FVC's website page Commissions, Assemblies and Reports (Commissions, Assemblies and Reports) in Canada (federally and provincially) lists many documents concerning electoral reform, but it does not list any used in the debate on electoral reform in Alberta between 1919 and 1924.
But there is at least one document that survives from that time.
Unfortunately no copies apparently still survive of the report composed by John D. Hunt, clerk of the Alberta Legislative Council, on the topic in 1920/1921. (For those interested in historical writings on electoral reform, check out Hunt's earlier book The Dawn of a New Patriotism.)
Hunt's report was apparently hushed up by the Liberal government, in power at the time.
But an abridgement of Hunt's report was published by the United Farmers of Alberta. This powerful farmer organization itself was soon to take over as government.
The abridgement is available online at Peel 9355: United Farmers of Alberta, Present electoral system condemned ([1918?]) (ualberta.ca).
The full title of the publication tells of its official origin and Hunt's positive viewpoint on electoral reform:
"Present Electoral System Condemned. J.D. Hunt, Clerk to Alberta Legislative Council Denounces System Which Allows Manipulation by Unscrupulous Politicians. Proportional Representation Only Fair Method - Works Well with Occupational Groups. Also Attacks Autocratic Power of Cabinet and Caucus."
But note that the provided date of publication "[1918?]" is wrong - the publication must have been published after Hunt's report was submitted to the Legislature which occurred in March 1921.
(see Edmonton Bulletin March 11, 1921
The final paragraph of the four-page abridgement is interesting:
"Although Hunt was officially appointed by the government to write the report, the report has not yet been printed. It is apparently unpalatable to some members of the cabinet and at least one member has described it as 'dangerous propaganda.'"
So then within a period of just three months, just from May 1921 to July 1921, the report was submitted to the legislature and ignored by the government,
the abridgment was published,
non-proportional electoral reform was implemented by the Liberal government (the government re-configured the single-member districts in Edmonton and Calgary into two five-seat city-wide districts and gave two seats to Medicine Hat (and installed non-proportional Block Voting in those three cities),
a general election was held; and
the UFA was elected in part on a promise of electoral reform.
(Information on this pivotal election can be found in this other blog: https://montopedia.wixsite.com/montopedia/post/the-ufa-promise-of-pr-preferential-voting-let-s-do-it-again).
Three years later the UFA government brought in PR (PR-STV) in the city-wide districts of Edmonton, Calgary and Medicine Hat, and installed Alternative Voting (also known as IRV) for all the districts outside those three cities.
Medicine Hat dropped back to single-member district and the AV system after 1926 and the number of seats in Edmonton and Calgary changed over time, eventually rising to 7 in Edmonton and six in Calgary, but otherwise the system stayed just as it was when it was created in 1924, until after the 1955 election.
My hope is that this history is remembered.
Thanks for reading.
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