EDMONTON - Members of the Tory caucus cheered and chuckled as they were sworn in Tuesday alongside Alberta's first female elected premier, Alison Redford.

The new MLAs receive gold-plated Alberta Mace pins, tiny replicas of the one that bears gemstones whose names start with the letters for Alberta -- Amethyst, Lazulite, Bloodstone, Emerald, Ruby, Topaz and Agate.

Redford declined to speak with the press after the event.
Wildrose Party Leader Danielle Smith, who didn't swear on the Bible, but affirmed instead, was also sworn in Tuesday.

Smith said her newly-sworn-in MLAs are "chomping at the bit" to the work as Alberta's official Opposition.

"Everyone is looking forward to having a very constructive impact on the government of Alberta," Smith said.

"Keep in mind, we have a few members with elected office experience, but for a lot of our members it's brand new to them, so it's been a pretty steep learning curve over the last couple of weeks," she said.