
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The party came together with various Labor groups in the province of Alberta and ran two candidates for the first time under the Socialist banner in the 1909 Alberta general election. Despite the two candidates being up against a popular Liberal government under Alexander Rutherford the party was able to make a breakthrough by returning leader Charles M. O'Brien to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in the electoral district of Rocky Mountain.[1]
O'Brien won a tight race based on the strength of voter turnout in the mining camps.
The party was not very well organized, despite running six candidates in the 1913 Alberta general election. The party lost almost half its popular vote. Charles O'Brien was defeated by Conservative candidate Robert Campbell. Charles O'Brien doubled his vote from the previous election, while other candidates barely made a showing.
The party continued running candidates until the 1921 general election, but made little impact.