"In the middle of summer people probably aren't paying that much attention to politics," Smith told reporters Thursday in Edmonton.

"We probably want to call it closer to when people are returning to normal, but you'll see an announcement in the coming weeks."

Residents in the riding of Calgary-Shaw have been without a legislature representative for about two months, after former United Conservative Party cabinet minister Rebecca Schulz resigned her seat.

Schulz, who served as Smith's environment minister from 2023 to the end of 2025, has since become an executive with Whitecap Resources, a major oil and gas producer in Alberta.

Last month, Smith's UCP and the Opposition NDP both named candidates for the riding.

NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said the premier's reasoning for holding off on the byelection is "exceptionally bizarre" and that calling it now would pique Albertans' interest.

"That's when people pay attention to politics, and we would love it if she called a general election," Nenshi said.

He also said he thinks Smith is waiting to call the vote, because she's afraid her party's candidate would lose.

"We're getting a better response than we've ever had in Calgary-Shaw," said Nenshi.

The riding has voted conservative in all but one election since it was created in 1986.

The NDP's Graham Sucha won by 101 votes in the 2015 election, as part of the so-called orange wave that brought the party under former premier Rachel Notley to power after 44 years of Progressive Conservative rule.

Provincial law requires byelections to be called within six months of a seat becoming vacant, which means a vote in Calgary-Shaw must be announced by mid-November.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 16, 2026.