Photo: Own work · CC BY-SA 3.0Turnout in Edmonton Strathcona reached 69% in 2021, above 91% of ridings
McKernan sends one MP to Ottawa from Edmonton Strathcona, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP): Heather McPherson (New Democratic Party). Because the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s boundaries come with non-commercial terms, this page doesn’t say which riding McKernan is in. As a neighbourhood of Edmonton, McKernan answers to the city council and its mayor, Andrew Knack.
What stands out in how McKernan is governed
A safe federal seat
The 2021 winner in Edmonton Strathcona finished 35.2 points ahead of the runner-up (Conservative Party of Canada), a wider lead than in 84% of Canada’s 338 ridings. How McKernan has voted ↓
High federal turnout
In 2021, Edmonton Strathcona voted in greater numbers than 91% of the ridings. The 2021 turnout ↓
Compared with the province’s municipalities of 1,000+ residents (2021 Census; MAMH, MMAH and Statistics Canada).
Three governments, and who does what
McKernan is governed by Edmonton, with Alberta and Ottawa.
The city council decides local matters.
Schools, health care, highways, municipal law.
assembly.ab.ca ↗Passports, pensions, EI, defence, immigration.
ourcommons.ca ↗Who to ask
Green: municipal. Gold: provincial. Grey: federal.
The census places Edmonton in Division No. 11, a division that governs nothing; no county council sits above the town’s.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for McKernan, from the most recent elections.
- 1Edmonton councilelectedAndrew Knack
- 2Legislative Assembly of Alberta–
- 3House of CommonsEdmonton Strathcona
Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own. MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada
When McKernan votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Edmonton council | 20 October 2025 | 15 October 2029 |
| Legislative Assembly of Alberta | 29 May 2023 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Elected on 20 October 2025, Edmonton council is up again on 15 October 2029. Edmonton votes next on 15 October 2029: the Local Authorities Election Act sets municipal elections on the third Monday in October every four years. Provincially the last general election was on 29 May 2023, for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta; federally, on 28 April 2025. Counts from April 2025 can’t appear here, since Elections Canada allows only non-commercial reuse of them.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta: riding not placed
Provinces and territories run schools, health care and municipal law; each riding elects one MLA.
Find your MLA on the legislature’s site
assembly.ab.ca ↗Legislatures: their own member pages
Heather McPherson represents Edmonton Strathcona in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Edmonton Strathcona · New Democratic Party · first elected 2019
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Conservative Party of Canada33
- Liberal Party of Canada3
- New Democratic Party1
As Wikidata records them.
In Alberta, Heather McPherson belongs to a minority: the New Democratic Party has 1 of 37 seats, the Conservative Party of Canada 33.
The MP’s record
Heather McPherson was first elected in 2019; the current Parliament is Heather McPherson’s 3rd. Mapped onto today’s Edmonton Strathcona, the 2021 vote gives the New Democratic Party 58%; in 2025 Heather McPherson kept the seat in the same hands.
MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada · MPs’ records: Wikidata (CC0), positions held and party memberships, read 8 November 2026
Heather McPherson kept Edmonton Strathcona for the New Democratic Party in 2021
Edmonton Strathcona as it stood from 2013: the 2019 and 2021 counts, before the riding was redrawn for 2025.
Edmonton Strathcona elected Heather McPherson (New Democratic Party) in 2021: 61% of the vote, a lead of 18,380 over Tunde Obasan (Conservative Party of Canada). 47% had elected Heather McPherson there in 2019.
All 6 candidates in Edmonton Strathcona, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heather McPherson | New Democratic Party | 31,690 | 60.7% |
| Tunde Obasan | Conservative Party of Canada | 13,310 | 25.5% |
| Hibo Mohamed | Liberal Party of Canada | 3,948 | 7.6% |
| Wes Janke | People's Party of Canada | 2,366 | 4.5% |
| Kelly Green | Green Party of Canada | 634 | 1.2% |
| Malcolm Stinson | Libertarian Party of Canada | 275 | 0.5% |
Federal results: Elections Canada, 43rd and 44th general elections and the 44th’s transposition to the 2023 ridings, via open.canada.ca. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Edmonton council spends less per resident than most
The 2024 financial return: spending by service and revenue by source, per resident, compared only with Alberta’s municipalities.
Spending per resident by service, 2024
What pays for it
Shares of revenue, town and province.
At 30% of spending ($935 a resident), roads and transit leads the budget. Full-time staff number 11,598, about 9.4 to every thousand residents. Spending by Edmonton council came to $3,085 a resident in 2024, under the $3,457 median of Alberta’s municipalities. Edmonton council’s borrowing is on the heavy side: $4.4 billion long term, $3,528 a resident where the median is $745. Local taxpayers carry a bigger share than elsewhere: 45% of revenue, where the province’s returns show 44%.
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $1.2 billion | $935 | 30% |
| Police, fire and protection | $909.2M | $734 | 24% |
| General government | $625.1M | $505 | 16% |
| Recreation and culture | $531.2M | $429 | 14% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $240.1M | $194 | 6% |
| Planning and development | $202M | $163 | 5% |
| Social housing | $81.9M | $66 | 2% |
| Social services and child care | $73.1M | $59 | 2% |
Money: municipal financial and statistical data 2024, Alberta Municipal Affairs. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Alberta. Residents: Statistics Canada, 2025 estimate.
Having a say in how McKernan is run
Check or update the federal list.
elections.ca ↗Every MP lists an office.
ourcommons.ca ↗Ridings, registration and voting dates.
elections.ab.ca ↗What this data can and can’t tell you
- Not on this page. No party tally for the council, which the open lists don’t record, and no band councils.
- Which riding. A riding is listed when 5% or more of the place’s 2021 Census residents live in it; the largest share comes first.
- Who holds each seat. MPs come from Wikidata’s records of the 45th Parliament, which can lag a resignation or a by-election by some days.
- Election results. Elections Canada redrew the ridings in 2023 and re-tallied the 2021 ballots onto the new map from polling divisions; that estimate, and the official 2019 and 2021 counts on the old map, are what you see.
- Council money. Alberta’s 2024 municipal financial returns, per resident with Statistics Canada’s 2025 population estimate.
Questions about how McKernan is run
Who is the MP for McKernan?
Heather McPherson of the New Democratic Party is the MP for Edmonton Strathcona, which includes McKernan.
Which party won McKernan in the 2021 federal election?
The New Democratic Party: Heather McPherson won Edmonton Strathcona in 2021 and still holds it.
Who is the MLA for McKernan?
Find the riding for McKernan on the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s site, which names the MLA for each.
Who heads the council in Edmonton?
Edmonton council is led by Andrew Knack, its mayor.
How much does Edmonton council spend?
Edmonton council spent $3.8 billion in 2024 for about 1,238,295 residents; its largest service line was roads and transit, at $1.2 billion.
Sources: MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada · Money: municipal financial and statistical data 2024, Alberta Municipal Affairs. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Alberta. Residents: Statistics Canada, 2025 estimate. · Next municipal election: the province’s municipal election act · Municipality types: Statistics Canada census subdivisions · Federal results: Elections Canada, 43rd and 44th general elections and the 44th’s transposition to the 2023 ridings, via open.canada.ca. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada · MPs’ records: Wikidata (CC0), positions held and party memberships, read 8 November 2026. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).