L-R: NDP leadership candidates MLA Kathleen Ganley (rdnewsNOW), MLA Sarah Hoffman (Canadian Press), Gil McGowan (website), Naheed Nenshi (website), and MLA Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse (website).

By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

"impossible to attribute membership sales"

The race shifts: What the candidates think about evolving NDP leadership contest after shake-up

Mar 30, 2024 | 2:34 PM

Some might say a shift has occurred in the race to become the next leader of the Alberta NDP, and the candidate who many believe is the front-runner says he’s not really focused on that label.

Said repositioning took place this past week when two-term MLA Rakhi Pancholi announced she was dropping out of the race in order to back former Calgary mayor of 11 years, Naheed Nenshi.

Pancholi, now executive chair for Nenshi’s campaign, shared that leadership candidates were recently given an update on memberships. She stated that in the week after Nenshi’s insertion into the race, membership sales spiked, in fact, “more than doubled.”

Garrett Spelliscy, the party’s provincial secretary, says it won’t officially reveal numbers until balloting closes May 12, in order to ensure a fair and competitive race.

“The process for validating all new members takes due diligence,” says Spelliscy. “At this stage, prior to this rigorous process and prior to the vote, it’s impossible to attribute membership sales to any individual leadership candidate.”

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As of Dec. 31, the party had 16,224 members.

In an interview this week with rdnewsNOW, Nenshi spoke to the notion that he’s now the favourite.

“I’ve been the underdog and the front-runner in my political career. On my first campaign as mayor and in the very first poll, I was within spitting distance of zero per cent; seven months later, I won a resounding victory,” he recalls.

“I have to earn every single vote and that’s what I say to my volunteers; it doesn’t matter where we think we are, what matters is what happens on the day people vote. We can’t take a single vote for granted. We have to be out there hustling for every single one.”

Nenshi claims his team’s signed up 3,000 volunteers in all but two Alberta municipalities.

He notes recent packed rooms in Edmonton and Red Deer, and says he’s finding ways to connect with Albertans outside the city he’s known for.

Meantime, Kathleen Ganley, elected in 2015 (Calgary-Mountain View), talked with rdnewsNOW this week; she disagrees the Nenshi-Pancholi merger caused a shift.

“I’ve nothing but respect for him [Nenshi]; I voted for him as mayor and I’m glad he’s in the race. I just obviously don’t think he should win. Rakhi ran an amazing campaign, put forward a lot of ideas and I’m glad she did. She brought people into the party, including volunteers who worked really hard,” says Ganley, who doesn’t believe the race has a favourite.

“All camps are selling thousands of memberships and that could only possibly be a good thing. I suspect Nenshi will bring memberships and supporters with him, as do we all, and I think that’s great. At the end of the day, it’s going to be a contest of ideas.”

Where she differs the most from her four fellow candidates, she says, is that her campaign is heavily focused on how the economy and can work for all — be it by implementing tax relief or increasing minimum wage supports for small businesses.

Ganley hopes her commitment to cleaning up inactive well sites will help her connect with rural Albertans.

“People identify as conservative, but when you talk to them, they do care about the things we care about; about health care, education, an economy that works for everyone,” she says. “In my experience, when we get out there and we talk to people about what their values are, there’s a lot of alignment.”

rdnewsNOW also posed questions to leadership candidates Gil McGowan and MLAs Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse (Edmonton-Rutherford) and Sarah Hoffman (Edmonton-Glenora).

Calahoo Stonehouse, first elected in 2023, says the race is still young.

“This is more than a popularity contest — and in all the fodder about Nenshi, I want to stay focused on what’s important here… and that’s Albertans, the province, and making life better here,” she says.

“[My campaign] is about responsible policy that safeguards the climate to ensure Alberta continues to be an economic powerhouse amid increasing climate challenges and drought conditions. But also looking at the interrelatedness of the climate to Alberta’s economy and what that relationship looks like in terms of securing affordability and inspiring job creation for Albertans and for anyone who is hoping to move here.”

Three-term MLA and former health minister, Sarah Hoffman says her campaign’s morale is high, regardless of any perceived shift.

“I’ve never been more excited for my leadership campaign and for the future of our party,” she says. “I’ve been connecting with members and future members right across Alberta. We’re doing great things and we’re having a great time.”

Hoffman’s campaign has honed in on urgent action toward health, climate and housing, she says, also noting she’s won five elections — including as a school trustee — by, “working hard and staying true to my values.”

Finally, there’s McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour, who calls Pancholi’s move to back Nenshi “helpful.”

“It makes it very clear to party members that they have a stark choice to make. On one hand, they can choose a leader who will transform the NDP into something that looks like the federal Liberal party or the old PC party. Make no mistake, that’s what Naheed has in mind, even though he isn’t being upfront about it,” says McGowan.

“On the other hand, they can choose a leader who will build up from the strong foundation that Rachel Notley left for us. Keep in mind, the NDP has established itself as the true progressive alternative in all western provinces, including B.C., Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Why would we throw that away and replace it with a Liberal or PC approach that Albertans have rejected over and over again?”

McGowan claims he’s uniquely well-positioned to address both the NDP’s political challenge and the province’s economic challenge

He says as premier, he’d bring in public auto insurance, a re-regulated power market, and an excess profits tax to brings down the costs for insurance, power, gas and groceries. He’d also create a public housing authority and, he says, unapologetically implement policies to increase wages.

“I would be happy to be proven wrong, but I don’t think any of the other candidates will be as big or bold on these issues as me,” says McGowan.

To read up more on the five candidates, you can visit their websites (listed alphabetically by candidate):

• Kathleen Ganley
• Sarah Hoffman
• Gil McGowan
• Naheed Nenshi
• Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse

The following are details of upcoming NDP leadership debates. Ganley shared that the party is considering an additional debate in Red Deer, but it has not yet been formalized.

Lethbridge

• Thursday April 25 – 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
• Yates Memorial Theatre 1002 4 Avenue S, Lethbridge, AB

Calgary

• Saturday May 11 – 2:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.
• BMO Centre at Stampede Park 20 Roundup Way SE, Calgary, AB

Edmonton

• Sunday June 2 – 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Edmonton Convention Centre 9797 Jasper Ave, Edmonton, AB

The Alberta NDP will announce its new leader June 22. April 22 is the deadline to purchase a membership in time to vote.

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