EDMONTON — The Alberta government has decided not to hold a Senate nominee election this year.
There was speculation the province would hold a Senate vote in October in conjunction with municipal elections to choose a nominee to fill a Senate vacancy that is to come open next year.
Officials say Alberta has decided not to go ahead with the plan because of opposition from municipalities and concerns about the cost of holding a Senate vote.
Premier Ed Stelmach says instead, Alberta will extend the terms of three nominees who were elected in the province’s last Senate election until Dec. 2013.
Since Alberta began holding Senate elections the federal government has appointed two nominees to the upper house: Stan Waters in 1990 and Bert Brown in 2007.
On Tuesday the Harper government introduced a bill in the Senate that sets out a voluntary framework for provinces to begin electing Senate nominees similar to the process in Alberta.