Alberta Legislature

By The Canadian Press

Provincial Politics

Opposition member says new procedural rules allows government to duck questions for years

Mar 23, 2026 | 4:17 PM

New procedural rules are in effect in the Alberta legislature, and one opposition member says some effectively allow Premier Danielle Smith’s government to duck questions for years.

Former United Conservative cabinet minister Peter Guthrie says by extending the deadline for answering specific written questions, the government is dodging democratic scrutiny.

Previously, if the government accepted a written question, it had 30 sitting days of the legislature to respond.

That deadline has been extended to 120 sitting days, potentially pushing responses past the October 2027 provincial election.

Guthrie says if the U-C-P had nothing to hide, they’d answer more than a dozen queries he has on everything from travel spending to health-care severance payments.

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But Government House Leader Joseph Schow says the changes are about streamlining the day-to-day parliamentary routine.

Schow says he believes Albertans will still get a timely response to questions.

(The Canadian Press)