Alberta’s finance, hospital ministers stepping down, won’t seek re-election

EDMONTON — Two of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s longtime cabinet ministers are stepping down.

In letters posted on social media Wednesday, Finance Minister Nate Horner and Hospitals Minister Matt Jones both said they are leaving their posts after deciding not to seek re-election in the October 2027 general election.

“When the premier offered me this cabinet role, I told her it was likely that my second term would be my last,” Horner said in his letter.

“In discussing my plans with the premier, we both felt it was important for the election-year budget to be built by a member of cabinet who will be running for re-election.”

Jones, in his letter, said he asked to step back so that an “orderly transition” could take place ahead of the 2027 vote.

Horner and Jones say they remain supportive of Smith and the United Conservatives. They said they will continue to serve as backbenchers until the election is called.

“I am proud of our government’s work to restore the Alberta advantage by lowering taxes, reducing red tape, and championing Alberta’s innovative and entrepreneurial industries and world-class energy sector,” Jones said.

Smith thanked the ministers for their service Wednesday, saying on social media that both accomplished plenty in their respective roles.

Horner and Jones were first elected in 2019 when the United Conservatives and former premier Jason Kenney took power from the NDP.

Kenney appointed both Horner and Jones to his own cabinet in the later part of his tenure, with Horner serving as agriculture minister while Jones oversaw children’s services.

When Smith won the party leadership contest in 2022 to replace Kenney, she kept Horner in agriculture but moved Jones to the affordability and utilities portfolio.

After the spring 2023 election, Horner was shifted to finance, a role he had kept since. Jones had three separate ministry appointments in the years since, including stints in affordability and utilities, as well as jobs, economy and trade. He was also Alberta’s first minister in charge of hospitals, a portfolio created last year as part of Smith’s massive health-care restructuring that split the health portfolio into four.

As minister of hospital and surgical health services, Jones has been tasked with managing overburdened emergency rooms, especially in the two major cities.

Late last year, a 44-year-old man died in an Edmonton hospital after waiting nearly eight hours for care.

Jones, in January, called a fatality inquiry into the matter. He also promised to create a new physician triage role in hospitals to prevent similar deaths, but the government has found itself at odds with the provincial doctors association over compensation and the role still hasn’t been put in place.

A similar death was reported last week at the Royal Alexandra Hospital near downtown Edmonton. The Alberta Medical Association hasn’t provided details but has said the man had received some care but a lack of available stretchers meant he had to wait in the emergency room, where he died several hours later.

Alberta Health Services said it’s investigating the case.

Horner has overseen all but one of Smith’s budgets since she took office, including the most recent spending plan that forecasted a $9.4-billion deficit — the largest since the COVID-19 pandemic.

That figure isn’t expected to be nearly as steep anymore as a result of the U.S. war on Iran and the high oil prices it has caused. Some analysts and business groups have said Alberta’s fortunes could even swing into a surplus should prices stay high for longer.

Smith is expected to formally shuffle her cabinet on Thursday in Calgary.

Last week, Smith wouldn’t confirm or deny rumours that Jason Nixon, minister of assisted living and social services, could take over for Horner. She told reporters instead that an announcement would be made in due course.

Nixon told reporters last week that speculation was a “waste of time” and that he was focused on his current role.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2026.

Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press