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$28M for chief electoral officer not sign of spring election, says Jim Prentice

Premier Jim Prentice is brushing off talk that $28 million in special funding for the chief electoral officer is a sign Alberta is heading to a spring election.

“I'll let you speculate on that,” Prentice said in response to a question from a reporter. “I think it's important that the chief electoral officer be properly funded in these circumstances.”

When asked what the money was for, Prentice replied with “I think that’s a question you should direct to the chief electoral officer.”

Funding for the chief electoral officer was put in Bill 18, the Appropriation (Interim Supply) Act, introduced Tuesday by Finance Minister Robin Campbell.

Campbell was coy about why funding for an election that’s supposed to take place next year couldn’t wait for the 2015-2016 budget.

He said Chief Electoral Officer Glen Resler needs the money now.

“There’s a lot of things he wants to do differently ... so we’ll make sure he has the money to move forward,” he said. “We always do that a year ahead anyways.”

With Prentice threatening to impose government cuts and tax increases as a way to deal with dropping oil revenues, opposition MLAs were annoyed that the government could find money for an election a year ahead of schedule.

"If there's a true fiscal crunch right now, why spend $28 million on an unnecessary election?” asked Wildrose MLA Shayne Saskiw.

Saskiw said a spring election is “illegal and unnecessary.”

Legislation states the next Alberta election is to take place in the spring of 2016. However, the law also allows the lieutenant-governor to dissolve the legislature.