Byelection called for Calgary

New United Conservative Leader Jason Kenney is getting his chance to gain a seat in the Alberta legislature.

Premier Rachel Notley says she has called a byelection in the constituency of Calgary Lougheed for Dec. 14.

The riding has been vacant since Nov. 1 when United Conservative member of the legislature Dave Rodney resigned to give Kenney a chance to win a seat.

“We know that this byelection will be an uphill road,” Notley said Thursday. “(But) we're looking forward to it. We've got a great candidate, who will be nominated on Saturday.”

Earlier this week, Kenney was acclaimed as his party's candidate.

Jason Nixon, who is running the United Conservative caucus because Kenney doesn’t have a seat in the legislature, said he is excited a byelection had been called.

“For us, as a caucus, we’d like to get our leader here as soon as possible.”

Kenney is a former federal Conservative cabinet minister who successfully merged Alberta’s Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties this year.

Calgary doctor Phillip van der Merwe is the sole candidate for the NDP nomination and is expected to be acclaimed.

The New Democrats have 54 members in the 87-seat legislature.

The United Conservatives have 26. The Alberta Party has two. The Liberals have one, there is one remaining Progressive Conservative and two members are sitting as Independents.

The Liberals plan to run a candidate in the byelection.

Outgoing Alberta Party leader, Greg Clark, said the board of directors will decide this weekend whether the party will run a candidate in the byelection.