Alberta legislature wraps up 17-bill spring session

The Alberta Legislature on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Cam Wiebe/CTV News Edmonton)

The Alberta legislature wrapped up its spring session Thursday afternoon.

In the session, the government passed more than a dozen bills ranging from expanding private-pay health care to restricting sexually explicit materials in libraries for youth.

“We introduced and passed 17 government bills focused on protecting Albertans, strengthening our economy and supporting long-term growth,” said Joseph Schow, Minister of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration, at a press conference.

“The work we completed during this session matters, and it will make a difference in the lives of Albertans.”

Bills passed, at a glance

Bill 15 – Public Safety and Emergency Services Statutes Amendment Act

• Makes it easier for sheriffs and peace officers to become members of the independent Alberta Sheriffs Police Service

Bill 16 – Traveller Protection and Destination Development Act

• Looks to close hidden hotel fees and regulate destination marketing fees by mandating transparent fee disclosure at time of booking

Bill 17 – Fiscal Measures Statutes Amendment Act

• Focuses on strengthening pension stability and altering corporate tax while improving government fiscal efficiency

Bill 18 – Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act

• Adds restrictions to medical assistance in dying (MAID) that include limiting eligibility to adults whose death is reasonably foreseeable within 12 months and prohibiting MAID for mental illness

Bill 19 – Appropriation Act

• Allows the provincial government to take money from the General Revenue Fund for public services, programs and capital investments

Bill 20 – Appropriation (Supplementary Supply) Act

• Allows additional government spending from the General Revenue Fund beyond the initial budget for the fiscal year

Bill 21 – Interprovincial Trade Mutual Recognition Act

• Eliminates internal trade barriers on consumer goods

Bill 22 – Animal Protection Amendment Act

• Gives peace officer better enforcement and investigative tools, increases fine maximums, and introducing jail terms up to 12 months

Bill 23 – Justice Statutes Amendment Act

• Prohibits petitions 12 months before or after a general election and removing deadlines for referendums, banning the creation or distribution of deepfakes of government officials

Bill 24 – Alberta Whisky Act

• AI-generated legislation that establishes a legal definition for Alberta whisky

Bill 25 – An Act to Remove Politics and Ideology from Classrooms and Amend the Education Act

• Requires unbiased teaching devoid of statement on political, social or ideological matters

Bill 26 – Immigration Oversight Act

• Increased oversight of employers, employment recruiters and immigration consultants

Bill 27 – Financial Statutes Amendment Act

• Implements Budget 2026 policies, “care-first” auto insurance model, and drops income limit for Alberta seniors to qualify for government programs

Bill 28 – Municipal Affairs and Housing Statutes Amendment Act

• Restricts sexually explicit materials – deemed so by the province – in libraries for youth 16 and younger, accelerates housing development, and revises municipal assessment and property tax regulations

Bill 29 – Health Statutes Amendment Act

• Expands private-pay options for diagnostic tests and allows for self-referral

Bill 30 – Expedited 120-Day Approvals Act

• Requires major energy, mining and industrial projects to be approved within a 120-day timeframe

Bill 32 – Electoral Boundaries Commission Amendment Act

• Increases number of electoral divisions in the province from 87 to 91

First session for Nenshi as elected member of legislature

The ending of the spring session made it Official Opposition and New Democrat leader Naheed Nenshi’s first as an elected member of the legislature.

Several initiatives were brought forward by the NDP this session, including credit protection legislation, improving barriers for Albertans with disabilities, and measures to lower the cost of living, all of which were defeated by the United Conservative Party government.

“We were laser focused on the things that Albertans have told us over and over again that they’re worried about,” said Nenshi. “Most important: affordability, a relentless focus on rising costs. Every single one of which was defeated by this government.”

The fall session of the Alberta legislature will start on Oct. 27.