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Seat of Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 24,048 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 24.27% ( 33.98 pp) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2022 Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche by-election took place on March 15, 2022. The seat was left vacant on August 15, 2021, when incumbent MLA Laila Goodridge resigned to run in that year's federal election as the Conservative candidate in the riding of Fort McMurray—Cold Lake.
The by-election was won by former MLA Brian Jean of the United Conservative Party, who previously led the Wildrose Party before its merger with the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta in 2017.
Background
Riding profile
This section is an excerpt from Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche § Geography. The district is located in northeastern Alberta and is named for its main communities: it includes all of Lac La Biche County and the southern half of Fort McMurray (Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo). It also contains two reserves belonging to the Fort McMurray First Nation (Clearwater 175 and Gregoire Lake 176), all three reserves of the Chipewyan Prairie First Nation, the Heart Lake First Nation (on Heart Lake 167), the main reserve of the Beaver Lake Cree Nation, Beaver Lake 131, and one of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation's reserves (Whitefish Lake 128). Major transportation routes include Alberta Highways 36 (Veterans Memorial Highway), 55 (Northern Woods and Water Route), 63, and 881.Resignation of Laila Goodridge
On August 14, 2021, incumbent Conservative MP for Fort McMurray—Cold Lake David Yurdiga decided not to seek re-election and communicated his decision to party leader Erin O'Toole the same day. The announcement was made public on August 15, with a party spokesman citing health concerns for his decision.
The same day, Lalia Goodridge resigned her seat in the Legislative Assembly and was chosen by the Conservative Party as Yurdiga's replacement. Her appointment as candidate was criticized by party's local electoral district association in a Facebook post on August 20, stating the association was preparing to hold a nominating contest and was "blindsided" by the federal party's appointment.
Results
Brian Jean won the by-election in a landslide, retaining the seat for the United Conservative Party.
| Alberta provincial by-election, 15 March 2022: Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche | ||||||||
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| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| United Conservative | Brian Jean | 3,717 | 63.64 | -2.69 | ||||
| New Democratic | Ariana Mancini | 1,081 | 18.51 | -6.01 | ||||
| Wildrose Independence | Paul Hinman | 628 | 10.75 | – | ||||
| Liberal | Abdulhakim Hussein | 211 | 3.61 | – | ||||
| Alberta Party | Michelle Landsiedel | 98 | 1.68 | -4.10 | ||||
| Independent | Brian Deheer | 57 | 0.98 | –0.58 | ||||
| Alberta Advantage Party | Marilyn Burns | 25 | 0.43 | – | ||||
| Alberta Independence | Steven Mellott | 24 | 0.41 | -1.42 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 5,841 | 99.39 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 36 | 0.61 | -0.02 | |||||
| Turnout | 5,877 | 23.99 | -34.26 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 24,501 | |||||||
| United Conservative hold | Swing | +1.66 | ||||||
References
- ^ Beamish, Laura (August 16, 2021). "Laila Goodridge running as Conservative MP candidate for Fort McMurray-Cold Lake, resigned as UCP MLA". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ^ McDermott, Vincent (August 15, 2021). "Yurdiga not seeking reelection as Conservative MP for Fort McMurray-Cold Lake". Fort McMurray Today. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- French, Janet (August 16, 2021). "Laila Goodridge resigns seat as Fort McMurray MLA to run for federal Conservatives". CBC News. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- Joannou, Ashley (August 20, 2021). "Fort McMurray board 'appalled' Laila Goodridge appointed to run for Conservatives in federal election". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on August 21, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- "Provincial Results". Elections Alberta. June 29, 2022. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.