Executive Council of Alberta

{{Short description|Body that leads the executive branch of Alberta}}

{{Infobox organization

| name = Executive Council of Alberta

| formation = {{start date and age|1905|09|01|p=1|br=1}}

| image = Coat of arms of Alberta.svg

| caption = Coat of arms of Alberta

| nickname = Cabinet of Alberta

| formerly =

| membership = *Lieutenant governor of Alberta

| leader_title = Monarch

| leader_name = {{Canadian monarch, current|nameonly=1}}

| leader_title2 = Represented by

| leader_name2 = Salma Lakhani, Lieutenant Governor

| leader_title3 = Chair

| leader_name3 = Danielle Smith, Premier

| staff = Government of Alberta

| website = {{official URL}}

}}

The Executive Council of Alberta (the Cabinet) is a body of ministers of the Crown in right of Alberta, who along with the lieutenant governor, exercises the powers of the Government of Alberta. Ministers are selected by the premier and typically (but not always) sit as a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). It is the provincial equivalent to the federal Cabinet of Canada.

Honorifics

Executive councillors are styled "the Honourable". A change was made to the protocol in 2022 and former members who were living on February 6, 2022 (the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II) are now honorary members of the council and are styled "the Honourable" for life (unless removed from membership for an indictable offence). Members and honorary members use the post-nominal letters "ECA".{{Cite web |title=Bill |url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/assembly-business/bills/bill?billinfoid=11949&from=bills |access-date=2022-04-04 |website=www.assembly.ab.ca}}

Role

The executive powers in the province lie with the lieutenant governor and are exercised on the advice of the premier and Executive Council. The lieutenant governor is restricted by custom and constitutional convention. The lieutenant governor performs constitutional, ceremonial and social duties.{{Cite web |title=Lieutenant Governor |url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/learn/the-legislative-assembly/roles/lieutenant-governor |access-date=2024-01-10 |website=Legislative Assembly of Alberta}} The lieutenant governor is Salma Lakhani, sworn in on August 26, 2020, and the premier is Danielle Smith, sworn in on October 11, 2022.

Membership

The Executive Council is similar in structure and role to the Cabinet of Canada. As federal and provincial responsibilities differ there are a number of different portfolios between the federal and provincial governments.

The lieutenant governor, as representative of the King of Canada, heads the council, and actions of the council are said to be done by the Governor-in-Council. Other members of the Cabinet, who advise, or minister to, the vice-regal representative, are selected by the premier and appointed by the lieutenant governor. Most cabinet ministers are the head of a ministry, but this is not always the case. In the construct of constitutional monarchy and responsible government, the ministerial advice tendered is typically binding (although the royal prerogative belongs to the Crown, not to any of the ministers) and ministers account to the Legislative Assembly for their portfolios.{{cite journal |last=Neitsch |first=Alfred Thomas |title=A Tradition of Vigilance: The Role of Lieutenant Governor in Alberta |journal=Canadian Parliamentary Review |volume=30 |issue=4 |page=23 |publisher=Commonwealth Parliamentary Association |location=Ottawa |year=2008 |url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/Infoparl/30/4/30n4_07e_Neitsch.pdf |access-date=May 22, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120714043622/http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/Infoparl/30/4/30n4_07e_Neitsch.pdf |archive-date=July 14, 2012 |df=mdy }}

=Current executive council=

The current cabinet has been in place since June 9, 2023.{{Cite web |title=Cabinet {{!}} Alberta.ca |url=https://www.alberta.ca/premier-cabinet.aspx |access-date=2023-07-08 |website=Alberta.ca}}

class="wikitable"

!Portfolio

!Minister

!Took office

Premier of Alberta and Minister of Intergovernmental Relations

|Danielle Smith

|October 11, 2022

Deputy Premier of Alberta and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services

|Mike Ellis

|June 9, 2023

Minister of Infrastructure

|Peter Guthrie