Totally agree. Conservatives label the NDP as spendthrift when it can easily be argued they were better with the public purse and future planning during their tenure. The NDP has to focus on the economic misspending and priorities chosen by the present governing party that were not part of the platform they were elected on. It has to be promoted that NDP fiscal choices are for better and less wasteful management of our tax base.
In 2023, I had just moved back to Alberta after a decade in Vancouver (so I wasn't here when Notley was elected and watched it from the outside).
But I was baffled by the 2023 NDP/Notley campaign.
It was like everyone had agreed to say nothing about how they'd gotten Alberta relatively safely through a recession caused by a drop in global oil prices (which hit Alberta so hard because the provincial government keeps putting all our eggs in one basket) or how the UCP had made things worse or, most importantly, on what they planned to do.
Instead, we got photo shoots of Notley on a horse and lots of "well, Danielle Smith has said crazy shit on the radio over the years."
And then Smith ran a surprisingly disciplined campaign (and, remarkably, didn't really say anything crazy) - and blamed Notley for the Alberta recession (which started before she was elected) without much challenge.
I've never joined a political party in my life, but joined the Alberta NDP to vote for Nenshi (and deleted the hourly emails about "supporting the movement." )
I wasn't sure if he was electable in rural Alberta, although he probably had a decent chance in the major centres. But I also had figured that he's be a straight shooter in opposition -- and we'd need that.
But once Smith was elected and started lying and implementing all sorts of policies she hadn't campaigned on (and usually, it seems, hadn't really thought through), the NDP just kind of... issued bland press releases and sometimes Nenshi gave a professorial sound bite.
I get that Smith throws a curveball nearly daily and so it's hard to keep the media and voters angry/focused/engaged on any one problem, and that fact-checking the UCP is an around-the-clock job, but surely...
One theory I've seen is that Nenshi/the party is holding off fighting every issue because he doesn't want to alienate urban voters before the next general election, but surely, like you say, they could be doing their own tour and making it clear how UCP policies are making life harder/more expensive for most of us. I may be wrong, but it feels like the NDP is hiding the guy (and hiding generally).
Whoops. And you’re right— Smith is a moving target but that’s why it’s important for them to have their own story; especially on their economic record.
Since Nenshi got elected I've been on the NDP to A)quit the cry wolf fundraising emails, B) tell us what you're doing with that money, C) communicate with your 89,000 members about - and let's be radical here your plans and your policies. Simple requests - you'd think but met with near total silence and anything remotely resembling decent speed of reply is non existent as are 98% of the replies.
The party doesn't respond, the web site is an abomination, ease of contact - well not so much. I've said this before but it's as if the entire administration of the NDP is paid by the UCP to be obstructive and illusive. Party of the people - FM, you won't even communicate with them
So here we have an opposition party with such fine offerings gifted them by the ever increasingly incompetent Mrs David Smith Moretta and her merry band of tRunts and they can't even find the car let alone the stick shift. Fiscal mismanagement, corruption, stomping on rights - HELLO NDP, any one home?
Like you Deidre I don't find a home in a hard left of centre nor on a right of centre. There's a sweet spot hovering just left of centre - you know where we look out for and care about each other while supporting fiscal policies that are sound and not oligarch centric. Where we spend our money on health care collectively, where we build institutions to grow with us and to help us grow, where we share the table, where "we and us" exist not me and mine.
The table is set Naheed, fire your entire administration who seem to be the roadblocks to progress, and get in the game.
100%. I referred in my comment to hoping Nenshi would improve administrative processes and communications. You've described it exactly. But it gets worse - I was elected (well acclaimed) at Convention to a AB party committee. That committee has *never* contacted me. I told Nenshi this -at a social event, we ran into him- he knew nothing about the existence of the committee and and couldn't remember the committee chair's name. That's not good leadership.
"Most people don’t know, though, because no one was screaming about it on Page Six"
I'm not making excuses but the media is a big part of the problem. The 'mainstream" media narrative is lost for the NDP. They need to find a way to get a tighter, sharper, focussed message out. All Albertans should be tired of this amateur hour government and it's roster of incompetents.
I too bought a membership to vote for Nenshi in the hope he could pull them back to where Notley took them in government. And it took forever to get off the federal leadership list!🧐, but I think the internal fight between the "pure" socialists (who are tight with the federal branch) and the pragmatic bunch who Rachel cultivated and grew, still sucks the oxygen from strategic thinking.
They need to get busy and tell us what they are, not that they ain't the UCP, we all know that, and they need to get at it before Guthrie gets a foothold on the conservative side of centre.
Let's get going Naheed, get the party moving off it's theoretical and academic ass and show us some of the spark we know you have!
Kevan, I agree with your take on the “pure socialists”. As a new NDP member attracted to the party by Nenshi, I have also found the attitude of party members sanctimonious and self-righteous. Along the lines of “We were here first.” And “Where were you when we were getting our hands dirty fighting in the trenches!”
OK, may I --as an academic and life-long NDPer, but also major critic of the ABNDP-- ask what you have done as a new member? Have you volunteered or donoted (or both) for the party since you joined? Have you been attended your local constituency organization gatherings? Joined a committee? Have you tried to learn something about the party beyond it being something that isn't UCP and now has Nenshi as a leader? And how have those efforts been received?
HyL, I hope this ramble answers some of your questions. When the Liberals were a viable party (Sheldon Shumir days and later) I voted for the party and its policies. While NDP policies and leaders appealed to me, often their candidates came across as “wingnuts” (This was early party days—I am sure they were good people, but did not seem to be government material.) I mostly ignored politics except for voting and as a provincial employee doing my best to save Albertans from the government they elected. This changed when Kenney came to town. While I have always been suspicious of Conservatives since Klein and the other half of his brain, Rod Love, the targeting of women leadership candidates, many of them former Ministers, confirmed my conviction that the UCP was not what I wanted for Alberta. I started donating monthly to the NDP and gave significant amounts to prepare for that first UCP election. I never see any fruit from my donations, leaving the impression that the party has no PR or communication smarts. I was hopeful that the fellow recruited from the Mamdani campaign would help, but I see he has given up fighting against the old guard and the inertia and has left. I may be seeing his influence in the increasing communications ((telephone conference, youtube, newsletter-type emails (not just donation begging emails )which are a great improvement.)) But the party is still preaching to the choir. Start making an impression on those outside the party. I have also heard that the central body is largely composed of lobbyists. When I asked this question on a survey where I was assured Notley would respond, I got no response to the question and no report on survey results. Again, who the h… is in charge? I briefly volunteered for my constituency, but stopped when asked to give permission for my photo to be used. I am old fashioned about my privacy. I attended one Convention prior to the election while the NDP was still governing. My impressions of the party from this Convention were: Notley is brilliant and a winner (but no one has the sense to use her), rural and long term members are entitled, the only interest group with any future and energy was the women’s group. You see this in the candidates! The others were poorly attended and poorly facilitated. My experiences of dealing with the published contacts is useless. Emails and telephone calls are not answered. When I left a message about increasing my donation I did not get a reply and the Edmonton Humane Society got the monthly donation increase. My impression is that there is no one responsible for overall party administration and coordination. If you cannot even answer the phone or return a voice mail or email how do you expect to govern! It seems to be all run through riding associations and I have no interest in attending these sessions where long term members with strong opinions slough off new ideas or bright young kids in short pants grab for attention. If invited to a feedback session sponsored centrally I would gladly give my opinions. I am not a door knocker or a smoosher, but I certainly applaud the enthusiasm of the young NDP volunteers working for Christine Gray in the last election. My constituency work was with Ms. Gray and I was very impressed by her and her support staff. A final thought: Danielle Smith’s secret weapon is her great smile; it makes a person want to like her, believe her and vote for her. If only Nenshi could turn that smile into a frown, 50% of the work would be done.
Thank you for this!! So much of what you describe, I experienced myself. When I lived in other provinces (BC & Ont), the NDs were not like this, but here — the misogyny and old-boys’ networks, then the poor communications from the party, the sense that the inner circle doesn’t trust the membership— or something, it’s wearying.
I know it’s very hard to win when you’re up against highly unprincipled people who lie easily, quickly and without reservation.
The thing is, if you behave like they ( Smith and the UCP) ( Poilievre, Harper for that matter) do, saying “ya but” every time they use a narcissist’s tactics-it wouldn’t work either.
I just saw the UCP use a most disgusting tactic.
The UCP plan to add triage doctors to emergency departments has not happened. ( they can’t pull highly educated, trained, experienced , dedicated people out of a hat- still) .
And so the message in the news this morning said something to the effect that the minister “ does not blame the doctors”.
Right? And Smith and co are definitely trying to make the landscape as difficult for Albertans as Trump did in the U.S.. but maybe that’s where their strategists need to be looking. We know the democrats didn’t handle it well, and it may not tel them what they want to be doing, but it certainly might give them an idea of what they can avoid.
I am a centrist like you, I believe. Rachel Notley did move the party that way when she was in power, a few policies aside. Nenshi flirted with rebranding the party during his leadership campaign. That would have made it easier to move into the center, or at least towards it.
The reality is that the province has a huge void there right now. A few ostracized conservatives are now trying to claim that space. If the NDP get off their collective butts and jump to fill it first, they could squeeze out that effort, and get those votes. But without a rebranding, it would likely be difficult, at best, if not impossible.
I think the first thing they need to do is to stop acting like a small party. They successfully took out the middle and then abandoned it in opposition. They have to look around and see what’s going on; if the Tories get hold of the middle they’re in a lot of trouble.
They’re just figuring out where to place candidates and then vetting will begin. Go get a membership so the money can be used to put more candidates across Alberta. Membership is what creates a movement for positive and lasting change. And kindness within that movement is the foundation.
I'll be watching to see them do what always happens in Alberta - rebrand with a new name and figurehead and then keep screwing the little guy and pandering to the wealth-hoarders while donning their White Stetsons, whooping it up at Stampede, and cos-playing at being cowboys.
Some interesting critiques of the NDP here, thanks! I think that you are bang on when you say what the AbNDP "aren’t good at is making it undeniably clear that what is good for the most vulnerable in society is good for everyone else" and you may have something when you opine that the NDP were ashamed in 2023 of not accomplishing more in the 2019-mandate. I know *I* was expecting more of their time in office. But I know too that the party leadership --mostly women-- were exhausted by the vitriol and threats and harassment they'd been receiving since 2019. I don't know that I agree that the party has whipped Nenshi into something lacking, although I know that some of what Nenshi was trying to do (change the constitution, drop orange from the branding, reduce the structural influence of the members) was squelched by longer-standing NDP members. Your characterization of AB conservative voters as having implicit trust that conservatives (whatever the party name) will handle fiscal things well, and look after the most vulnerable (despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary!) is interesting -I'd never seen it laid out quite that simply, but lends oomph to the power of Rachel's 'Math is hard" come backs and the widespread anger that we saw sweep the province in 2018 against Prentice and the AbCons for the 40+ years of economic mismanagement. I'm grateful for your framing that. I agree that the NDP needs to get better at telling (and selling) the story --but I disagree with your overall point: Nenshi has not been a great leader for the bulk of the party membership that was here, established, already winning hearts and impressing former Red Tories. So yes, he signed up new members -- but what have those new members done, especially for the party, since joining? About as much as I did for the ABCons when I joined up so that I could vote for Alison Redford to be leader (and Alberta tradition, it seems). IOW: join, vote, and nothing more. Nenshi was always a risk, because at best he's a Liberal. But I had hoped that in addition to bringing in some Calgarians, his time as mayor would mean that he would bring improved administrative and communication practices to the party, as well as help fill coffers. I had always thought of him as good at narrative, at making it clear why an audience should care -- but that's not something I've seen him do since becoming leader, not when he was waiting to run in the by-election (a great time to solidify internal processes and get some narratives ready, but mostly what we got were rambling 'I did this' self-agrandizements), and frankly, not much since he was elected either. He's go a lot of work to do --and this *is* the leader's job-- to bring the membership together and show us that he deserves our loyalty (and donations). On the up side, Rakhi Pancholi and Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse have been on *fire*.
You’ve outlined the hurdles I think the NDP has, especially where the leadership is concerned. I think any of the women who were initially running would have been great *for the existing base*. Rakhi was my number one with a focus on growth but it’s possible she was reaching past the base because that’s what she wanted and used that to choose her campaign manager.
The problem the NDP has is that they are also a loose unification experiment; there is the longtime supporters and volunteers who were there before they formed govt, there’s people who showed up during their term, and then those who came since 2019. That’s the first group and I don’t think they’re a happy family. Then you have the voters; the people who have stuck with the party since 2015. Have they converted to NDP supporters or is the hold on them tenuous? Based on the lend us your vote portion in 2023, I’d say the latter. And they need to grow beyond that, but have yet to figure out how to turn the voters they already have into *supporters*.
Add to that they cannot make snide remarks about their rivals’ political affiliation. Or their federal counterparts. They have to figure out how to manage all of that, and try to win over new voters.
Agreed - just look at the commenters in this thread. They are salivating at the chance to return to voting for a party with a conservative name - 'Progressive Tory' indeed. People who voted NDP in 2015/19 and have stayed interested because of Rachel's (mostly very good) leadership and sound fiscal policies (the farm safety bill was the right thing to do, even if it became a hatchet) will swing, if there are enough PT candidates. And then, goddess help us, the Wildrose will come through again.
To be fair, how many chances do they get? The liberals were around for 100 years after they lost and came close to winning in the 90's. And were still going, unchallenging, until they were put out of their misery in 2019 and seconded in 2023. Does the NDP get 92 more? First change in government in my lifetime, and it seems the voters are hungry for more; but the Wildrose doesn't need to come through again-- they're currently governing Alberta.
Yeah, I didn't have much space for the provincial Liberals, but as I saw it, they were fighting the same prejudices the NDP fight now. Why do Albertans tell ourselves that the only 'true Albertan' is a conservative Albertan? Why is it unsafe to say otherwise (unless in Edmonton or Jasper)? I don't understand the long durability of the anti-Liberal (or anti-NDP) sentiments, the stickiness of anything with a conservative label. I know the explanations, the National Energy Program etc. but that seems more of an excuse than a explanation. Reading your work, and trying not to lump everyone together, I still struggle to avoid labelling all UCP-supporters as basically selfish. How is it so difficult to get conservative-voting Albertans to recognize their relative privilege and wealth compared to so many other parts of the nation? How do we convince people that it's better for us, for our democracy, to have more parties and perspectives in the Legislature? Today, I am afraid, very afraid, because so many people seem to like what the UCP/Wildrose are doing <Le Sigh>
“How is it so difficult to get conservative-voting Albertans to recognize their relative privilege and wealth compared to so many other parts of the nation?”
It’s not that they can’t see it, it’s more that they absolutely do and they don’t want to lose it. This is what drives the separatist sentiment, too (even if it’s being propped up by people who are so used to supporting the dream of becoming a Brett Wilson that they can’t see how NDP policies would actually make their life better).
It’s mostly about money. Money they don’t have, money they wish they had, money they will never have. And that’s the language the NDP doesn’t speak.
The ABNDP already divorced the federal party. It was Nenshi's first win (and the membership was holding their nose but being pragmatic). A whole lot of Albertans who have provincial NDP memberships just missed out on voting for the federal leadership because they spaced the part about needing to sign up separately. Frankly, the AbNDP have not been actual NDPers since Rachel took the leadership. She is a Red Tory. Most of their policies under Rachel were Lougheed's or Stelmach's. That's part of the problem. But if Nenshi wanted to be a Liberal (which is what he is), he should have joined the Ab Liberal Party and run for their leader.
I only hear that from a certain segment (mostly older) in Alberta. The young people (in Alberta) that I saw and spoke with at leadership events were very dismissive of Heather McPherson's 'centrist' ("big tent") approach, they described her as corporate and not sufficiently supportive of the environment and need for economic transition [I think they were unfair, but I'm recounting their perspectives]. Most had never heard of the Leap Manifesto (they all looked it up when I mentioned it; neither did they know David Lewis' connection to the NDP), so that fearmongering about Lewis 'splitting the party' or candidates being labelled as 'Leapers' fell on younger, non-comprehending ears. They just didn't get it. One 30-something asked me "why did the trade unions do nothing about their climate-change deniers back then?" (meaning 2015). Given what we are experiencing a mere decade later, it's a good question. And so, if the federal NDP swing left of Alberta and Saskatchewan (not hard to do), maybe it will be a better reflection of what the rest of the country is seeing is needed.
"It’s one thing to be offside with a majority of Canadians when your party is, ostensibly, next in line to form government but it’s an entirely different calculation when you’re in a distant third place. From the latter perspective, members can be more inclined to put their support behind a candidate they believe is a purist; someone who embodies the values and positions that the membership wants to hear screaming loudly from the sidelines even if they have no hope of forming government (which, they would probably need to aim for party status again, first). For an opposition party that is expected to remain in opposition, the membership can ensure they do by supporting a generally unpopular leader because they speak the language the dedicated base who shows up wants to hear."
Notley is actually more like Tommy Douglas than most NDP leaders. He paid the bills first then moved on to getting things like healthcare, charter of rights ect. People always forget how pragmatic he was.
When Imperial Oil pulled out of Regina screaming scary socialist. When the actual fact was they drilled dry holes and were ditching town for proven fields in Leduc Ab. They just needed a scape goat. Tommy just turned to more experienced companies like standard oil from the USA. He also helped get some of the earlier pipelines infrastructure in Sask built. By bringing this investment into the province is what helped pay for the roads, crown corp start ups and healthcare.
The common denominator in History is that vast majority of the successful NDP provincial governments have had Pragmatic leaders. The very partisan purists ones like Lewis Sr. may of won some seats but they never formed government anywhere.
I do like it as theatre. And then the *actual* democratic socialists could have a party that is true to the CCF again. The question that makes me giggle is: When the Progressive Tory Party of Alberta gets some ridings elected (and will Thomas Lukaszuk be one?), will Nenshi cross the floor?
The AbNDP were trying to retain the separation of the parties. Endorsing Heather would have led to the critique (from conservative Albertans) that the vote to separate the parties (when Nenshi came in) was just theatre.
One thing you missed is the absolute disdain rural voters have for the name NDP. They won’t even look at anything with that name on it. That and the fact it is often dangerous to let it be known you are not conservative in rural areas has a huge effect on numbers and overt support. It is very strong sentiment that you might not realize exists if you don’t spend time rurally. They have no idea what the ndp hold as values (even though most share them) and there is an information silo too so all they hear is conservative talking points.
My point is it is not 100% on the party- there are other factors that make any progress like mountain climbing, not just an uphill battle.
True. There is distain also for the orange - I've had people tell me that they would vote NDP if the colours were changed (!). I find it so hard to understand where an educated person - a teacher of social studies- or an business person -an elected community rep- says such things. HOW is the branding soooo problematic? I mean, orange on McDavid is ok, but it's not on a politician?
At convention, there was discussion about how Nenshi wanted more purple. There was a lot of antipathy for that concept. Because of the well-established branding, because of the history and the symbolism of the orange and the green.
But have you seen all the purple in the Instagram posts of late?
Come on - NDP supporters are absolutely right to point out the intrinsic racism of the UCP's recent attack on immigration - one only has to take a wander over to the cesspool of r/CanadianConservative or similar places to see it on full display - it's classic dog-whistle politicking on the part of the UCP, and dammit, it needs to be called out for the ugly garbage that it is.
I'm not an immigrant - I've lived here my entire life, but I do belong to a visible minority, and every time the UCP does something like this I feel as though a target is being painted on me - and so many of my peers feel the same thing.
Is the UCP "laying a trap" - of course they are - everything they do is calculated to "lay a trap" - they only think in terms of creating traps, and finding more people to punch down on. It's way past time the NDP came out swinging - HARD. Call out the racism, call out the incompetence of the UCP's fiscal policies, call out everything they do. Because it's ALL WRONG.
A government that is playing to divide and polarize the population is WRONG. Full Stop.
My point is that the UCP is NOT being "reasonable" - they are lying at every turn, they distort and twist to manufacture a narrative that is objectively FALSE.
This idea that "the NDP has to be reasonable" presupposes that the UCP itself is being reasonable.
As a trans person in Alberta, this is a hard line for me - my right to exist is on the line every time the UCP says something about us. Their entire suite of laws attacking trans people is based on lies.
Is it unreasonable of me to demand that those lies be challenged, be held up before the public for what they are? (and that is far from the only place where we know that Smith and the UCP have been lying to Albertans)
Frankly, at this point, the slogan coming from the NDP should be "Do you want a government or are you satisfied with being lied to?"
I wrote about when they changed that narrative specifically and how that change gave them majority support for it. A few times. Because it’s personal to you, it might not matter how they managed it, but the point is that they did. I’ll find the articles.
Also, people should challenge lies. One of the reasons I write these is because I don't see an effective counterargument to things the UCP does. In order to make that counterargument, I try and explain what conservatives believe is happening.
This was when they changed the narrative; a full 18 months before they pushed the legislation. Opposition didn't acknowledge the underlying issue.
Literally why I write these. I'm offering a detailed description of the conservative perspective and those who support the NDP can look at what they're actually fighting against (it's not as simple as being "evil") and adjust their counterarguments, or not. I want a strong opposition, too. I'm still waiting.
Call me a dreamer but I cancelled my Federal NDP membership when their unelected vetting committee disallowed Yves Engler and Bianca Munyenyi from running as leaders......without votes and representation in Quebec the Federal NDP won't get Official Party status back.
I still have hope for the Alberta NDP, they are having to deal with a slippery customer.
I have to disagree — Nenshi is failing as leader and this failure is a driving reason why the Alberta NDP will almost certainly fail to form government again. It's not the only reason, but it is a primary driver for their upcoming elective failure.
The NDP has some built-in challenges to overcome in order to form government — absolutely. Voters who mistrust any non-conservative party. The (incorrect) assumption that they're weaker on economic issues. The shamelessness of modern conservatism, the willingness to lie, the political class' acceptance of that shamelessness and dishonesty.
Those are not Nenshi's fault.
However, the NDP is largely invisible, it's too easy to ignore. I'm a natural lefty in my politics but even for me they're invisible. And when I do see something from them they're weak in their messaging. And that is something Nenshi has to answer for.
The UCP is inherently corrupt. They are incompetent. They are happily associating with people willing to work with the worst of Americans to use Alberta separation to destroy Canada from within.
If Alberta politics were a basketball game, the current environment would be the equivalent of an open layup — but Nenshi is currently standing under his own hoop dribbling the ball with both hands.
As a political observer, the NDP has largely been invisible since they lost the election in 2019. I can't blame Nenshi for that because he's only been the leader since 2024. The NDP should have won in 2023 and they couldn't manage it. It's my opinion that the reason the NDP is failing to gain isn't because of leadership, it's because of a deeply-held belief that conservatives are evil. The UCP feels the same about "the left". The difference is that there are more people in Alberta who identify as "conservative" than "the left" and that's why it hurts the NDP more than it does the UCP.
Nenshi isn’t responsible for the NDP’s performance before he became leader — I don’t think he was even a party member before he started his leadership campaign.
But at the end of the day, if a political movement wants to become a viable option to govern then results matter and a leader can’t take multiple election cycles to right a ship.
If the Alberta NDP can’t adapt its approach in a year to challenge a wholly incompetent and corrupt government then it’s a failed party.
And if Nenshi can’t get his caucus and the party apparatus ready to do what they were elected to do he has no business as leader.
This UCP government is doing real harm. Not just to the most vulnerable, but to what the provincial economy will be for a generation, to what quality of life looks like for every Albertan. Hell, through their acceptance of traitorous separatists they’ve a threat to the future of the nation. To accept conceding the upcoming election is a privilege we do not have.
You are correct, he was not a party member, and in the two previous elections, the party couldn't manage to earn enough support from Albertans to beat an obviously worse option. I spend time in conservative circles. I listen to what they're saying and I try to figure out "why?"
Despite the fact that his bid for leadership garnered so much attention and hope from those outside of the party faithful, that has all but died because he is no longer acting like Naheed Nenshi popular Mayor of Calgary, but has instead become a leader of the Alberta NDP that has struggled with their newfound role as the only option.
I also spend time in NDP circles and what I hear from them is that a province who is not only told they are conservative, but actually believes they are (despite the fact that they prefer liberal policies), should just vote NDP because they occupy some moral high ground that doesn't extend to "conservatives". It's a noticeable flaw in the logic (which doesn't apply generally but I still use it), but worse, it's a flaw in the "feelings". A party that has disdain for those they want to vote for them isn't going to convince a majority to follow along-- at least not until a majority of them have experienced a lot of pain under the UCP.
They may be willing to take as long as they need until that happens but I'd prefer they understand the situation and act accordingly.
100%: "if Nenshi can’t get his caucus and the party apparatus ready to do what they were elected to do he has no business as leader." I think he has (had?) the skills. But now, I'm not sure what he is doing.
Why does Norway have an oil wealth fund now worth $2 _Trillion and Alberta doesn't?
Could it be the same reason that the UK does not have an oil wealth fund the same size as Norway's even though Norway and UK share the _very _same NorthSea oil field?
Alberta and UK -- both led by "Conservatives" -- sold out their oil rights for a pittance and used the cash to "buy" elections, while Norway negotiated steely-eyed royalties and stashed the cash into a fund now worth $340k per Norwegian citizen.
That was what drove the NDP's success in 2019 - the clear fiscal mismanagement (and croneyship) of the AB Conservatives. To be fair, Norway's oil is easier to extract. But your point is accurate.
Disappointment overload with both opposition parties, especially the NDP. Wrong leader, no plan anywhere it seems. Guthrie must be on vacation celebrating his announced party being in the race, are they? Are we all sitting around waiting for the takeover, she’s bought the time, on our dime.
Totally agree. Conservatives label the NDP as spendthrift when it can easily be argued they were better with the public purse and future planning during their tenure. The NDP has to focus on the economic misspending and priorities chosen by the present governing party that were not part of the platform they were elected on. It has to be promoted that NDP fiscal choices are for better and less wasteful management of our tax base.
Not being proud of their record is something I’ve never understood, except through the lens that they were ashamed of it.
I think this is a very cogent assessment.
In 2023, I had just moved back to Alberta after a decade in Vancouver (so I wasn't here when Notley was elected and watched it from the outside).
But I was baffled by the 2023 NDP/Notley campaign.
It was like everyone had agreed to say nothing about how they'd gotten Alberta relatively safely through a recession caused by a drop in global oil prices (which hit Alberta so hard because the provincial government keeps putting all our eggs in one basket) or how the UCP had made things worse or, most importantly, on what they planned to do.
Instead, we got photo shoots of Notley on a horse and lots of "well, Danielle Smith has said crazy shit on the radio over the years."
And then Smith ran a surprisingly disciplined campaign (and, remarkably, didn't really say anything crazy) - and blamed Notley for the Alberta recession (which started before she was elected) without much challenge.
I've never joined a political party in my life, but joined the Alberta NDP to vote for Nenshi (and deleted the hourly emails about "supporting the movement." )
I wasn't sure if he was electable in rural Alberta, although he probably had a decent chance in the major centres. But I also had figured that he's be a straight shooter in opposition -- and we'd need that.
But once Smith was elected and started lying and implementing all sorts of policies she hadn't campaigned on (and usually, it seems, hadn't really thought through), the NDP just kind of... issued bland press releases and sometimes Nenshi gave a professorial sound bite.
I get that Smith throws a curveball nearly daily and so it's hard to keep the media and voters angry/focused/engaged on any one problem, and that fact-checking the UCP is an around-the-clock job, but surely...
One theory I've seen is that Nenshi/the party is holding off fighting every issue because he doesn't want to alienate urban voters before the next general election, but surely, like you say, they could be doing their own tour and making it clear how UCP policies are making life harder/more expensive for most of us. I may be wrong, but it feels like the NDP is hiding the guy (and hiding generally).
That sounds similar to what Max said as well— that they were invisible” in Calgary.
Whoops. And you’re right— Smith is a moving target but that’s why it’s important for them to have their own story; especially on their economic record.
Since Nenshi got elected I've been on the NDP to A)quit the cry wolf fundraising emails, B) tell us what you're doing with that money, C) communicate with your 89,000 members about - and let's be radical here your plans and your policies. Simple requests - you'd think but met with near total silence and anything remotely resembling decent speed of reply is non existent as are 98% of the replies.
The party doesn't respond, the web site is an abomination, ease of contact - well not so much. I've said this before but it's as if the entire administration of the NDP is paid by the UCP to be obstructive and illusive. Party of the people - FM, you won't even communicate with them
So here we have an opposition party with such fine offerings gifted them by the ever increasingly incompetent Mrs David Smith Moretta and her merry band of tRunts and they can't even find the car let alone the stick shift. Fiscal mismanagement, corruption, stomping on rights - HELLO NDP, any one home?
Like you Deidre I don't find a home in a hard left of centre nor on a right of centre. There's a sweet spot hovering just left of centre - you know where we look out for and care about each other while supporting fiscal policies that are sound and not oligarch centric. Where we spend our money on health care collectively, where we build institutions to grow with us and to help us grow, where we share the table, where "we and us" exist not me and mine.
The table is set Naheed, fire your entire administration who seem to be the roadblocks to progress, and get in the game.
Absolutely agree. I have found the same administrative and communication problems.
100%. I referred in my comment to hoping Nenshi would improve administrative processes and communications. You've described it exactly. But it gets worse - I was elected (well acclaimed) at Convention to a AB party committee. That committee has *never* contacted me. I told Nenshi this -at a social event, we ran into him- he knew nothing about the existence of the committee and and couldn't remember the committee chair's name. That's not good leadership.
Such an incredible waste of momentum, talent and members.
It’s as if the admin are paid by the ucp to obstruct
"Most people don’t know, though, because no one was screaming about it on Page Six"
I'm not making excuses but the media is a big part of the problem. The 'mainstream" media narrative is lost for the NDP. They need to find a way to get a tighter, sharper, focussed message out. All Albertans should be tired of this amateur hour government and it's roster of incompetents.
Conservatives control the media Albertans see. Thank goodness for the internet.
I too bought a membership to vote for Nenshi in the hope he could pull them back to where Notley took them in government. And it took forever to get off the federal leadership list!🧐, but I think the internal fight between the "pure" socialists (who are tight with the federal branch) and the pragmatic bunch who Rachel cultivated and grew, still sucks the oxygen from strategic thinking.
They need to get busy and tell us what they are, not that they ain't the UCP, we all know that, and they need to get at it before Guthrie gets a foothold on the conservative side of centre.
Let's get going Naheed, get the party moving off it's theoretical and academic ass and show us some of the spark we know you have!
Kevan, I agree with your take on the “pure socialists”. As a new NDP member attracted to the party by Nenshi, I have also found the attitude of party members sanctimonious and self-righteous. Along the lines of “We were here first.” And “Where were you when we were getting our hands dirty fighting in the trenches!”
I knew it wasn't just me.
OK, may I --as an academic and life-long NDPer, but also major critic of the ABNDP-- ask what you have done as a new member? Have you volunteered or donoted (or both) for the party since you joined? Have you been attended your local constituency organization gatherings? Joined a committee? Have you tried to learn something about the party beyond it being something that isn't UCP and now has Nenshi as a leader? And how have those efforts been received?
HyL, I hope this ramble answers some of your questions. When the Liberals were a viable party (Sheldon Shumir days and later) I voted for the party and its policies. While NDP policies and leaders appealed to me, often their candidates came across as “wingnuts” (This was early party days—I am sure they were good people, but did not seem to be government material.) I mostly ignored politics except for voting and as a provincial employee doing my best to save Albertans from the government they elected. This changed when Kenney came to town. While I have always been suspicious of Conservatives since Klein and the other half of his brain, Rod Love, the targeting of women leadership candidates, many of them former Ministers, confirmed my conviction that the UCP was not what I wanted for Alberta. I started donating monthly to the NDP and gave significant amounts to prepare for that first UCP election. I never see any fruit from my donations, leaving the impression that the party has no PR or communication smarts. I was hopeful that the fellow recruited from the Mamdani campaign would help, but I see he has given up fighting against the old guard and the inertia and has left. I may be seeing his influence in the increasing communications ((telephone conference, youtube, newsletter-type emails (not just donation begging emails )which are a great improvement.)) But the party is still preaching to the choir. Start making an impression on those outside the party. I have also heard that the central body is largely composed of lobbyists. When I asked this question on a survey where I was assured Notley would respond, I got no response to the question and no report on survey results. Again, who the h… is in charge? I briefly volunteered for my constituency, but stopped when asked to give permission for my photo to be used. I am old fashioned about my privacy. I attended one Convention prior to the election while the NDP was still governing. My impressions of the party from this Convention were: Notley is brilliant and a winner (but no one has the sense to use her), rural and long term members are entitled, the only interest group with any future and energy was the women’s group. You see this in the candidates! The others were poorly attended and poorly facilitated. My experiences of dealing with the published contacts is useless. Emails and telephone calls are not answered. When I left a message about increasing my donation I did not get a reply and the Edmonton Humane Society got the monthly donation increase. My impression is that there is no one responsible for overall party administration and coordination. If you cannot even answer the phone or return a voice mail or email how do you expect to govern! It seems to be all run through riding associations and I have no interest in attending these sessions where long term members with strong opinions slough off new ideas or bright young kids in short pants grab for attention. If invited to a feedback session sponsored centrally I would gladly give my opinions. I am not a door knocker or a smoosher, but I certainly applaud the enthusiasm of the young NDP volunteers working for Christine Gray in the last election. My constituency work was with Ms. Gray and I was very impressed by her and her support staff. A final thought: Danielle Smith’s secret weapon is her great smile; it makes a person want to like her, believe her and vote for her. If only Nenshi could turn that smile into a frown, 50% of the work would be done.
Thank you for this!! So much of what you describe, I experienced myself. When I lived in other provinces (BC & Ont), the NDs were not like this, but here — the misogyny and old-boys’ networks, then the poor communications from the party, the sense that the inner circle doesn’t trust the membership— or something, it’s wearying.
I know it’s very hard to win when you’re up against highly unprincipled people who lie easily, quickly and without reservation.
The thing is, if you behave like they ( Smith and the UCP) ( Poilievre, Harper for that matter) do, saying “ya but” every time they use a narcissist’s tactics-it wouldn’t work either.
I just saw the UCP use a most disgusting tactic.
The UCP plan to add triage doctors to emergency departments has not happened. ( they can’t pull highly educated, trained, experienced , dedicated people out of a hat- still) .
And so the message in the news this morning said something to the effect that the minister “ does not blame the doctors”.
What kind of “blame the ‘victim’“
statement is that?
Right? And Smith and co are definitely trying to make the landscape as difficult for Albertans as Trump did in the U.S.. but maybe that’s where their strategists need to be looking. We know the democrats didn’t handle it well, and it may not tel them what they want to be doing, but it certainly might give them an idea of what they can avoid.
I am a centrist like you, I believe. Rachel Notley did move the party that way when she was in power, a few policies aside. Nenshi flirted with rebranding the party during his leadership campaign. That would have made it easier to move into the center, or at least towards it.
The reality is that the province has a huge void there right now. A few ostracized conservatives are now trying to claim that space. If the NDP get off their collective butts and jump to fill it first, they could squeeze out that effort, and get those votes. But without a rebranding, it would likely be difficult, at best, if not impossible.
I think the first thing they need to do is to stop acting like a small party. They successfully took out the middle and then abandoned it in opposition. They have to look around and see what’s going on; if the Tories get hold of the middle they’re in a lot of trouble.
Uhm - we have the Alberta PROGRESSIVE Tories!! They have my vote all day long! Buy a membership today :)
I'll wait to see if they can organize with enough money outside my membership and field a province-wide slate of candidates.
They’re just figuring out where to place candidates and then vetting will begin. Go get a membership so the money can be used to put more candidates across Alberta. Membership is what creates a movement for positive and lasting change. And kindness within that movement is the foundation.
I'll be watching to see them do what always happens in Alberta - rebrand with a new name and figurehead and then keep screwing the little guy and pandering to the wealth-hoarders while donning their White Stetsons, whooping it up at Stampede, and cos-playing at being cowboys.
Some interesting critiques of the NDP here, thanks! I think that you are bang on when you say what the AbNDP "aren’t good at is making it undeniably clear that what is good for the most vulnerable in society is good for everyone else" and you may have something when you opine that the NDP were ashamed in 2023 of not accomplishing more in the 2019-mandate. I know *I* was expecting more of their time in office. But I know too that the party leadership --mostly women-- were exhausted by the vitriol and threats and harassment they'd been receiving since 2019. I don't know that I agree that the party has whipped Nenshi into something lacking, although I know that some of what Nenshi was trying to do (change the constitution, drop orange from the branding, reduce the structural influence of the members) was squelched by longer-standing NDP members. Your characterization of AB conservative voters as having implicit trust that conservatives (whatever the party name) will handle fiscal things well, and look after the most vulnerable (despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary!) is interesting -I'd never seen it laid out quite that simply, but lends oomph to the power of Rachel's 'Math is hard" come backs and the widespread anger that we saw sweep the province in 2018 against Prentice and the AbCons for the 40+ years of economic mismanagement. I'm grateful for your framing that. I agree that the NDP needs to get better at telling (and selling) the story --but I disagree with your overall point: Nenshi has not been a great leader for the bulk of the party membership that was here, established, already winning hearts and impressing former Red Tories. So yes, he signed up new members -- but what have those new members done, especially for the party, since joining? About as much as I did for the ABCons when I joined up so that I could vote for Alison Redford to be leader (and Alberta tradition, it seems). IOW: join, vote, and nothing more. Nenshi was always a risk, because at best he's a Liberal. But I had hoped that in addition to bringing in some Calgarians, his time as mayor would mean that he would bring improved administrative and communication practices to the party, as well as help fill coffers. I had always thought of him as good at narrative, at making it clear why an audience should care -- but that's not something I've seen him do since becoming leader, not when he was waiting to run in the by-election (a great time to solidify internal processes and get some narratives ready, but mostly what we got were rambling 'I did this' self-agrandizements), and frankly, not much since he was elected either. He's go a lot of work to do --and this *is* the leader's job-- to bring the membership together and show us that he deserves our loyalty (and donations). On the up side, Rakhi Pancholi and Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse have been on *fire*.
You’ve outlined the hurdles I think the NDP has, especially where the leadership is concerned. I think any of the women who were initially running would have been great *for the existing base*. Rakhi was my number one with a focus on growth but it’s possible she was reaching past the base because that’s what she wanted and used that to choose her campaign manager.
The problem the NDP has is that they are also a loose unification experiment; there is the longtime supporters and volunteers who were there before they formed govt, there’s people who showed up during their term, and then those who came since 2019. That’s the first group and I don’t think they’re a happy family. Then you have the voters; the people who have stuck with the party since 2015. Have they converted to NDP supporters or is the hold on them tenuous? Based on the lend us your vote portion in 2023, I’d say the latter. And they need to grow beyond that, but have yet to figure out how to turn the voters they already have into *supporters*.
Add to that they cannot make snide remarks about their rivals’ political affiliation. Or their federal counterparts. They have to figure out how to manage all of that, and try to win over new voters.
Agreed - just look at the commenters in this thread. They are salivating at the chance to return to voting for a party with a conservative name - 'Progressive Tory' indeed. People who voted NDP in 2015/19 and have stayed interested because of Rachel's (mostly very good) leadership and sound fiscal policies (the farm safety bill was the right thing to do, even if it became a hatchet) will swing, if there are enough PT candidates. And then, goddess help us, the Wildrose will come through again.
To be fair, how many chances do they get? The liberals were around for 100 years after they lost and came close to winning in the 90's. And were still going, unchallenging, until they were put out of their misery in 2019 and seconded in 2023. Does the NDP get 92 more? First change in government in my lifetime, and it seems the voters are hungry for more; but the Wildrose doesn't need to come through again-- they're currently governing Alberta.
Yeah, I didn't have much space for the provincial Liberals, but as I saw it, they were fighting the same prejudices the NDP fight now. Why do Albertans tell ourselves that the only 'true Albertan' is a conservative Albertan? Why is it unsafe to say otherwise (unless in Edmonton or Jasper)? I don't understand the long durability of the anti-Liberal (or anti-NDP) sentiments, the stickiness of anything with a conservative label. I know the explanations, the National Energy Program etc. but that seems more of an excuse than a explanation. Reading your work, and trying not to lump everyone together, I still struggle to avoid labelling all UCP-supporters as basically selfish. How is it so difficult to get conservative-voting Albertans to recognize their relative privilege and wealth compared to so many other parts of the nation? How do we convince people that it's better for us, for our democracy, to have more parties and perspectives in the Legislature? Today, I am afraid, very afraid, because so many people seem to like what the UCP/Wildrose are doing <Le Sigh>
“How is it so difficult to get conservative-voting Albertans to recognize their relative privilege and wealth compared to so many other parts of the nation?”
It’s not that they can’t see it, it’s more that they absolutely do and they don’t want to lose it. This is what drives the separatist sentiment, too (even if it’s being propped up by people who are so used to supporting the dream of becoming a Brett Wilson that they can’t see how NDP policies would actually make their life better).
It’s mostly about money. Money they don’t have, money they wish they had, money they will never have. And that’s the language the NDP doesn’t speak.
so, selfishness AND greed.
All of this is it Nenshi or is it the party is about to mean nothing. I just don’t understand why AB NDP didn’t back Heather McPherson.
If Avi Lewis wins it’s over. The NDP brand will die. The Alberta and Saskatchewan provincial parties will probably die faster than the federal party.
That's what I keep hearing as well. They could have an opportunity to do *the funniest thing* though...
It’s the opening Nenshi needs to change the party Name and divorce the federal party completely….
The ABNDP already divorced the federal party. It was Nenshi's first win (and the membership was holding their nose but being pragmatic). A whole lot of Albertans who have provincial NDP memberships just missed out on voting for the federal leadership because they spaced the part about needing to sign up separately. Frankly, the AbNDP have not been actual NDPers since Rachel took the leadership. She is a Red Tory. Most of their policies under Rachel were Lougheed's or Stelmach's. That's part of the problem. But if Nenshi wanted to be a Liberal (which is what he is), he should have joined the Ab Liberal Party and run for their leader.
I only hear that from a certain segment (mostly older) in Alberta. The young people (in Alberta) that I saw and spoke with at leadership events were very dismissive of Heather McPherson's 'centrist' ("big tent") approach, they described her as corporate and not sufficiently supportive of the environment and need for economic transition [I think they were unfair, but I'm recounting their perspectives]. Most had never heard of the Leap Manifesto (they all looked it up when I mentioned it; neither did they know David Lewis' connection to the NDP), so that fearmongering about Lewis 'splitting the party' or candidates being labelled as 'Leapers' fell on younger, non-comprehending ears. They just didn't get it. One 30-something asked me "why did the trade unions do nothing about their climate-change deniers back then?" (meaning 2015). Given what we are experiencing a mere decade later, it's a good question. And so, if the federal NDP swing left of Alberta and Saskatchewan (not hard to do), maybe it will be a better reflection of what the rest of the country is seeing is needed.
I brought that up last week;
"It’s one thing to be offside with a majority of Canadians when your party is, ostensibly, next in line to form government but it’s an entirely different calculation when you’re in a distant third place. From the latter perspective, members can be more inclined to put their support behind a candidate they believe is a purist; someone who embodies the values and positions that the membership wants to hear screaming loudly from the sidelines even if they have no hope of forming government (which, they would probably need to aim for party status again, first). For an opposition party that is expected to remain in opposition, the membership can ensure they do by supporting a generally unpopular leader because they speak the language the dedicated base who shows up wants to hear."
https://womenofabpoli.substack.com/p/beyond-ab-march-18-2026
EXACTLY
Notley is actually more like Tommy Douglas than most NDP leaders. He paid the bills first then moved on to getting things like healthcare, charter of rights ect. People always forget how pragmatic he was.
When Imperial Oil pulled out of Regina screaming scary socialist. When the actual fact was they drilled dry holes and were ditching town for proven fields in Leduc Ab. They just needed a scape goat. Tommy just turned to more experienced companies like standard oil from the USA. He also helped get some of the earlier pipelines infrastructure in Sask built. By bringing this investment into the province is what helped pay for the roads, crown corp start ups and healthcare.
The common denominator in History is that vast majority of the successful NDP provincial governments have had Pragmatic leaders. The very partisan purists ones like Lewis Sr. may of won some seats but they never formed government anywhere.
Im curious what the funniest thing could be tho… floor crossings?
Rename themselves the Alberta Party lol
That would be Hilarious… Not a bad Idea either….
It would make me giggle.
I do like it as theatre. And then the *actual* democratic socialists could have a party that is true to the CCF again. The question that makes me giggle is: When the Progressive Tory Party of Alberta gets some ridings elected (and will Thomas Lukaszuk be one?), will Nenshi cross the floor?
The AbNDP were trying to retain the separation of the parties. Endorsing Heather would have led to the critique (from conservative Albertans) that the vote to separate the parties (when Nenshi came in) was just theatre.
One thing you missed is the absolute disdain rural voters have for the name NDP. They won’t even look at anything with that name on it. That and the fact it is often dangerous to let it be known you are not conservative in rural areas has a huge effect on numbers and overt support. It is very strong sentiment that you might not realize exists if you don’t spend time rurally. They have no idea what the ndp hold as values (even though most share them) and there is an information silo too so all they hear is conservative talking points.
My point is it is not 100% on the party- there are other factors that make any progress like mountain climbing, not just an uphill battle.
True. There is distain also for the orange - I've had people tell me that they would vote NDP if the colours were changed (!). I find it so hard to understand where an educated person - a teacher of social studies- or an business person -an elected community rep- says such things. HOW is the branding soooo problematic? I mean, orange on McDavid is ok, but it's not on a politician?
And it’s the colour of the UFA, which is the roots of the party. I was really hoping they would rebrand when Nenshi was elected.
At convention, there was discussion about how Nenshi wanted more purple. There was a lot of antipathy for that concept. Because of the well-established branding, because of the history and the symbolism of the orange and the green.
But have you seen all the purple in the Instagram posts of late?
https://www.instagram.com/p/DVzU9EdAcU_/
Well, a lot of NDP have affection for the symbolism of the orange and green.
Sorry I missed this comment before— you’re absolutely correct; I call it the “orange aversion”.
Has no one noticed all the *PURPLE* in the Instagram memes lately??
https://www.instagram.com/p/DVzU9EdAcU_/
Come on - NDP supporters are absolutely right to point out the intrinsic racism of the UCP's recent attack on immigration - one only has to take a wander over to the cesspool of r/CanadianConservative or similar places to see it on full display - it's classic dog-whistle politicking on the part of the UCP, and dammit, it needs to be called out for the ugly garbage that it is.
I'm not an immigrant - I've lived here my entire life, but I do belong to a visible minority, and every time the UCP does something like this I feel as though a target is being painted on me - and so many of my peers feel the same thing.
Is the UCP "laying a trap" - of course they are - everything they do is calculated to "lay a trap" - they only think in terms of creating traps, and finding more people to punch down on. It's way past time the NDP came out swinging - HARD. Call out the racism, call out the incompetence of the UCP's fiscal policies, call out everything they do. Because it's ALL WRONG.
A government that is playing to divide and polarize the population is WRONG. Full Stop.
You’re not wrong. It just comes down to something I heard a few times on that favourite podcast; would you rather be right or elected?
My point is that the UCP is NOT being "reasonable" - they are lying at every turn, they distort and twist to manufacture a narrative that is objectively FALSE.
This idea that "the NDP has to be reasonable" presupposes that the UCP itself is being reasonable.
As a trans person in Alberta, this is a hard line for me - my right to exist is on the line every time the UCP says something about us. Their entire suite of laws attacking trans people is based on lies.
Is it unreasonable of me to demand that those lies be challenged, be held up before the public for what they are? (and that is far from the only place where we know that Smith and the UCP have been lying to Albertans)
Frankly, at this point, the slogan coming from the NDP should be "Do you want a government or are you satisfied with being lied to?"
I wrote about when they changed that narrative specifically and how that change gave them majority support for it. A few times. Because it’s personal to you, it might not matter how they managed it, but the point is that they did. I’ll find the articles.
Also, people should challenge lies. One of the reasons I write these is because I don't see an effective counterargument to things the UCP does. In order to make that counterargument, I try and explain what conservatives believe is happening.
This was when they changed the narrative; a full 18 months before they pushed the legislation. Opposition didn't acknowledge the underlying issue.
https://womenofabpoli.substack.com/p/danielle-smith-delivers-primer-on
Love this. Would you accept a friendly amendment?
"Do you want a government or are you satisfied with being lied to, again?"
That’s a non answer. Perhaps it is time for the NDP and “essayists” to actually address this issue head on.
Literally why I write these. I'm offering a detailed description of the conservative perspective and those who support the NDP can look at what they're actually fighting against (it's not as simple as being "evil") and adjust their counterarguments, or not. I want a strong opposition, too. I'm still waiting.
Call me a dreamer but I cancelled my Federal NDP membership when their unelected vetting committee disallowed Yves Engler and Bianca Munyenyi from running as leaders......without votes and representation in Quebec the Federal NDP won't get Official Party status back.
I still have hope for the Alberta NDP, they are having to deal with a slippery customer.
I have to disagree — Nenshi is failing as leader and this failure is a driving reason why the Alberta NDP will almost certainly fail to form government again. It's not the only reason, but it is a primary driver for their upcoming elective failure.
The NDP has some built-in challenges to overcome in order to form government — absolutely. Voters who mistrust any non-conservative party. The (incorrect) assumption that they're weaker on economic issues. The shamelessness of modern conservatism, the willingness to lie, the political class' acceptance of that shamelessness and dishonesty.
Those are not Nenshi's fault.
However, the NDP is largely invisible, it's too easy to ignore. I'm a natural lefty in my politics but even for me they're invisible. And when I do see something from them they're weak in their messaging. And that is something Nenshi has to answer for.
The UCP is inherently corrupt. They are incompetent. They are happily associating with people willing to work with the worst of Americans to use Alberta separation to destroy Canada from within.
If Alberta politics were a basketball game, the current environment would be the equivalent of an open layup — but Nenshi is currently standing under his own hoop dribbling the ball with both hands.
As a political observer, the NDP has largely been invisible since they lost the election in 2019. I can't blame Nenshi for that because he's only been the leader since 2024. The NDP should have won in 2023 and they couldn't manage it. It's my opinion that the reason the NDP is failing to gain isn't because of leadership, it's because of a deeply-held belief that conservatives are evil. The UCP feels the same about "the left". The difference is that there are more people in Alberta who identify as "conservative" than "the left" and that's why it hurts the NDP more than it does the UCP.
Nenshi isn’t responsible for the NDP’s performance before he became leader — I don’t think he was even a party member before he started his leadership campaign.
But at the end of the day, if a political movement wants to become a viable option to govern then results matter and a leader can’t take multiple election cycles to right a ship.
If the Alberta NDP can’t adapt its approach in a year to challenge a wholly incompetent and corrupt government then it’s a failed party.
And if Nenshi can’t get his caucus and the party apparatus ready to do what they were elected to do he has no business as leader.
This UCP government is doing real harm. Not just to the most vulnerable, but to what the provincial economy will be for a generation, to what quality of life looks like for every Albertan. Hell, through their acceptance of traitorous separatists they’ve a threat to the future of the nation. To accept conceding the upcoming election is a privilege we do not have.
You are correct, he was not a party member, and in the two previous elections, the party couldn't manage to earn enough support from Albertans to beat an obviously worse option. I spend time in conservative circles. I listen to what they're saying and I try to figure out "why?"
Despite the fact that his bid for leadership garnered so much attention and hope from those outside of the party faithful, that has all but died because he is no longer acting like Naheed Nenshi popular Mayor of Calgary, but has instead become a leader of the Alberta NDP that has struggled with their newfound role as the only option.
I also spend time in NDP circles and what I hear from them is that a province who is not only told they are conservative, but actually believes they are (despite the fact that they prefer liberal policies), should just vote NDP because they occupy some moral high ground that doesn't extend to "conservatives". It's a noticeable flaw in the logic (which doesn't apply generally but I still use it), but worse, it's a flaw in the "feelings". A party that has disdain for those they want to vote for them isn't going to convince a majority to follow along-- at least not until a majority of them have experienced a lot of pain under the UCP.
They may be willing to take as long as they need until that happens but I'd prefer they understand the situation and act accordingly.
100%: "if Nenshi can’t get his caucus and the party apparatus ready to do what they were elected to do he has no business as leader." I think he has (had?) the skills. But now, I'm not sure what he is doing.
NDP should be asking Albertans ...
Why does Norway have an oil wealth fund now worth $2 _Trillion and Alberta doesn't?
Could it be the same reason that the UK does not have an oil wealth fund the same size as Norway's even though Norway and UK share the _very _same NorthSea oil field?
Alberta and UK -- both led by "Conservatives" -- sold out their oil rights for a pittance and used the cash to "buy" elections, while Norway negotiated steely-eyed royalties and stashed the cash into a fund now worth $340k per Norwegian citizen.
That was what drove the NDP's success in 2019 - the clear fiscal mismanagement (and croneyship) of the AB Conservatives. To be fair, Norway's oil is easier to extract. But your point is accurate.
Disappointment overload with both opposition parties, especially the NDP. Wrong leader, no plan anywhere it seems. Guthrie must be on vacation celebrating his announced party being in the race, are they? Are we all sitting around waiting for the takeover, she’s bought the time, on our dime.