Less than three weeks after Rachel Notley announced plans to step down as leader of Alberta’s New Democratic Party, a leadership race to determine who will replace her has officially started.
Late last month, the Alberta NDP announced rules and timelines for the contest, which is set to conclude with a final day of voting on June 22.
Former provincial justice minister Kathleen Ganley, the NDP MLA in Calgary-Mountain View, held a news conference in Calgary on Monday morning where she launched her leadership campaign.
“I’m running to be leader of this incredible and growing NDP team, and I am running to be the next premier of this province,” Ganley told a crowd of supporters.
She was joined at the podium by several members of her party’s caucus, including Opposition finance critic Shannon Phillips and Opposition justice and public safety and emergency services critic Irfan Sabir.
Ganley said Phillips and Sabir asked to be co-chairs for her campaign.
While she touched on the environment, health care and education, Ganley’s news conference primarily focused on economic policy, where she accused the current United Conservative government of having the “wrong priorities” and being “bad for families and bad for business.”
“People are struggling for the basics,” she said. “They’re barely getting by and they’re worried because they have nothing to put away for tomorrow.
“It shouldn’t be this hard.”
Lori Williams, an associate professor of policy studies at Mount Royal University, suggested being an experienced politician can come with advantages but can also be a disadvantage if others force them to defend their record.
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“(I believe) it is a liability for Kathleen Ganley that she was a part of the NDP that was criticized by a number of Albertans,” she said, noting Notley was forced to defend her record as premier in the last provincial election.
Ganley said “a lot of incredible candidates” are expected to come forward to throw their hat in the ring to become the new NDP leader, and that she believes the party is “going to have a big conversation about what our vision and our values are.”
“I think that this is a party that has come to represent a lot of Albertans, that’s a big tent, and it means that sometimes we’re going to have differing opinions and I don’t think that we should shy away from that. I think that this is an incredible opportunity to talk about who we are, what we have to offer.”
Global News reached out to former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi on Friday to ask for a response to speculation among some political commentators that he could be interested in making a bid to become the new NDP leader.
“It’s very kind when people ask me to get back into politics,” Nenshi said in a statement on Friday. “I had not contemplated this but I have been listening to a lot of pitches from party members and other Albertans.
“Over the coming weeks, I hope to have more conversations about whether my running would help build a better Alberta. I’m sure I will have more to say soon.”
When asked what kind of a leader she believes could help the NDP try to form government again in the future, Williams said there are a few attributes she would look at.
“Someone who is obviously very bright and competent, has really good ideas (and) a vision for the future,” she said.
“(Someone) who has that common touch and connects with folks.”
Ahead of the race officially beginning on Monday, the NDP made an application and disclosure form for prospective contestants available on Jan. 29.
The person who emerges victorious in the leadership race will replace someone who has led the party for almost a decade. Notley also served as premier from 2015 to 2019 after leading the NDP to its first-ever provincial election victory in Alberta.
Notley has said she plans to remain in her current role as party leader until a replacement is selected. She has also said she does not plan to endorse a candidate.
After announcing she would be leaving her position as leader, Notley said she believed her decision was in the best interests of the party, the party’s caucus as well as her “own preferences.”
Alberta’s last provincial election saw the NDP lose to the United Conservative Party.
Despite the loss, Ganley noted on Monday that the election saw the NDP have “an enormous amount of growth in Calgary.”
She added that Notley moved the Alberta NDP forward in her time as leader and that her goal is to “build on that.”
Williams said that while being able to attract votes in Calgary is important for any future NDP leader, it is also important to try to secure votes in rural Alberta.
She said some rural Albertans are not pleased with ongoing issues for them regarding health-care access and getting oil and gas companies to pay their fair share of taxes to municipalities.
“(There are) a lot of places in Alberta where a really capable leader could make connections,” Williams said, adding there are some “small-c conservatives who don’t see themselves as having a home right now.”
Party members must be in good standing by purchasing or renewing their membership by April 22 in order to vote in the contest.
The NDP has said the race will have a spending limit of $500,000 per contestant and that fees will total $60,000 per candidate.
–with files from Global News’ Tomasia DaSilva and Heather Yourex-West and The Canadian Press
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