While Albertans already know the United Conservative Party will form the provincial government following last month’s election, they will know on Friday which lawmakers will be appointed to key cabinet posts.
Premier Danielle Smith’s press secretary issued a news release Thursday confirming the new cabinet will be sworn in by Lt.-Gov. Salma Lakhani at a ceremony scheduled to take place at Government House in Edmonton at 11 a.m. on Friday.
Smith and her new cabinet members are expected to address the media outside the building at 12:30 p.m.
Global News plans to livestream both the ceremony and the news conference. Both livestreams will be viewable in this post.
Smith’s new inner circle will see many new faces.
Some cabinet ministers like Travis Toews and Sonya Savage, who previously served under Smith, opted not to run in the May 29 election.
It is not clear yet how or if Edmonton will be represented in Smith’s cabinet as the UCP was unable to win a seat in Alberta’s capital on election night.
Smith had previously floated the idea of having defeated UCP candidates in Edmonton form a council to advise her government on concerns and priorities in Alberta’s second-largest city.
However, on Thursday, Smith told Ryan Jesperson, an Alberta podcast host, that she has the option of reaching out to members of Edmonton city council for advice as well as to UCP candidates from areas close to Edmonton who emerged victorious in the election.
— with files from Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press