Alberta NDP to vote on opting out of federal party membership

Alberta’s New Democrats are set to vote Saturday on whether or not to allow new members to opt out of joining the federal NDP.

For the provincial party, automatic membership in its federal counterpart has long been seen as a political albatross.

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Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi has questioned the value of those membership ties, and promised last year to put the issue on a ballot.

The connection has inspired jeers from the governing United Conservatives, who say Nenshi’s party answers to political masters in Ottawa that don’t support Alberta’s oil and gas industry.

Premier Danielle Smith says the vote suggests the provincial party wants to distance itself from a “damaged brand” after the federal NDP lost 17 seats and its official party status in Monday’s election.

Nenshi says his NDP is financially independent and dictates its own policy, but members overwhelmingly want to be able to opt out of the federal party.