Rachel Notley was elected as an NDP MLA in 2008. She became the leader of the NDP in 2014 and will be stepping down as leader in 2024. She led the party through three elections and served as premier from 2015 to 2019.
She was a formidable leader and premier and will be a tough act to follow.
Since she announced her resignation, six candidates have stepped forward to fill her (mighty big) shoes. They are:
- Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse
- Kathleen Ganley
- Gil McGowan
- Sarah Hoffman
- Naheed Nenshi
- Rakhi Pancholi
NDP supporters are thrilled with this slate of highly qualified candidates. Which is more than most UCP members would say about their last leadership race where on the sixth and final ballot Danielle Smith finally emerged as leader with 53.8% of the vote (beating Travis Toews who had 46.2%).
Given the caliber of these six candidates, how will the members decide who to vote for on June 22?
One way…or maybe not
Some political pundits and strategists have offered guidance. They’re urging us to vote for the candidate most likely to beat Danielle Smith in the next election.
However the “beat Danielle” strategy misses the mark, for the same reason that Pepsi has failed for 65 years to beat Coke.
Compare the slogans of these two companies:
Coke: Put a can of coke within arm’s reach of everyone on the planet.
Pepsi: Beat Coke
Management consultants raved about Pepsi’s slogan. It was simple, clear, easy to understand. And yet after decades of competition, 50% of the world prefers Coke while 42% prefer Pepsi.
Why? Because Coke has a broad marketing plan, it strives to be the beverage of choice for all soda drinkers, whereas Pepsi has a narrower focus, it is targeting a subset of soda drinkers—those who drink Coke.
To put this in the context of the NDP leadership race; a candidate can choose to:
- Position themselves the leader of the party of choice for all Albertans in 2027 or
- Position themselves as the leader of the party for the protest voters, the ones who can’t bring themselves to vote for Danielle in 2027. (The NDP went with that strategy in 2023. It didn’t work).
There are other issues with the “beat Danielle” strategy.
- How do we know which candidate is the most likely to beat Danielle in 2027? Is it the quiet, thoughtful candidate, the loud boisterous candidate, or someone in the middle?
- How do we know Danielle will even be premier in 2027? What if, like her predecessor Jason Kenney (and the four premiers who preceded him) she’s run out of office before she can finish her term? What’s Plan B?
A different strategy
Instead of focusing on beating the existing UCP leader, the NDP leadership hopefuls should be focused on broadening the NDP’s appeal to all Albertans, to maximize the number of Albertans who will support the NDP in 2027 regardless of who’s leading the UCP.
This means going beyond simple slogans and taking the time to demonstrate how NDP values are the foundation of the kind of government that helps all Albertans succeed. Public education and public healthcare are givens, the price of entry. What else have you got?
What’s your vision for the future? How will you, as premier, grapple with climate change, an economy in transition, affordability, and the protection of human rights?
It’s a lot to pack into a leadership race that ends on June 22, but then again someone who expects to become the next premier of Alberta had better be able to deliver.
I don’t know who this leader is yet, but that’s the leader I’m looking for.
What about you?
Susan on the Soapbox 
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I haven’t yet read about the platforms of Kathleen Ganley or Gil Mc Gowan, but I agree with your argument and I’m backing Nenshi. I read an aspect of ‘axe the tax’ in the platforms of the first three ND women, and much as I like them, I think that fence sitting on climate change is a deal breaker for me.
Penny: fair point. I just checked the websites for Ganley, Hoffman and Panolchi. Ganley’s site set out 3 specific policies addressing coal mines, orphan wells and renewables, The other two candidates make general comments about addressing climate change in their videos. I understand Panolchi is considering replacing the consumer carbon tax with an augmented industrial carbon tax, but I haven’t been able to find any details on that.
As you said, fence sitting is out of the question. I would hope that all of the candidates have a clear position on what they would do to mitigate the impact of climate change and how they’d support the transition to an economy that is less dependent on fossil fuels.
my brother just posted this on his Facebook page. Don’t know the origin but he is in Saskatchewan:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/4uK62yLoNXWnEzdC/
?
penny Clipperton
pclipper@telus.net
Excellent article. I especially like the Coke vs Pepsi analogy. Hopefully more people will read this and pay attention to the questions the candidates need to explore. Personally, I am really, really tired of the name calling, lies, and unprofessionalism shown by many of the people currently involved in our provincial politics. (I refuse to call them political “leaders.”) ________________________________
Barb: thanks. Like you I am fed up with the lies and name calling. The public is entitled to an evidence based discussion of the pros and cons of a particular policy, instead we get inflammatory personal attacks. This is not good government.
Susan: Thanks for sharing another another great blog. This will be interesting to see how the NDP leadership race goes. Lots of interesting candidates in this particular race to replace Rachel Notley, who was compared to Peter Lougheed, by a former cabinet minister of his.
Under the UCP, we had a sketchy leadership race in 2019, a very suspect election outcome, because of nefarious activities going on, and around $200,000 in fines given to UCP members, including a UCP MLA, for breaking election laws, the firing of the Alberta Elections Commissioner, Lorne Gibson, by the last UCP leader, and other shady things going on.
With the UCP, we still have problems with the ongoing contradictions and lies of Danielle Smith, billions of dollars wasted on so many very very debacles, public education, public healthcare, social services, utilities, the supports for seniors is a mess, the environment is disregarded, and infrastructure is not being looked after very well.
Even Danielle Smith contradicted herself in her budget statements. She is having to borrow money to top up the Heritage Savings Trust Fund, which is counter intuitive. The budget she has is full of flaws, errors, and lies. She is relying on oil prices to save us one minute, and the next moment, she says we can’t. Which is it?
When it comes to the next provincial election in Alberta, we must be ready in advance. Anymore of the UCP will not be acceptable.
I’ll share some more fitting music. This is a Don Henley and Glenn Frey composition, from The Eagles, called Lyin’ Eyes. It is a live performance from 1977. I did see The Eagles live, and they are in my music collection.
Dwayne: The Eagles pick was perfect and one of my favourites (how lucky you were to see them!).
I wish someone could produce a list of all the poor decisions Kenney and Smith made so we could tally up just how much money the UCP government has flushed down the drain. The number is in the multi-billions. They did not have the mandate to make these decisions (eg. Kenney didn’t run on paying $1.5B to Keystone XL in the US and Smith didn’t run on creating a provincial police force, propping up the oil industry by paying for abandoned/orphan wells, to say nothing of dragging us into the APP)
It’s a shameful display of arrogance and disrespect.
Susan: KXL was 5 times that cost.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/amp/opinion/editorials/article-why-jason-kenneys-75-billion-oil-pipeline-investment-is-a-risky-bet/
Dwayne: thanks for the clarification. Much appreciated.
This is a hard question to answer, because the Alberta reality is a hard beverage to swallow, let alone endorse. As a life long supporter of the NDP, what I hope we will do is broaden our goals far beyond winning….or defeating Danielle. I agree that she may well not survive to the end of her mandate. She seems to be committing one foolish act after another………getting ready to redesignate Grassy Mountain as ‘an advanced project’ after it was rejected as environmentally and economically unsound by federal and provincial environmental reviews is just one gob smacking example of what she thinks she can get away with.
The real question for me is who will stand up against those kinds of destructive sleights of hand? Who understands why open pit mining in our eastern slopes is a kind of game over for a living life in water poor Alberta…….going forward? In the same ball park, who is it gets that we can’t continue to frack for fossil gas and in situ mine our boreal forests for bitumen, given the destruction of potable water both those extractivist projects necessitate?? Who has the courage to talk about a provincial carbon levy that will help diversify Alberta’s economy and end the fear mongering about a just transition. Who will face the new fire reality threatening the boreal everywhere as climate heats up and our boreal lungs become so much easy tinder??
It has been historically too easy in Alberta to pretend the climate emergency isn’t real, that there is no alternative to fossil fuel extraction, and that a one industry non renewable resource guarantees our endless advantage into the far future. It is very tempting for politicians to imagine we can have our cake and eat it too
Danielle says no……..we must choose, and renewables are the eyesore, pump jacks part of the pristine views…….coal mining behind some of those views being nicely kept out of sight. If it was working as it’s supposed to health and education wouldn’t be experiencing the penny pinching both are suffering now. But to build a better Alberta, we can’t just tinker around the edges of the present….end a few silly moratoriums on renewables, and go back to low taxes and Cadillac services.
We are where we are because of our choices….and our fear of real innovation. I will be voting for a leader smart enough to know that, and bold enough to come up with real policy alternatives.
We don’t need a rock star, we need a Rock…and given the TBA none sense and rage farming we’ve watched grow exponentially in our province over the last few years, whoever we choose has some hard governing ahead. I’m looking for courage, strong social democratic values, and an ability to work hard….because the easy road we’ve been choosing the last few decades isn’t taking us to a good place.
Kathleen Ganley has flat out said NO to coal mining in the Eastern Slopes. I think all candidates for this job need to answer that question definitively before I decide who I am going to vote for. Because saying NO takes courage and leadership.
Hi Kathy
I could not agree more. Allowing coal minning at a time we are moving away from fossil fuels is not just bad, it is inconceivable and doing it in the Parks is of course a crime to me. This billionaire from Australia should be shoewed where the airport is and nothing else. Only idiots can even think of something this stupid.
In many ways its a no brainer. We fought these coal mines during the Kenney government……..but it still seems to me that many Albertans don’t know the full extent of the damage they would do to our watersheds….and the watersheds of Saskatchewan and Manitoba……….going forward.
Our eastern slopes are the water towers for the prairies….most of our major rivers rise there. Coal mining not only uses massive amounts of fresh water, they not only poison the rivers and streams with selenium, but once the overburden (trees, shrubs, soil) is cleared for the mining…….what water we do get off snow melt or spring rains, rushes downhill too fast….stream beds get silt and flood in spring……then drought by August.
More of us need to listen to environmentalists like Kevin van Teagum…..and step up to protect what will be left of our watersheds…….once the glaciers are gone.
Coal mining in the eastern slopes is an extinction, game over, game. But who wants to live forever, hey?? Not Danielle.
Kathy McMullin: You’re right. Kathleen Ganley has made her position on coal and many other policies very clear. She deserves full credit for that.
Now that I think about it, the only criticism I’ve heard about Ganley is that she’s not dynamic enough to take on Smith. As I said in the blog post, Smith might not even be here 3 years from now. I find this focus on a candidate’s charisma frustrating because as Mary put it, we don’t need a rock star, we need a rock.
In the coming weeks I’ll be watching to see who that person might be.
Mary: Thank you. I hope every candidate running for the leadership reads your comment. It absolutely nailed it and I have nothing to add.
All of us who know our present reality need to speak up whenever we can. People bitch about the NDP timidity, but its a provincial disease. People think they’re progressive if they vote for a person of colour……but as long as we look the other way about our fossil fuel addiction, and insist on choosing leaders ‘friendly to industry’ and ‘ignorant of good land and water protection’ we won’t make progress. Native people are smarter…they know we can’t eat money.
Too many of us settlers assume the land is like a woman…endlessly capable of giving, needing 0 in return.
We all need to get ‘woke’ and put those sleepy rage farmers into well run public old age institutions.
Susan: This is my next song pick. This is one I could have chosen for your previous blog. It is a David Clayton Thomas composition, with Blood Sweat & Tears, called Go Down Gamblin’. It was recorded and released in 1971. David Clayton Thomas is on vocals and lead guitar here. He was born in 1941, in England, to a Canadian soldier father, and an English mother, and grew up in Ontario. He replaced founder member of Blood Sweat & Tears, Al Kooper, in 1968. This band does a nice fusion of blues, jazz, with some other styles thrown in. They are also in my music collection.
Dwayne, Go Down Gamblin would definitely have worked for the last blog too. Right from the very first line “Born a natural loser …”
Amazing instrumental bit at the end!
Susan: Here is my final song pick. Since it’s St. Patrick’s Day, I thought I’d share some music, from a band from Liverpool, The Beatles. It is Octopus’s Garden. It was written by Ringo Starr, and was recorded and released in 1969. Three of the band members have Irish ancestry, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. George Harrison is the the only band member without Irish ancestry. I did see Paul McCartney live in 2012, and I saw Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band, live in 2015. This is a fun and happy song.
Dwayne whenever I hear Octopus’s Garden it reminds me of my youth. It’s a delightful song. And you saw Paul and later Ringo live. Wow! I read in the Globe that John and Yoko were married on Mar 20, 1969 in Gibraltar and honey-mooned with a bed-in for peace. The idea struck my dad as preposterous, but I remember thinking it was cool.
Susan: When you have the time, you should listen to this podcast. It’s very interesting, and it talks about the UCP leadership race investigation results, and other things, such as the budget.
Dwayne: thanks for this. I like Thomas Lukaszuk. He has interesting ideas and he doesn’t shy away from the trolls who attack him constantly.
Hi -I’m an old Lougheed Tory and I’m supporting Naheed Nenshi. He has a big tent that can include both Purples (PC,Liberals, Alberta Party and …. Disgruntled UCP) and Orange – NDP. The NDP candidates are all good as is Gil McGowan but …..they can’t gather us all in a common purpose to defeat the UCP in 2027. We all have to accept that Naheed Nenshi can do that. Let’s go for the Nenshi win in the leadership race – buy a membership and vote for him in the leadership race! Lets defeat the UCP IN 2027 !
Linda: Thank you for this. I agree that all the NDP candidates are good for their own unique reasons. The challenge now is to find the one who will resonate with more Albertans than Danielle Smith (or whoever might be in the premier’s office) by the time 2027 rolls around.
I’m very happy with the way the NDP race is shaping up. While I haven’t made up my mind yet, I believe the candidates will be honest with us about their visions and policies for Alberta’s future so that we will be able to pick the candidate who is not only the best choice for NDP leader, but also the best choice for premier of this province.
Today as she toured southern Alberta. What’s really important is a fresh approach! Inspired anyone motivated to join the NDP party?
How about I believe… tell me what you believe, tell me why I should care. Paint me a picture of the Alberta you see. Show me where I fit in that vision?
Remember, people don’t buy (vote for ) what you do (say), they buy (vote for ) because of why you do it ! ( Simon Sinek – Start With Why)
A purposeful campaign statement might be “ Alberta is blessed with all we need to create a prosperous healthy abundant energy future. I’m Rhaki want to help me build it?
Bruce: great comment.
I’ve had the pleasure of talking with Rakhi a couple of times. She ranks very high in my books.
SusanI just invested an hour in another comment and lost it because the system asked me to log in, saying I wasn’t logged into my Yahoo account. Well, I am! I couldn’t send you this email if I wasn’t. I find the directions confusing. Always did with Word Press. This is why I don’t write.On me for sure. Frustration isn’t conducive for good writing or my well being. Please advise how I credential myself in the Word Press system.
Best Regards,Bruce Winter
Hi Bruce
I use to have a lot of problems with Word Press before and I am sure everyone here knows it because I used to say it all the time maybe trying to vent frustration.
Recently they changed it and they want one to be logged in before posting the comment. It has resolved all the problems I use to have and so I sign in all the time because it has never failed since they implemented this new system.
You have to remember that when they mean log in it means to word press not to yahoo. You notice that after the phrase
‘Log in or provide your name and email to leave reply ‘ you have three cicles right below the one on the right is your email and it is usually blue. If you click on it, it will highlight all of them and you then click on the left one which is Word Press. If you have an ID with them then you just login and the system has identified you and will not fail. If you do not have one just continue with one of the other processes which include one of the main email systems.
I think you still have to login even if it is the same email you have.
This is how I think it works. If any of you has something else to add, please do.
Bruce now with the Word Press out of the way I just want to make a comment about what Rhaki Pancholi said.
First I love that sentence because I think we would do better as a province if we abandoned the political system we have. The idea of a party in government and the other opposing is to me ridiculous and in times like right now it seems more like we are in the coliseum of the Roman Empire.
Very little is resolved and in majorities like now half of us as to put up with the out of this world weird ideas that will very likely kill whatever good we have now and leave behind serious problems that will take decades to resolve. Now if we were really governing with some give and take we would be able to at least get a compromise and not a full destruction.
Unfortunately we are addicted to majorities and have this very wrong belief that only majorities allow things to get done.
Now having said that we are in a 2 party political system and saying
‘I came into this role not tied to partisanship or ideology….’ will not do it for me.
I do not know her at all but the two things she said so far that made it to the media (if we can call it that) makes me feel that she is a Conservative with a small c. She will not get my vote.
In a time where we have had 4 disaster decades of neo-liberalism I want much more left ideology than more extreme right wing advance. They have been taking over big time since Trump convinced the world that lies and no facts is what will make us move forward. It seems it is working even in Canada where Pierre Poilievre sings the same song as the Frank Sinatra of Fascism in our country.
I will not participate in that. The NDP may get more votes by following Rhaki’s ideas but the question is – do we need to be another bad government or do we need to save our province from an environmental and economic disaster.
Albertans have to realize that the evamgelical God is not going to save us from a time where we need to sacrifice in order to leave a livable place for our descendants. We need to end our addiction to oil and easy money and move into reality. We need to clean up and protect our land.
Poorer? Maybe but is being less greedy and having less consumption power bad for us?
Carlos, you’ve raised some important issues here, as the leadership candidates step aside I think we’ll get a chance to explore them further. I think this will turn into a 2 candidate race: Nenshi vs Hoffman. Rakhi stepped down this week, Stonehouse is interesting but too new, Gil won’t get the support he needs to stay in the race and he’ll endorse Hoffman, that leaves just Ganley. She may stay in, but I have a gut feeling she’ll also step out and endorse either Nenshi or Hoffman.
While I hoped for at least 4 of them to be in the race on voting day, I think the Nenshi/Hoffman contrast elevates the conversation from the simplistic “who can beat Danielle?” question to a more important question, namely: “who are the NDP and what do they stand for?”
It’s going to be quite a leadership race.
The punditocracy loves Nenshi for the NDP leadership, and he is a dynamic politician for sure. But until this month he’s always been openly disdainful of party politics, and never even hinted he was even a closet New Democrat. My question for him, if I had the opportunity to ask it, would be this: “will you commit to offering as an NDP candidate at the next election regardless of the outcome of this leadership race?” If the answer is anything but an immediate and enthusiastic ‘Yes, of course’, we need to steer clear of him.
That said, winnability has to be a key criterion for choosing our next leader. Alberta just can’t afford another four years of this extremist UCP government. We need to assess all six candidates on the basis of who can expand the NDP vote enough in enough seats to win a majority government. All other considerations – such as ideological purity – must be secondary. In particular, I want to hear from all six how they will crack the code of winning seats outside the Edmonton and Calgary metro areas.
jerrymacgp: I agree 100%.
When I talked to Rakhi (before she stepped down) she said there was room to grow in the “donut” the smaller cities like Red Deer, Lethbridge, Airdrie, and Medicine Hat. Her tactic was to get out there and meet as many people as possible. Given that this is a leadership race, not a provincial election, I don’t know whether Nenshi is going to campaign hard in the rural areas or whether he’s done the calculus and sees a pathway to victory focusing mainly on Edmonton and Calgary, but one way or another the new leader is going to have to “crack the code”. as you so aptly put it.
Another excellent blog Ms. W.
Marketing strategies aside, Coke vs. Pepsi is an interesting analogy. True, Coke sells more cans of sugar water than Pepsi. Pepsico sales are twice that of Coca Cola. (91.5 B vs. 45.8 B) Coke wins the battle, Pepsico wins the war. Here is a little snippet of Coke marketing history. Coke as a marketing strategy aligned itself with the Nazi Party and was advertising at Nazi rallies and national events in the 1930’s and early 40’s and only stopped shipments of the syrup when they were forced to once the U.S. entered the war.
I agree, the 2023 NDP campaign strategy of, “Danielle is a crazy lady, vote for me” was an absolute disaster. The problem is, Notley and her inner circle of NDP stalwarts, including Hoffman and Ganley, obviously endorsed the plan. Have Hoffman and Ganley learned their lessons? Since the past is the best indicator of actions in the future, will they do anything different next time? Are the strategists that came up with that boondoggle still employed? We hear crickets on whether or not these strategists have been reassigned. I am afraid that with Hoffman and Ganley it is a case of meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
The other leadership hopefuls are fresh faces with perhaps fresh ideas. Time will tell.
Jaundiced Eye:
Yes, the strategists who designed the 2023 NDP campaign really dropped the ball. I understand these politicos controlled every aspect of the campaign, much to chagrin of some candidates who felt they could have done better if they hadn’t been hobbled.
I recall seeing Brian Mason on Twitter bemoaning the “Danielle is crazy” campaign, sadly he was ignored and now we’re living with the consequences of that error.
As this leadership race heats up we’ll get a chance to see which candidates go on the attack (against Smith or Nenshi, or both). It’s time for the NDP to paint a different picture of Alberta. One where the future is bright, and to show us, in broad strokes, how they’re going to get us there, because the Danielle-is-crazy rage farming didn’t work in 2023 and it isn’t going to work in 2027.
PS thanks for the info on Coke trying to become the beverage of choice for the Nazis. Wow. .
In his leadership announcement speech Naheed Nenshi said that the UCP is “not only incompetent, but they’re actually immoral and they’re dangerous.” This is exactly the type of message that I have been waiting to hear from the NDP for a very long time. It’s simple, direct and truthful and it’s what the public needs to hear, on repeat, until it finally sinks in. I’m hoping that Nenshi provides some energy to the NDP that was lacking throughout the entire last election campaign and has been absent ever since. In my opinion he was a strong and effective mayor of Calgary and I thought that his leadership during the floods of 2013 was excellent. It will be difficult, if not impossible, for any of the other candidates to convince me in the next few months that they can provide better leadership than what I have already seen from Nenshi.
While I agree with Susan that ‘Beat Danielle” is not an effective campaign strategy, winning the next election obviously must be the first priority and yet another campaign of hoping the UCP will falter or that the voting public will tire of their antics simply won’t do it. The next leader will have roughly three years to demonstrate clearly and simply to Albertans how the NDP will make things better for them. Focusing on issues that are basically universal will be critical. Strengthen and defend public health care and education. Take action on climate change. Address affordability starting with our broken electricity system and runaway auto insurance costs. And I think that one of the most important messages to get across to the public is one of inclusivity. Make sure that even the most casual or occasional political observer knows that the NDP will govern for all Albertans, not just for wealthy donors and political extremists who have gone off their meds. I have to believe that a tone of inclusion and cooperation would be a welcome relief for almost everyone and may attract support from people who have tuned out political messaging due to its constant negativity.
With a new leader the NDP will have the opportunity to define who they are and what they represent and to communicate that clearly and effectively to the voting public over the next three years or so. At the same time they need to call out the government loudly and clearly every time they say or do something stupid. The opportunities for that will be plentiful because, don’t forget, our current government is incompetent, immoral and, above all, dangerous.
‘In his leadership announcement speech Naheed Nenshi said that the UCP is “not only incompetent, but they’re actually immoral and they’re dangerous.” This is exactly the type of message that I have been waiting to hear from the NDP for a very long time.’
My thoughts exactly. Nenshi was severely attacked by the conservatives when he was Mayor of Calgary and he learned the game well and does it better than anyone I know.
Carlos: Naheed Nenshi endured three consecutive terms as mayor of Calgary. During that same time, Danielle Smith only faced defeat, as the Wildrose Wildrose leader, and as a politician, in 2015.
Carlos: *Wildrose party*
You are right Dwayne but when we talk about elections these days it is difficult to predict anything because we have changed considerably from Conservative to extreme right wing which is a different beast. Furthermore deceit and propaganda have increased exponentially
By the way, this type of politics is far from my own vision of it but do we have a choice?
Hi Carlos. Thanks for your comments but your last statement makes me think that I need to explain my position a little better. If by ‘this type of politics’ you mean a negative style of politics where all of a candidate’s energy is poured into bashing their opponent, I’m not advocating that approach in any way. I’m as fed up as anyone with the constant name-calling, misinformation and negativity that inhabits modern politics, but that’s not how I receive Nenshi’s comment. To me it doesn’t come across as him saying something derogatory or demeaning for political gain but that he is describing the UCP as he actually sees it. I believe that because it is exactly the way that I see the UCP so it resonates strongly with me. I believe that Nenshi is taking a bold, aggressive stance as he enters the leadership race and I welcome it because I feel that the timidity of the NDP’s campaign is what cost them the last election.
Guy and Carlos: thanks for this great conversation. I’ve enjoyed following along.
Guy I understood you perfectly the very first time and maybe my reply was the problem.
I fully agree with what you said and I am also very happy that Nenshi is being right on with his comment because he is capable of saying it without sounding negative.
Nenshi is a smart individual and I wish him well, I just hope that he does not move the NDP more to the right in order to attract more voters. Social democratic parties have done that throughout the West and some are nothing but Conservative light, implementing neo-liberal policies that have brought us to where we are. This housing crisis is nothing but the fact that governments have abandoned creating affordable housing which the private sector is not interested in.
Thank you for your explanation.
Carlos: You can see how Danielle Smith contradicts herself, and she does it so well.
https://www.reddeeradvocate.com/uncategorized/smith-eager-to-challenge-stelmach-7020463
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/experts-slam-carbon-capture-as-clock-ticks-on-albertas-165b-mega-project-120540714.html
Carlos: Here is more proof of the contradictions.
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/parties-promise-to-close-alberta-coal-plants-encourage-renewable-energy
https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/varcoe-small-price-to-pay-premier-says-ccus-incentives-talks-continue-could-be-worth-nearly-2b-for-oilsands
Thank you Dwayne for these 4 articles. Amazing stuff. I always feel I have seen the worst to just get surprised with even more absurd news these people generate.
I just noticed today we have another one coming up with this new curriculun they made public which apparently is another piece of 12th century work. They have no produced one legislative document worth the paper it is written on, but they just keeping forcing this stuff on us when the great majority of Albeertans do not want it. The reaction never changes – You do not like it but you get it anyway. In the meantime they keep saying that everything is improving, just like the guy who was sent to a motel to recover from a stroke.
They also refuse to release the results on the pension debacle. DS cannot stop talking about how they love transparency and freedom.
Guy,
I agree with you that when Nenshi speaks people listen. What’s odd though, is that many of the NDP MLAs were saying the same thing, especially when Smith came out with her anti-trans policies, but their sharp criticism of the premier didn’t hit home the way Nenshi’s did. Other than research on male voices/opinions vs female voices/opinions I have no explanation.
I was skeptical when he first entered the race, but clearly he resonates with many more people (as his success in signing up memberships will attest) than the other candidates, and if the goal is to grow the party he appears to be the best person to do it.
Anyway, I’m trying to keep an open mind on this until I see more of the candidates policies and I really want to see how they perform in the debates.
It’s going to be an interesting race with many competent candidates–something that can’t be said for the UCP leadership race that spat out Smith as the leader after the 6th ballot.
Unfortunately politics have become a blood sport. Appeals to emotion work very well as opposed to rational policies. This is very evident in the USA and quickly creeping into Canada. Poilievre is the prime example with several provincial conservative parties following this pattern. Appeals to reason are akin to bringing a knife to a gun-fight. The NDP indeed have several worthy candidates but I think Nenshi is the only one that has the tools for today’s campaign style.
cyclesmart: you nailed it, unfortunately. One need go no further than the comments section of a newspaper article. It doesn’t take long before the conversation devolves into a “your mama wears army boots”/”oh yeah, well your papa….” And to make matters worse, these people are proud that they don’t know what they’re talking about because they “feel” they’re right.
I have been missing your wise commentary but as many of the comments below said great column. A perspective I had been ignoring in my goal to change the Premiership in province. To do that needs a broader base across the province and dismantling what appears to be an urban rural divide that exists. Thanks for pointing the obvious out. D
David, thank you! It’s a big job. Kudos to the NDP leadership candidates who are going into hostile territory to give it their best shot.
I strongly agree that the focus of the NDP should not be choosing a leader who will beat the UCP. It should be choosing who they feel will be the best leader, as the later will increase the likelihood of the former.
Name recognition and geography are of course factors, but whoever wins will have an opportunity to increase recognition over the next few years and you don’t become premier by appealing to just one community, but to more places across the province. People in Grande Prairie, Red Deer and Lethbridge and many other places did not vote for a premier who came from their communities.
As someone originally from rural Alberta, I do wish there was a candidate or candidate from rural Alberta. There are a lot of seats there and I don’t think it is wise for one party to write them off as it makes it much more difficult for them to win. But hopefully some of the candidates will be able to transcend being from an urban background and understand or appeal to other parts of Alberta. However, I think that may be harder for those currently most closely identified with urban politics.
In any event, I feel it is otherwise a strong group of candidates, several underestimated because they are not as well known yet. I hope it will be a good competitive race and whoever wins does so because of their hard work and skill. Also I hope the NDP can avoid the type of divisive race the UCP had, which is much more dangerous for an opposition party than one in government.
“I do wish there was a candidate or candidate from rural Alberta” For the record, while Sarah Hoffman is now an Edmonton MLA, she was born and raised in Kinuso, a tiny little townlet roughly halfway between Slave Lake and High Prairie. Her Dad was a schoolteacher there.
Dave, you’re right, whoever is elected leader will have 3 or so years to make themselves known all across the province. We tend to think that rural voters are all the same, but I hope that the new leader can meet them “where they live” (in every sense of the word) so they can get on board with the message that everyone in Alberta matters, not just those who run oil companies and coal mines.
As you said, the party has put forward a strong group of candidates. Many will end up in cabinet when the party forms government. Which is a good thing because we’ll need lots of smart, dedicated people to right the ship once the UCP are gone.
Naheed Nenshi will do ALL that is necessary for ALL Albertans. His mayoral ‘experience’ & Harvard degree in government & intellect WILL cover everything thrown in his path. His ‘speaking’ to voters is rational, clear & informative. Afterall, when asked his opinion about ‘the carbon tax’ he immediately replied…”it depends on which federal party is governing, PC’S will axe it….Liberals will keep/change it & UCP has declared they will ‘do their own’. SO IT DEPENDS….that decision will be made when all the above are known”. AND THAT’S THE KIND OF THOUGHTFUL RESPONSE I EXPECT TO HEAR CONSTANTLY FROM NESHI AS LEADER OF NDP!
Jean, good point re: Nenshi’s education. As you said, he’s well educated and intelligent and yet he appeals to people from all walks of life. Not everyone can pull that off. And you’re right, his response on the carbon tax was bang on.
I don’t think he’s the only smart, well educated candidate, but he’s certainly get the highest name recognition, I can’t wait to see him and the others in the debates.
I will be an NDP supporter whoever is the leader.
However Nenshi is a first class communicator as well as having a proven record in public service. On policy he ticks all the boxes and also brings a much needed injection of optimism into the political future of Alberta!
I don’t see his leadership as a party takeover, but rather as bringing a megaphone to the rally!
Pamela Clark: Neheed Nenshi is doing what the media failed to do, which is expose the lies, and very costly mistakes of the UCP. The media enables and props up the UCP.
YOU GOT THAT VERY RIGHT
Dwayne: agreed, he’s doing in a way everyone understands.
Pamela Clark: I too will be an NDP supporter regardless of who wins the leadership race. Unlike the UCP candidates, not one of the NDP leadership candidates has had to explain away stupid things they’ve said or done. They bring a level of integrity to the race that will serve them well as leader.
I also agree with your conclusion that Nenshi is not taking over the party, but simply amplifying what it stands for. Maybe that’s why he’s got the UCP worried..
Great blog, Susan! I feel that Nenshi should win the NDP leadership race. He may not have done his time in the trenches, so to speak, but from what I’ve learned, his values are NDP values.
The UCP supporters dislike him because he’s a loquacious performer with great lines, and he knows how to deliver them. He calls the UCP incompetent, dangerous, and immoral, and that they know how to do only two things, pick fights and waste money. That’s very true, and Danielle’s fans need to hear this.
They say that the only way the NDP can win again is with the help of Calgarians. Well, Nenshi appeals to Calgarians. If he wins the NDP leadership race, Albertans will find themselves with an NDP majority government next time, and perhaps Big Oil will be trying to defend themselves in a court of law. They’ve been lying to Canadians far too long.
vgsmmith8: thanks. I agree with your comments on Nenshi. Having said that he does have some detractors here in Calgary from his mayoral days (not surprising given the strong conservative bias down here). If he becomes leader, he may pick up more seats in Calgary but he’ll also have to win a few mid-sized cities to make the numbers work. The good news is he’s an excellent communicator which will really help.
This is the kind of work that gives me some hope
https://thetyee.ca/WhatWorks/2024/03/18/Thriving-Business-Rewilding/
My first criteria: proven competence.
Result: Hoffman & Nenshi.
OK, so I need more criteria.
Second criteria: political experience.
Result: Hoffman & Nenshi.
Hmm, some caveats here. Hoffman has 4 years provincial ministerial experience. Nenshi has 15 years of Calgary mayoral. Are they equivalent?
Third criteria: political acumen.
Result: Hoffman & Nenshi
Caveats, redux: While Hoffman has won personal reelection, she did not help her party regain government. Nenshi won all of his mayoral contests. But not really an apples to apples comparison.
Allright, 4th criteria, double-barreled ’cause they are related: ideology & civility
Result: Hoffman, polite partisan. Nenshi, civil & fiercely non-partisan.
Given where the UCP has taken us, I have to go with Nenshi here.
Final result: Nenshi.
Which actually surprises me. I was leaning to Hoffman.
Gerald: thank you for this excellent analysis. It’s very helpful.
“Strangers with this kind of honesty make me go a big, rubbery one.” – ‘Cornelius’
Thanks for that stream of consciousness Gerald! It was way more comprehensible than any Faulkner I’ve read, and I’m not joking.
Some good background on those two candidates; pretty sure you already know it, but I’ll add that Mr.Nenshi has now been endorsed by Rahki Pancholi.
And, fwiw, the candidate Kathleen Ganely was Alberta’s Minister of Justice and Solicitor General from 2015-2019, building on her experience as an associate in a private law firm specializing in labour, employment, and human rights law.
https://kathleenganley.albertandp.ca/
For my part, whomever wins the NDP leadership in Alberta I hope they keep Mr.Nenshi around, because integrity like his can’t be bought regardless of how hard the UCP have been trying and lying about it, even as they make it ever more ‘legal’ to accept bribes themselves.
Daily we read of how DS is not staying true to her campaign commitments from a year ago. It would appear that DS is more committed more to her slotted radio show and audience. She’s mercurial and not trustworthy and certainly is eons apart for Peter Lough eed’s Progressive Conservative party. I have been saying since 2019, this province’s leaders DO NOT reflect my values as an Albertan and Canadian. It’s time to get someone in the Alberta NDP party that can lead with vision Alberta who remembers what being a “public servant” looks like (like Rachel). I am supporting Naheed Nanshi. He will have the ear of Ottawa and the rest of Canada. He’s intelligent and knows what it’s like to steer through the crisis (Calgary’s 2013 flood!).
I think it is time to bring down another UCP Premier. We need to start here and see if this starts a wave. Daniella needs to go back to her restaurant. This premiership is way above her intelligence level.
David Climenhaga’s latest article is an excellent starting point for the wave.
https://albertapolitics.ca/2024/03/how-the-ucp-gets-away-with-worse-stuff-than-alison-redford-could-weve-been-desensitized-by-donald-trump/
Does any of you know how to start those internet sites that are already ready for petitions? I do not but if none of you knows I will find one and start a petition to get this government to go the way of the dodo.
Let me know I believe it is time to at least make some noise as it seems the NDP is in election mode and they are not good at it anyway
It is time to recall the whole gang of 15th Century Morons
If you are looking for a list of Kenney’s misdeeds in Alberta, maybe Jeremy Appel’s new book has the info. I haven’t read it yet but hear good things.
‘Kenneyism: Jason Kenney’s Pursuit of Power’ by Jeremy Appel is a strong second draft of history – Alberta Politics
So friends, any doubts we have already crossed the Banana Republic Status?
We are now in the hands of Freedom Fighters just like the ones that are now creating a paradise in Haiti.
Not even their God knows where all this is going to end but I can assure you we either get these people out or we will have to find a new home somewhere else.
Anyone agrees with starting a petition to recall this government? Let me know and we can start one in Change.org. Are we ready to spread it to as many people as we can?
https://albertapolitics.ca/2024/03/ucp-and-ahs-desperately-search-for-scapegoat-to-make-motel-medicine-meltdown-go-away/
I seem to be blocked from David’s blog by some WordPress security thing so I can’t open it at all.
Valjobson: I hope you were able to resolve that WordPress security thing. It’s very frustrating when the platform gets in the way of our communication (as poor Bruce pointed out above).
Susan, I stayed blocked for a week or so, then it started working again. I don’t know why, it might have been an automatic block for having too many links in my comments?
Anyway, I can read it again.
Only a couple of comments: I dont think Dannielle Smith will be around to fight the next election in 2027, she will be punted before then, simply because UPC know they cant win the next election with her as leader.
I have brought a NBP membership even though I an a long time conservative but never joined any political party, so I can vote in the upcoming NDP leader contest. I dont think that Nenshi would be a good leader for the NDP. He sees this as a quick way to get back into a leaders role, after being Mayor of Calgary. If he losses this race he will wait on the sidelines until some opportunity in the Federal politics comes up.
I wonder how many people, like you, have joined or will join in order to vote in the leadership contest. NDP does not have a lot of members (only 16224 according to Wikipedia), which is pretty low considering that over 777,000 people voted for them in the last election. With the membership that low, Nenshi would not have to sign up a lot of fans to do well, at least in the first ballot, given that the old-time NDPers might be quite split among the rival candidates. How many will rank Nenshi 2nd or 3rd ? Hard to say. Lisa Young speculated that it will be very few, whereas David Climenhaga seemed to think Nenshi would be a common second choice.
I share some of your reservations about Nenshi. His ego is big and he needs to be in the headlines. He has been condescending and dismissive of people who don’t agree with him (eg. about the costly and not very useful airport tunnel in the original election of 2010; about hosting the Olympics). On the other hand I can’t dismiss lightly the endorsements of people as far apart ideologically as Jeromy Farkas and Druh Farrelll.
I have not made up my mind how I will vote yet, but my tentative ranking right now would be:
New development: Rakhi Pancholi has withdrawn from the race. According to the email I got from her campaign, the numbers of new members (answers part of my question above) joining the party since Nenshi joined the fray are impressive (membership has doubled, she says). She has endorsed Nenshi.
The cost of candidacy (and the deadlines for payment) make me think she will not be the last to drop out.
I have had emails from the campaigns of all of the candidates (fairly regular from Sarah Hoffman, Kathleen Ganley, and Rakhi Pancholi) except Nenshi. Do I interpret that to mean he doesn’t care much about long-standing members and is focusing entirely on bringing new members in? Or is that jumping to conclusions.
I think it is important that this remain a real contest, with genuine, polite, discussion of ideas. So I hope at least two candidates other than Nenshi stay in the race in spite of the cost.
I am a longtime NDP supporter, and I’m going to vote for Nenshi, whom I have admired from afar as mayor of Calgary and on various panels. It’s not that I don’t respect the other candidates, but that I don’t think any one of them has the potential to broader the appeal of the NDP the way Nenshi does. He has charm, intelligence, confidence, integrity, and a willingness to be pragmatic and strike a middle path. I am still cringing as I remember the last provincial election debate, and I think Nenshi is the only one of the candidates who has the quickness of wit and breadth of knowledge to put the inveterate liar/obfuscator Smith in her place. His sheer size and booming voice alone should do it. His may not be a “pure” Orange government, but almost any government would be better than the one we have now. I think his government will be both sensible and popular with a wide swath of the Alberta public. I have no idea how any of the candidates can win over rural votes, so I’m looking for someone who understands urban centres for a change. Clearly, that will be Nenshi. I also think he will see the value of education at both the public school and post-secondary levels and re-invest in those institutions before they fail all together. My secret hope in this regard is that he will also have the sense to defund private schools and cut off the path to privatized health care. Maybe he even even has the courage and the persuasive skills to sell Albertans on the idea of a sales tax tied specifically to funding of health care.
Gil McGowan officially launched his campaign yesterday, and so far his platform seems to be the most comprehensive on how to address the energy transition.
https://gilforalberta.ca/platform/big-idea-1-pivot-our-energy-economy-towards-the-future/
I’m still undecided, but I’ve been waiting on his campaign announcement for a while, and so far I like what I see.
Yes I agree. I like Gil and of course it did not surprise me that the media basically found no space to promote him and his platform and the reason is obvious. It is disgusting that in 2024 we are still brainwashed to anything that is more for workers than businesses. He will do well but it will be difficult for him. Fortunately, like me, he does not care about being called COMMY.
In the meantime the government that stopped renewable industry because of landscape picture damage and farm land concerns, now basically ignores what fracking oil is doing to Fox Creek reaching a 4.1 level earthquake. Of course that is the cost of doing business.
https://thetyee.ca/News/2024/03/25/Red-Alert-Alberta-Fracking-Earthquake-Warning-System/
One really has to be strong not to throw dog poop at them.
While raging against Danielle Smith may not enough to win, I think it might be more effective the more people realize how bad her governing is: sending wheelchair patients to cheap motels, attacking clean energy industry, picking stupid fights with the feds, etc.
Here’s a good column which highlights stuff she is doing against the wishes of Albertans: Danielle Smith is both a libertarian – and an authoritarian | Calgary Herald
I may be double subscribed now, but whatever.