UCP handpicks lobbyist, former MP for electoral boundaries panel

Alberta's process to redraw provincial electoral boundaries took a political turn Tuesday when the UCP appointed two appointees with potential conflicts of interest.

Premier Danielle Smith handpicked Monte Solberg, a former federal Conservative cabinet minister and registered lobbyist, and Darwin Durnie to sit on the independent advisory panel tasked with redrawing electoral ridings. The NDP appointed law professor Gerard Kennedy and former Okotoks councillor Brent Robinson.

Opposition members flagged immediate concerns. Solberg is registered to lobby both Smith and the finance minister. Durnie previously co-authored a submission to an earlier electoral boundaries commission recommending a map that carves Calgary into "long skinny slices" — language NDP MLA Kathleen Ganley called "transparent gerrymandering."

Ganley said the appointments show the fix is in. "He submitted a map that intentionally carves Calgary up into pizza slices, these long skinny slices designed specifically so that Calgary voters don't get to choose their representatives."

The panel is chaired by former Alberta justice Brian O'Ferrall, who donated $2,800 to the UCP between 2022 and 2025 and $6,850 to the Conservative Party of Canada. O'Ferrall will earn $5,000 monthly plus daily fees up to $1,000.

The panel must deliver its report by October 22, 2026.