Naheed Nenshi elected new NDP leader
After months of campaigning, debating and discussing the issues, the Alberta NDP leadership race has come to a close. Naheed Nenshi has been elected as the new leader, as Rachel Notley officially resigns.
Since Nenshi is not a sitting MLA, he has selected Edmonton MLA and current house leader Christina Gray to step in as leader of His Majesty’s Official Opposition in the legislature, and Edmonton MLA Rakhi Pancholi as deputy leader.
“It was a very easy decision,” said Nenshi in a June 24 media availability, citing Gray’s good relationships in the chamber as current house leader, and Pancholi’s reputation as a great listener with an understanding of issues across the board.
With a voter turnout of 72,930 members, Nenshi captured 86 per cent of the vote on the first ballot. It was a historic show of support, setting a new record of the most votes ever received by a provincial leadership candidate in Canadian history at 62,746 votes, according to the NDP.
Though Nenshi won by a notably high margin within a record voter turnout for the party, eligible voters in the race made up roughly 1.76 per cent of the Alberta population, which is only the fourth most populated province.
“The excitement and optimism I’ve felt throughout this leadership race proves that Albertans want a government they can trust and believe in,” said Nenshi in an NDP media release.
“Every one of my fellow candidates demonstrate great passion, leadership and intelligence — I want to thank them and their teams and I can’t wait to get to work with them as part of the larger Alberta NDP family.”
Kathleen Ganley took second place with 5,899 votes, Sarah Hoffman third, receiving 3,063 votes, and Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse received 1,222 votes.
“We need to co-create a vision for Alberta with our neighbours in big cities, in mid-sized towns, in small rural communities,” said Nenshi in his victory speech.
“Everywhere in this province we need to work with them together to create the vision of the Alberta that we all want, the home that we all need to build together.”
Under his leadership, Nenshi hopes to “deliver a smarter and more capable government that respects all Albertans,” in 2027.
He said that victory in the next provincial election would not be the end for his party but rather the means to the end, which will be working with Albertans to build the home Albertans want.
The Alberta NDP had 16,224 members prior to the leadership race, but saw eligible voting members grow to 85,227, with an 85.6 per cent voter turnout.
While he is not a sitting MLA, Nenshi said he will be found often in the legislature’s gallery but not in a rush to get a seat. In his June 24 media availability, Nenshi shared that he believes an MLA needs to be a champion for their communities, and criticized Premier Danielle Smith for taking over a riding she was not personally invested in.
Despite NDP MLA Shannon Phillips recently stepping down from her Lethbridge West riding, Nenshi said it is unlikely that he will attempt to take over the constituency unless he hears from locals that he would be the best person to represent their needs.
“The opportunity will arise, in the right time and the right place, for me to take a seat in the legislature, to present myself for election to take a seat in the legislature, but it’s not my first priority right now,” he said.
Moving forward, one of Nenshi’s biggest priorities is seeking ways to cut wasteful spending, and he criticized the current UCP government for having “increased spending by more in two years than Rachel Notley increased spending in four years under an NDP government.”
His current priorities also include taking the summer to talk to and listen to Albertans, and building a vision for a better Alberta.
His strategy for winning the 2027 election is one he describes as an 87-seat strategy.
“The elections I’ve won, I’ve won by listening to people and focusing on what’s important to them,” he said, noting this needs to be the approach across the province, for every seat.
“We have to re-win every single vote ... we gotta show up everywhere.”
Mia Parker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Shootin' the Breeze
