Calgary’s political scene transforms with the first municipal party, A Better Calgary

By Vama Saini, July 26 2024—

The political landscape of Calgary is set for a significant shift with the formation of its first municipal political party, A Better Calgary. This development follows legislative changes made by the provincial government, allowing political parties to appear on ballots in the cities of Calgary and Edmonton. 

Dr. Jack Lucas — a professor in the Department of Political Science at the U of C and co-director of the Canadian Municipal Barometer — shared insights on this emerging political dynamic.

“The changes that the provincial government made to the law governing municipal elections in Alberta have created an incentive for political parties to form because these parties are now going to be allowed on the ballot in the cities of Calgary and Edmonton,” said Lucas.

The impact of Bill 20

Bill 20 — the legislation behind these changes — represents a substantial shift in how municipal elections are viewed in Alberta.

“From the standpoint of the changes to political party rules specifically, it’s a very important piece of legislation. It reflects a major change to how both municipal and provincial governments thought about municipal elections in this province for a really long time,” Lucas explained.

The benefits and risk of political parties 

Political parties can provide valuable information to voters. They can serve as a heuristic, helping voters make quicker and more informed decisions based on party platforms and values. 

“It might be a little bit easier for voters to make choices about who they’re going to support,” Lucas said.

However, he also warned of the risks of increased partisanship. Political parties might drive a wedge between councillors who might otherwise agree on specific issues. This could potentially compromise the ability to form coalitions on specific policy matters.

“One of the important roles that a political party serves at any level of government is to provide information in the political system,” said Lucas. “However, there can be a tendency to drive a wedge between councillors who might otherwise agree with each other on certain issues. So the opportunity to create more free-floating coalitions of councillors on specific policy issues can potentially be compromised in a partisan system.”

Candidate decision and party affiliation 

Despite the potential for change, Lucas pointed out that candidates are not obliged to join a party. The impact of Bill 20 will largely depend on whether high-profile candidates choose to affiliate with parties like A Better Calgary.

“If we see high-profile candidates, incumbent candidates and so forth joining these political party labels, then that will be a really important and substantial change,” he stated.

A Better Calgary has presented itself as a “big tent” party, aiming to attract a broad coalition of supporters. Lucas believes that while this approach can build wide support, it also requires the party to define its policy commitments clearly. 

“These political parties are going to have to make choices about what kind of policy commitments they want to stand up for, what kind of values they want to really articulate, while also being kind of flexible because how they position themselves will influence how the other parties get into the mix,” Lucas stated.

Establishing voter familiarity 

A Better Calgary has emphasized principles like common sense government and fiscal responsibility. 

“If you ask anybody, ‘Do you believe in fiscal responsibility, spending money wisely and being smart with the dollars that the municipal government spends?’ you’re not going to find many people who disagree with that. It’s called a valence issue,” said Lucas.

Lucas said that these broad principles may align with general public sentiment, but specifics will determine voter support.

“A party who’s running on a campaign of fiscal prudence has to differentiate themselves either by showing that the other parties are not going to be prudent or they haven’t been in the past,” explained Lucas. 

The rise of A Better Calgary and other potential parties presents a strategic decision-making process for current council members, including their affiliation choices and re-election plans. 

“I think the consequences for the members of council right now have more to do with their decision-making about whether they’re going to run for re-election and, if they do, whether they’re going to choose to affiliate themselves with a party or not,” Lucas said.

Lucas acknowledged the advantages and challenges A Better Calgary faces in establishing itself and building voter familiarity. 

“If you’re first out of the gate, you get to define some of the issues, some of the debates or just define where you stand in the political landscape, and others have to respond to that. However, by making commitments early on, you kind of lock yourself in,” said Lucas. 

The short-term and long-term impacts

Despite these significant changes, Lucas noted that the impact might not be as extensive in the short term. He suggested that many candidates might still opt to run as independents.

“It’s really possible that many candidates will still choose to run as independents and get elected as independents, and that the consequences of this change will prove to be more modest, at least over the short run,” he speculated.

The long-term impacts of introducing municipal political parties in Calgary could be substantial, affecting everything from council committee appointments to media coverage. 

“If we really do see the emergence of political parties in Calgary, it will be wide and deep. How council manages its own work, how decisions on city council get covered by the local news media, all of that stuff is potentially going to be affected,” Lucas said. “We’re in such a period of uncertainty now because we just don’t know how deep the changes will go since they depend so much on the individual decisions that candidates might make.”

Learn more about Bill 20 here and learn more about A Better Calgary here.