2024 Alberta NDP leadership election

[DL]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ndp-rachel-notley-leadership-departure-race-2024-analysis-1.7061516

In 2024, Alberta NDP decides who it is without Rachel Notley as leader
Ex-premier mum on departure timing, but MLAs quietly organizing for leadership race

Jason Markusoff · CBC News

I don't think that should be regarded as surprising, but what probably should be regarded as a surprise given recent provincial NDP leadership races, is this should be an actual competitive leadership race!
(Carla Beck and Wab Kinew both faced challengers, but they were basically token rivals.)

and I guess you are referring to acclamations for Marit Stiles in Ontario, David Eby in BC , Claudia Chender in Nova Scotia and Jim Dinn in Newfoundland

[DL]

How right wing are the card carrying members of the party though? I mean, these are the people that turfed Mulcair (convention was in Edmonton). And remember, card carrying members are also federal members. Probably a not too insignificant number are Strathcona progressives.

Your point is well taken but the NDP delegates from Alberta who voted to ditch Mulcair in Edmonton in 2016 did not do so because they thought he was too rightwing - on the contrary a lot of Notley's people just didn't like Mulcair personally, thought he was incompetent and were especially unimpressed when he suddenly embraced the Leap Manifesto and called for stopping all pipelines on the eve of the convention in a desperate attempt to curry favour with the leftwing of the party

[DL]

The Alberta NDP is already much more “resource friendly “ than the federal NDP for obvious reasons and they don’t need to stake out ideological space to the left of the Liberals since the Alberta Liberals are a dead party. I think the Alberta NDP turning to Nenshi would be kinda like the federal NDP making Mulcair leader. Though at least Mulcair was actually an ndp mp. The thing about Nenshi is it’s not clear to me that he is a New Democrat with any belief in social democracy. So the question for the Alberta NDP is whether they want to handover the keys to the kingdom to someone whose only ideology seems to be that he is vaguely “non-Conservative”

[DL]

Keep in mind that the NDP is a federated party and so if Nenshi wanted to run to lead the Alberta NDP he would have to join the Alberta NDP and become an ipso-facto federal New Democrat. That doesnt mean he takes orders from Jagmeet Singh but he does become part of the NDP "family" from coast to coast. I dunno that much about Nenshi's beliefs - maybe in recent years he has moved to the left and sees himself as more of a New Democrat than before.

Nenshi gave a very nice speech today attacking Danielle Smith for her attack on trans youth etc…but I’m looking to hear Nenshi take on the UCP economic agenda as opposed to him just talking identity politics

[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

[DL]

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

[DL]

It seems Gil McGowan actually is going to run.

Mr. McGowan, 56, made his intention to run clear in a series of direct social media messages to potential supporters the same day, saying “I haven’t officially announced yet, but I’m going to join the NDP leadership race. I think it’s time we have a worker leader leading the workers’ party.”

https://albertapolitics.ca/2024/02/edmonton-rutherford-mla-jodi-calihoo-stonehouse-and-afl-president-gil-mcgowan-join-ndp-leadership-race/

When was the last time a union leader ran for the leadership of the NDP other than in the Atlantic or Quebec where the NDP hadn't been competitive at the time?

Gary Doer had previously been head of the Manitoba Government Employees Union

[DL]

His video is interesting. Uses orange and his personal brand of purple interchangeably. It also had a Tommy Douglas quote.

I think he will win quite easily. Will be interesting to see what happens with the caucus, none of whom support him (yet).

Actually, at least one MLA supports him. Court Ellingson from Calgary is his campaign co-chair...also another Calgary MLA Kamir Kayande has endorsed him too

[DL]

That may be a bit easier, as Alberta should get a new electoral map before next election.

I'm not sure about that - the current map is very new and was passed just before the 2019 election.