17 bills passed in spring legislature sitting

Posted on May 28, 2026 by Ryan Dahlman

By Zoe Mason
Southern Alberta Newspapers

The spring session of the legislature came to an end on May 14, wrapping a sitting marked by an overriding preoccupation with a referendum Premier Danielle Smith scheduled for the fall and the question of separation.

Alberta’s government passed 17 bills over the course of the 12-week session, including landmark legislation related to the health system overhaul and new regulations on public libraries and provincial immigration.

House leader Joseph Schow says despite relentless discourse about the possibility of secession, his government was focused on jobs, economy and affordability.

“While people continue to say that we’re perpetuating this conversation, go back and look at the Hansard record. If you do a word count, who says that word more often? I can tell you, it’s not the UCP caucus and it’s not the premier.”

Early in the session, First Nations leaders organized a demonstration at the legislature demanding the UCP government put a stop to the separatist movement. Earlier this month, the courts ruled in favour of an Indigenous objection to the separatist petition on grounds the government had neglected its duty to consult.

When asked about whether his government is taking the concerns expressed by First Nations seriously, Schow said their job is to provide channels for all the competing perspectives to be heard.

“We facilitated the process – we’re not leading the charge,” he said.

The UCP government also faced criticism for delaying the initiation of a committee to review results of the successful Forever Canadian petition.

The committee did not conclude its work by the end of the session. Under the citizen initiative legislation, the committee has 90 days to produce a report. If the legislative assembly is not sitting the results of that committee are not required until 15 days into the next sitting, meaning the committee report may come after the Oct. 19 referendum.

Schow maintains that his government considers it a priority.

“It’s obviously very urgent. That’s why we struck the committee. They’re doing good work, and we anticipate a report from them at some point.”

The UCP government declared the three-year health refocusing complete this session with the adoption of a bill that increases private access to diagnostic testing.

The province also passed a bill introducing various new restrictions on the provision of medical assistance in dying, including elimination of Track 2 MAiD. Moving forward, MAiD will only be available to patients whose death is deemed foreseeable in the next 12 months.

Legislation passed this session imposed new content regulations for public libraries and classrooms, adding new roadblocks to accessing content designated as explicit and introducing new expectations of neutrality in school curricula.

Other key bills consolidated power over immigration in provincial authorities, fast-tracked approvals for major projects and ended the practice of time changes.

The UCP government voted down every proposal brought forward by the opposition NDP.