The 1989 Alberta Senate nominee election, formally the 1st Alberta Senate nominee election of Alberta was held on October 16, 1989, to nominate appointments to the Senate of Canada. The Senate nominee election was held in conjunction with Alberta municipal elections under the Local Authorities Election Act, and resulted in the first Canadian Senator appointed following a popular election. The vote was held along municipal electoral boundaries, but conducted by Elections Alberta. Candidates were registered with provincial parties. Stan Waters, nominated by the Reform Party, won the election, and was subsequently appointed to the Senate. Background The Government of Alberta under Premier Peter Lougheed had taken a position on Senate reform through balanced provincial membership and elected representatives as a mechanism to balance regional interests. In 1983, the Legislative Assembly of Alberta established the Select Special Committee on Upper House Reform, the committee's 1985 report Strengthening Canada: Reform of Canada's Senate served as the basis for provincial calls for reform in the 1980s. The Government of Alberta under Premier Don Getty had made vailed statements in the late-1980s about holding a province-wide election to select nominees for the Senate with the expectation that Meech Lake Accord would be ratified and the Prime Minister would make appointments to the Senate on the basis of names submitted by each province's premier. Additional credibility for the Senate nominee election came when sitting Solicitor General Marvin Moore announced he was leaving politics in February 1989 to contest the Senate nominee election prior to the 1989 Alberta general election, this announcement was followed by a similar announcement by Deputy Premier Dave Russell. The Senate nominee election was featured in the Speech from the Throne in February 1989 for the fourth session of the 21st Alberta Legislature, but died on the order paper when the Legislature was dissolved to hold an early provincial election. The Progressive Conservative government campaigned on Senate reform during the election in the face of waning popularity with Alberta's financial difficulties relating to the drop in oil prices, collapse of the Principal Group and concerns over Getty's leadership. The Progressive Conservative government was re-elected with a lower portion of the popular vote, while Premier Don Getty lost in his own riding and was subsequently elected to the Legislature in a by-election. The bill was reintroduced in the June 1989 during the 22nd Alberta Legislature and received royal assent on August 18. The