2024 Alberta NDP leadership election

[adma]

It's interesting to see in Western Canada a polarization at the provincial levels now.
- BC (while polling is saying otherwise) has always been NDP vs Anti-NDP party (SoCred, BCLibs, United) The greens have always "been there" a goo 10%+ but never been a factor in seats, spoiler yes.
- Alberta was basically a one-party province but is very UCP vs NDP now. There really wasn't a clear anti-UCP choice till 2015, except in the 80s when the NDP then the LIBs took turns winning most of Edmonton. The anti-UCP voter has found a home with the NDP for the most part
- SASK has basically been NDP vs SP for decades, no sign that will change
- MAN is still basically NDP vs PC, where the LIBs used to bump up in seats when the NDP were out of office.

I think most of this started to happen post-1950's

When it comes to BC, it was actually most purely binary in the Bill Bennett years (the combined non-binary opposition adding up to less than 6% in both '79 and '83)--and the most non-binary things got was '91 when BC Libs first overtook the ruling Socreds.  Since then it's been binary *seatwise* but there's been a lot more ballot-box oxygen for Greens and other dissident forces.

In Alberta, I'd claim the Libs were very much the 90s clear-opposition-choice equivalent to the NDP today, and in a broader way than just "Edmonton"--particularly after the NDP was wiped off the map in the '93 Klein vs Decore race.

Sask: of course, the Sask Party's only been around since the late 90s.  Before that, you had the Libs until the mid-late 70s, then the Tories until the 90s, and then a brief interval w/the Lib parking-spot over the disgraced Tories until the Sask Party was set up.

Manitoba: technically, the NDP *was* in office (but in disgrace) when Carstairsmania struck in '88.  Everything thereafter was one continual cycle of back-to-binary "correction" except for the Selinger-twilight blip (so again, it's not so much when the NDP is out of office, than when voters seek to punish the NDP in power)

[Flyersfan232]

Nenshi is considering running!!! https://calgaryherald.com/news/politics/naheed-nenshi-considering-bid-alberta-ndp-leadership

This is very exciting news. Hopefully he does indeed enter the race.

Since you're a New Democrat I don't understand your excitement at a provincial ND party being led by a person who has not been a New Democrat.

I've always liked Nenshi as a politician. Of course, I don't always agree with him, and he may not be a social democrat, but let's face it.. the NDP in Alberta is basically just a coalition of non-Conservatives these days. As long as it has a chance of winning, it should be trying to pick leaders who have the best chance of doing so.

To some extent, I wish UCP and NDP weren't the only options in Alberta politics and smaller parties (such as the Alberta Party) could gain some ground amongst the non-UCP vote.

It's interesting to see in Western Canada a polarization at the provincial levels now.
- BC (while polling is saying otherwise) has always been NDP vs Anti-NDP party (SoCred, BCLibs, United) The greens have always "been there" a goo 10%+ but never been a factor in seats, spoiler yes.
- Alberta was basically a one-party province but is very UCP vs NDP now. There really wasn't a clear anti-UCP choice till 2015, except in the 80s when the NDP then the LIBs took turns winning most of Edmonton. The anti-UCP voter has found a home with the NDP for the most part
- SASK has basically been NDP vs SP for decades, no sign that will change
- MAN is still basically NDP vs PC, where the LIBs used to bump up in seats when the NDP were out of office.

I think most of this started to happen post-1950's

for getting Yukon

[lilTommy]

Nenshi is considering running!!! https://calgaryherald.com/news/politics/naheed-nenshi-considering-bid-alberta-ndp-leadership

This is very exciting news. Hopefully he does indeed enter the race.

Since you're a New Democrat I don't understand your excitement at a provincial ND party being led by a person who has not been a New Democrat.

I've always liked Nenshi as a politician. Of course, I don't always agree with him, and he may not be a social democrat, but let's face it.. the NDP in Alberta is basically just a coalition of non-Conservatives these days. As long as it has a chance of winning, it should be trying to pick leaders who have the best chance of doing so.

To some extent, I wish UCP and NDP weren't the only options in Alberta politics and smaller parties (such as the Alberta Party) could gain some ground amongst the non-UCP vote.

It's interesting to see in Western Canada a polarization at the provincial levels now.
- BC (while polling is saying otherwise) has always been NDP vs Anti-NDP party (SoCred, BCLibs, United) The greens have always "been there" a goo 10%+ but never been a factor in seats, spoiler yes.
- Alberta was basically a one-party province but is very UCP vs NDP now. There really wasn't a clear anti-UCP choice till 2015, except in the 80s when the NDP then the LIBs took turns winning most of Edmonton. The anti-UCP voter has found a home with the NDP for the most part
- SASK has basically been NDP vs SP for decades, no sign that will change
- MAN is still basically NDP vs PC, where the LIBs used to bump up in seats when the NDP were out of office.

I think most of this started to happen post-1950's

for getting Yukon

The Yukon is interesting; the three parties (Yukon, Liberals, NDP) are all fairly strong, all three parties have about 30% or more (YK at 39%) from the last election, and all have decent seat counts (NDP at 3 is not representing the over 28% of the vote they took).
But historically all three parties are competitive. Within the last 30 years or so all three parties have formed the government.

[Hatman 🍁]

Nenshi is considering running!!! https://calgaryherald.com/news/politics/naheed-nenshi-considering-bid-alberta-ndp-leadership

This is very exciting news. Hopefully he does indeed enter the race.

Since you're a New Democrat I don't understand your excitement at a provincial ND party being led by a person who has not been a New Democrat.

I've always liked Nenshi as a politician. Of course, I don't always agree with him, and he may not be a social democrat, but let's face it.. the NDP in Alberta is basically just a coalition of non-Conservatives these days. As long as it has a chance of winning, it should be trying to pick leaders who have the best chance of doing so.

To some extent, I wish UCP and NDP weren't the only options in Alberta politics and smaller parties (such as the Alberta Party) could gain some ground amongst the non-UCP vote.

The problem with having any centrist third party is that it will siphon votes off from the NDP. You can see from the last provincial election that almost all AP 2019 votes went to the NDP.  As I stated, it is now the catch-all non Conservative party.

Though the way to avoid that as a standing risk is to do better in general; to try to turn what can be a vicious cycle into a virtuous one. Then maybe you get some of the more social democratically compatible Liberals think sometimes about leaping the other way.

Just today!:
B.C. Liberal MP Aldag in talks with provincial NDP to run in the fall election
MP John Aldag denies he's considering a provincial run for the B.C. NDP because of the unpopularity of the Trudeau Liberals federally.
The Hill Times (firewall protected.)

This is quite interesting. I've heard of BC NDPers going Liberal federally, but I'm not aware of the reverse. Usually federal Liberals have run for the provincial Liberals as well.

[Benjamin Frank 2.0]

Nenshi is considering running!!! https://calgaryherald.com/news/politics/naheed-nenshi-considering-bid-alberta-ndp-leadership

This is very exciting news. Hopefully he does indeed enter the race.

Since you're a New Democrat I don't understand your excitement at a provincial ND party being led by a person who has not been a New Democrat.

I've always liked Nenshi as a politician. Of course, I don't always agree with him, and he may not be a social democrat, but let's face it.. the NDP in Alberta is basically just a coalition of non-Conservatives these days. As long as it has a chance of winning, it should be trying to pick leaders who have the best chance of doing so.

To some extent, I wish UCP and NDP weren't the only options in Alberta politics and smaller parties (such as the Alberta Party) could gain some ground amongst the non-UCP vote.

The problem with having any centrist third party is that it will siphon votes off from the NDP. You can see from the last provincial election that almost all AP 2019 votes went to the NDP.  As I stated, it is now the catch-all non Conservative party.

Though the way to avoid that as a standing risk is to do better in general; to try to turn what can be a vicious cycle into a virtuous one. Then maybe you get some of the more social democratically compatible Liberals think sometimes about leaping the other way.

Just today!:
B.C. Liberal MP Aldag in talks with provincial NDP to run in the fall election
MP John Aldag denies he's considering a provincial run for the B.C. NDP because of the unpopularity of the Trudeau Liberals federally.
The Hill Times (firewall protected.)

This is quite interesting. I've heard of BC NDPers going Liberal federally, but I'm not aware of the reverse. Usually federal Liberals have run for the provincial Liberals as well.

I don't know why I did this, but for some reason I made a note in an old notebook of a Federal Liberal nomination in Calgary back in 2004 and NDP MLA Joe Ceci lost a federal Liberal nomination.

Also, Annie McKitrick who was a Richmond B.C School Trustee lost a Federal Liberal nomination in Richmond was a one term Alberta NDP MLA from 2015-2019 for Sherwood Park.

[Benjamin Frank 2.0]

Jason Markusoff on Naheed Nenshi. Marfusoff I find to be the best media organization (CBC) analyst of Alberta and Alberta politics.

Ex-mayor Nenshi loathes partisan politics. He may run for NDP leader anyway
He'd bring profile to leadership race. But does the party want him, and does he want the party?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/naheed-nenshi-alberta-ndp-leadership-mulls-run-analysis-1.7105836

My only complaint (if that's the right word) about the article is that it defined 'does the party want him' very narrowly: the parties MLAs not rank and file members. I guess it's too early for anything else. Also, Markusoff didn't speak to MLAs (not on the record anyway) but did reasonably ask whether an ideologically committed caucus would accept a 'post partisan' leader.

My personal view (worth what you pay for it) is that Nenshi would be a terrible fit and that he should endorse Ganley who is both a Calgary MLA and probably the candidate closest to his political views.

[Hatman 🍁]

Nenshi is considering running!!! https://calgaryherald.com/news/politics/naheed-nenshi-considering-bid-alberta-ndp-leadership

This is very exciting news. Hopefully he does indeed enter the race.

Since you're a New Democrat I don't understand your excitement at a provincial ND party being led by a person who has not been a New Democrat.

I've always liked Nenshi as a politician. Of course, I don't always agree with him, and he may not be a social democrat, but let's face it.. the NDP in Alberta is basically just a coalition of non-Conservatives these days. As long as it has a chance of winning, it should be trying to pick leaders who have the best chance of doing so.

To some extent, I wish UCP and NDP weren't the only options in Alberta politics and smaller parties (such as the Alberta Party) could gain some ground amongst the non-UCP vote.

The problem with having any centrist third party is that it will siphon votes off from the NDP. You can see from the last provincial election that almost all AP 2019 votes went to the NDP.  As I stated, it is now the catch-all non Conservative party.

Though the way to avoid that as a standing risk is to do better in general; to try to turn what can be a vicious cycle into a virtuous one. Then maybe you get some of the more social democratically compatible Liberals think sometimes about leaping the other way.

Just today!:
B.C. Liberal MP Aldag in talks with provincial NDP to run in the fall election
MP John Aldag denies he's considering a provincial run for the B.C. NDP because of the unpopularity of the Trudeau Liberals federally.
The Hill Times (firewall protected.)

This is quite interesting. I've heard of BC NDPers going Liberal federally, but I'm not aware of the reverse. Usually federal Liberals have run for the provincial Liberals as well.

I don't know why I did this, but for some reason I made a note in an old notebook of a Federal Liberal nomination in Calgary back in 2004 and NDP MLA Joe Ceci lost a federal Liberal nomination.

Also, Annie McKitrick who was a Richmond B.C School Trustee lost a Federal Liberal nomination in Richmond was a one term Alberta NDP MLA from 2015-2019 for Sherwood Park.

Are there any cases of a federal Liberal running for the provincial NDP in BC though? There are cases of BC New Democrats later running for the federal Liberals, but are there cases of the reverse happening?

[Benjamin Frank 2.0]

Nenshi is considering running!!! https://calgaryherald.com/news/politics/naheed-nenshi-considering-bid-alberta-ndp-leadership

This is very exciting news. Hopefully he does indeed enter the race.

Since you're a New Democrat I don't understand your excitement at a provincial ND party being led by a person who has not been a New Democrat.

I've always liked Nenshi as a politician. Of course, I don't always agree with him, and he may not be a social democrat, but let's face it.. the NDP in Alberta is basically just a coalition of non-Conservatives these days. As long as it has a chance of winning, it should be trying to pick leaders who have the best chance of doing so.

To some extent, I wish UCP and NDP weren't the only options in Alberta politics and smaller parties (such as the Alberta Party) could gain some ground amongst the non-UCP vote.

The problem with having any centrist third party is that it will siphon votes off from the NDP. You can see from the last provincial election that almost all AP 2019 votes went to the NDP.  As I stated, it is now the catch-all non Conservative party.

Though the way to avoid that as a standing risk is to do better in general; to try to turn what can be a vicious cycle into a virtuous one. Then maybe you get some of the more social democratically compatible Liberals think sometimes about leaping the other way.

Just today!:
B.C. Liberal MP Aldag in talks with provincial NDP to run in the fall election
MP John Aldag denies he's considering a provincial run for the B.C. NDP because of the unpopularity of the Trudeau Liberals federally.
The Hill Times (firewall protected.)

This is quite interesting. I've heard of BC NDPers going Liberal federally, but I'm not aware of the reverse. Usually federal Liberals have run for the provincial Liberals as well.

I don't know why I did this, but for some reason I made a note in an old notebook of a Federal Liberal nomination in Calgary back in 2004 and NDP MLA Joe Ceci lost a federal Liberal nomination.

Also, Annie McKitrick who was a Richmond B.C School Trustee lost a Federal Liberal nomination in Richmond was a one term Alberta NDP MLA from 2015-2019 for Sherwood Park.

Are there any cases of a federal Liberal running for the provincial NDP in BC though? There are cases of BC New Democrats later running for the federal Liberals, but are there cases of the reverse happening?

Not that I can think of off the top of my head. Going back a long way, Pauline Jewett was a Federal Liberal M.P in an Ottawa riding in the 1960s or 1970s who later became a Federal NDP M.P (and Foreign Affairs Critic) in British Columbia in the 1980s, and Dave Zirnhelt, a B.C NDP cabinet minister in the 1990s, ran for either the federal or provincial Liberals in the 1960s.

[DL]

Keep in mind that the BC Liberals (aka BC United) are a relatively recent major party that only really came to life in 1990s - and for many years it truly was a coalition of federal Liberals and federal Tories united to beat the NDP. But in recent years the Liberal wing of the provincial party has really faded away and at the same time the federal Liberals have moved to the left (compared to the Chretien/Martin years) - so it makes sense that a federal Liberal in BC would now feel totally alienated by BC United - and the fact that they have shed the BC Liberal name compounds that problem

[lilTommy]

Keep in mind that the BC Liberals (aka BC United) are a relatively recent major party that only really came to life in 1990s - and for many years it truly was a coalition of federal Liberals and federal Tories united to beat the NDP. But in recent years the Liberal wing of the provincial party has really faded away and at the same time the federal Liberals have moved to the left (compared to the Chretien/Martin years) - so it makes sense that a federal Liberal in BC would now feel totally alienated by BC United - and the fact that they have shed the BC Liberal name compounds that problem

This has basically the case in BC since 1941; an official Liberal/PC coalition until 52 when they ran separate and then the SoCreds won. From then till 96 the SoCreds were the defacto anti-NDP coalition party. Now were back to the days when the right is split, just in two not three

[adma]

Keep in mind that the BC Liberals (aka BC United) are a relatively recent major party that only really came to life in 1990s - and for many years it truly was a coalition of federal Liberals and federal Tories united to beat the NDP. But in recent years the Liberal wing of the provincial party has really faded away and at the same time the federal Liberals have moved to the left (compared to the Chretien/Martin years) - so it makes sense that a federal Liberal in BC would now feel totally alienated by BC United - and the fact that they have shed the BC Liberal name compounds that problem

Yet ironically, the polling success of the BC Cons *could* wind up salvaging BC United anyway--note: I said "salvaging", i.e. surviving as the eternal too-rich-for-NDP-too-educated-for-Con rump.  So, "Liberalizing" even in the absence of the label...

[Njall]

In actual leadership race news, Edmonton-Whitemud MLA Rakhi Pancholi officially entered the race today with this (in my opinion) pretty well-done announcement video.

[lilTommy]

In actual leadership race news, Edmonton-Whitemud MLA Rakhi Pancholi officially entered the race today with this (in my opinion) pretty well-done announcement video.

So two of the three frontrunner that were identified have announced as official candidates; Ganley and Pancholi, Calgary vs Edmonton (lol). AND rumours of Nenshi. Do we think Hoffman will join the race? any other names bubbling up?
Do we have a sense of the positions, policies, leanings of Ganley and Pancholi?

[Benjamin Frank 2.0]

In actual leadership race news, Edmonton-Whitemud MLA Rakhi Pancholi officially entered the race today with this (in my opinion) pretty well-done announcement video.

Rhiannon Hoyle and Nagwan Al-Guneid who were both on some lists anyway as potential leadership candidates have both endorsed Pancholi (as has Marie Renaud.)

[Benjamin Frank 2.0]

In actual leadership race news, Edmonton-Whitemud MLA Rakhi Pancholi officially entered the race today with this (in my opinion) pretty well-done announcement video.

So two of the three frontrunner that were identified have announced as official candidates; Ganley and Pancholi, Calgary vs Edmonton (lol). AND rumours of Nenshi. Do we think Hoffman will join the race? any other names bubbling up?
Do we have a sense of the positions, policies, leanings of Ganley and Pancholi?

These are the other names listed as potential candidates on Wiki
1.Deron Bilous, MLA for Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview (2012-2023), former Minister of Economic Development[16]
2.Joe Ceci, MLA for Calgary-Buffalo (2015-present), former Minister of Finance[16]
3.Court Ellingson, MLA for Calgary-Foothills (2023-present)[17]
4.Todd Hirsch, director of Energy Transition Centre at Innovate Calgary (2023-present), chief economist at ATB Financial (2007-2022)[17]
5.Sarah Hoffman, MLA for Edmonton-Glenora (2015-present), former Deputy Premier and Minister of Health[6][2]
6.Janis Irwin, MLA for Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood (2019-present)[16]
7.Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour (2005-present)[17]
8.Naheed Nenshi, former Mayor of Calgary (2010-2021)[6][18]
9.David Shepherd, MLA for Edmonton-Centre (2015-2019) and Edmonton-City Centre (2019-present)[6][2][17]
10.Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse, MLA for Edmonton-Rutherford (2023-present)[19]

I believe most expect that Janis Irwin will endorse Sarah Hoffman. Janis Irwin was a senior advisor to Rachel Notley from 2015-2019 while Sarah Hoffman was Deputy Premier.

[Njall]

In actual leadership race news, Edmonton-Whitemud MLA Rakhi Pancholi officially entered the race today with this (in my opinion) pretty well-done announcement video.

So two of the three frontrunner that were identified have announced as official candidates; Ganley and Pancholi, Calgary vs Edmonton (lol). AND rumours of Nenshi. Do we think Hoffman will join the race? any other names bubbling up?
Do we have a sense of the positions, policies, leanings of Ganley and Pancholi?

These are the other names listed as potential candidates on Wiki
1.Deron Bilous, MLA for Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview (2012-2023), former Minister of Economic Development[16]
2.Joe Ceci, MLA for Calgary-Buffalo (2015-present), former Minister of Finance[16]
3.Court Ellingson, MLA for Calgary-Foothills (2023-present)[17]
4.Todd Hirsch, director of Energy Transition Centre at Innovate Calgary (2023-present), chief economist at ATB Financial (2007-2022)[17]
5.Sarah Hoffman, MLA for Edmonton-Glenora (2015-present), former Deputy Premier and Minister of Health[6][2]
6.Janis Irwin, MLA for Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood (2019-present)[16]
7.Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour (2005-present)[17]
8.Naheed Nenshi, former Mayor of Calgary (2010-2021)[6][18]
9.David Shepherd, MLA for Edmonton-Centre (2015-2019) and Edmonton-City Centre (2019-present)[6][2][17]
10.Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse, MLA for Edmonton-Rutherford (2023-present)[19]

I believe most expect that Janis Irwin will endorse Sarah Hoffman. Janis Irwin was a senior advisor to Rachel Notley from 2015-2019 while Sarah Hoffman was Deputy Premier.

I’d actually be surprised if Irwin endorsed anyone other than Pancholi. They’re best friends in the NDP caucus - they literally call each other their “work wives” (or something to that effect).

From that list, aside from Hoffman, I think Shepherd would be the most likely to enter the race, followed by Calahoo Stonehouse, McGowan, and/or Nenshi. I’d be surprised if any of the others ran.

Also, interesting observation in browsing the Wikipedia article: I notice that Ganley has been endorsed by both Raj Pannu and Brian Mason, the two party leaders who preceded Notley.

[DL]

David Shepherd announced he will NOT run for the leadership due to health-related issues

[mileslunn]

In actual leadership race news, Edmonton-Whitemud MLA Rakhi Pancholi officially entered the race today with this (in my opinion) pretty well-done announcement video.

So two of the three frontrunner that were identified have announced as official candidates; Ganley and Pancholi, Calgary vs Edmonton (lol). AND rumours of Nenshi. Do we think Hoffman will join the race? any other names bubbling up?
Do we have a sense of the positions, policies, leanings of Ganley and Pancholi?

These are the other names listed as potential candidates on Wiki
1.Deron Bilous, MLA for Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview (2012-2023), former Minister of Economic Development[16]
2.Joe Ceci, MLA for Calgary-Buffalo (2015-present), former Minister of Finance[16]
3.Court Ellingson, MLA for Calgary-Foothills (2023-present)[17]
4.Todd Hirsch, director of Energy Transition Centre at Innovate Calgary (2023-present), chief economist at ATB Financial (2007-2022)[17]
5.Sarah Hoffman, MLA for Edmonton-Glenora (2015-present), former Deputy Premier and Minister of Health[6][2]
6.Janis Irwin, MLA for Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood (2019-present)[16]
7.Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour (2005-present)[17]
8.Naheed Nenshi, former Mayor of Calgary (2010-2021)[6][18]
9.David Shepherd, MLA for Edmonton-Centre (2015-2019) and Edmonton-City Centre (2019-present)[6][2][17]
10.Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse, MLA for Edmonton-Rutherford (2023-present)[19]

I believe most expect that Janis Irwin will endorse Sarah Hoffman. Janis Irwin was a senior advisor to Rachel Notley from 2015-2019 while Sarah Hoffman was Deputy Premier.

I’d actually be surprised if Irwin endorsed anyone other than Pancholi. They’re best friends in the NDP caucus - they literally call each other their “work wives” (or something to that effect).

From that list, aside from Hoffman, I think Shepherd would be the most likely to enter the race, followed by Calahoo Stonehouse, McGowan, and/or Nenshi. I’d be surprised if any of the others ran.

Also, interesting observation in browsing the Wikipedia article: I notice that Ganley has been endorsed by both Raj Pannu and Brian Mason, the two party leaders who preceded Notley.

Shepard, Hoffman and especially McGowan along with Janis Irwin would just ensure UCP wins again.  They can do well in Edmonton but not Calgary.  NDP can win in Alberta but wins by essentially being an anti-UCP coalition, sort of much like BC Liberals were on other side of Rockies only on other side of political spectrum. 

[Njall]

Sarah Hoffman officially entered the race today. She appears to have endorsements from three MLAs so far: Nathan Ip (Edmonton-South West), Lori Sigurdson (Edmonton-Riverview), and Peggy Wright (Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview). Sigurdson and Wright are both unsurprising as they're longtime NDP stalwarts. I had expected that Ip would be more aligned with Pancholi, but he did serve on the Edmonton Public School Board with Hoffman so they could have a pre-existing friendship from then.

[King of Kensington]

This has basically the case in BC since 1941; an official Liberal/PC coalition until 52 when they ran separate and then the SoCreds won. From then till 96 the SoCreds were the defacto anti-NDP coalition party. Now were back to the days when the right is split, just in two not three

Up until Horgan-Eby, BC had class polarization more in line with Britain and Australia than North America.  Politics was defined as "free enterprise vs. socialist."  The BC NDP has been transformed into a big-tent center-left party not all that different from the federal Liberals.  Today nobody except a few right-wing cranks thinks the BC NDP are a bunch of socialists hellbent on destroying free enterprise (and those cranks feel exactly that way about the LPC too).

Meanwhile, there's too much of a difference between the establishmentarian center-right on one side and the right-wing populists and ideologues on the other to all be in one party, particularly in the age of populism and post-truth politics.

[Njall]

Irwin is officially out (not surprisingly).

[Benjamin Frank 2.0]

Irwin is officially out (not surprisingly).

According to the wiki page, Sarah Hoffman has just three endorsements. I would have thought she would have the most endorsements.

[Njall]

Pancholi endorses defederating from the Federal NDP (albeit without using those specific words).

[Benjamin Frank 2.0]

Pancholi endorses defederating from the Federal NDP (albeit without using those specific words).

My understanding is that this would be practically impossible because the NDP constitution (or manifesto, whatever) requires all the ND parties to be aligned (due to the NDP seeing itself primarily as a movement first and a political party second.) So, if the Alberta NDP did separate, the Federal NDP would have to start a new provincial Alberta NDP.

Even if the Federal NDP tried to ignore that, I think there would be a fair sized contingent of Alberta New Democrats who would insist, not even including New Democrats in other provinces.

The easiest way to send this message might be to simply say that any New Democrat in Alberta who runs federally (even for the nomination) is ineligible to run provincially.

It would probably also help if the Alberta NDP didn't hire any high profile federal New Democrats as staffers (like Brian Topp and Anne McGrath.)

On the issue that seems to have brought this up again, M.P Charlie Angus' bill to ban fossil fuel advertising, I think that's a silly distraction, but the NDP might do well to remind people that the Stephen Harper government and the Jason Kenney government if not (yet) the Danielle Smith government, which are all wholly owned subsidiaries of the fossil fuel sector, all tried to effectively ban environmental groups who protested the fossil fuel sector.

Stephen Harper's government under the Ministry of Revenue, whose minister Kerry Lynne Findley is still an M.P, conducted a series of likely illegal audits against environmental non profits, and Jason Kenney spent millions of taxpayers dollars on a pointless exercise to investigate foreign donations to environmental non profits.

[Flyersfan232]

Nenshi is considering running!!! https://calgaryherald.com/news/politics/naheed-nenshi-considering-bid-alberta-ndp-leadership

This is very exciting news. Hopefully he does indeed enter the race.

Since you're a New Democrat I don't understand your excitement at a provincial ND party being led by a person who has not been a New Democrat.

I've always liked Nenshi as a politician. Of course, I don't always agree with him, and he may not be a social democrat, but let's face it.. the NDP in Alberta is basically just a coalition of non-Conservatives these days. As long as it has a chance of winning, it should be trying to pick leaders who have the best chance of doing so.

To some extent, I wish UCP and NDP weren't the only options in Alberta politics and smaller parties (such as the Alberta Party) could gain some ground amongst the non-UCP vote.

It's interesting to see in Western Canada a polarization at the provincial levels now.
- BC (while polling is saying otherwise) has always been NDP vs Anti-NDP party (SoCred, BCLibs, United) The greens have always "been there" a goo 10%+ but never been a factor in seats, spoiler yes.
- Alberta was basically a one-party province but is very UCP vs NDP now. There really wasn't a clear anti-UCP choice till 2015, except in the 80s when the NDP then the LIBs took turns winning most of Edmonton. The anti-UCP voter has found a home with the NDP for the most part
- SASK has basically been NDP vs SP for decades, no sign that will change
- MAN is still basically NDP vs PC, where the LIBs used to bump up in seats when the NDP were out of office.

I think most of this started to happen post-1950's

for getting Yukon

The Yukon is interesting; the three parties (Yukon, Liberals, NDP) are all fairly strong, all three parties have about 30% or more (YK at 39%) from the last election, and all have decent seat counts (NDP at 3 is not representing the over 28% of the vote they took).
But historically all three parties are competitive. Within the last 30 years or so all three parties have formed the government.

most recent polls shoe the ndp leapfrogging the liberals for second I believe