Article content
In her farewell speech as leader of the party she built into a political contender, Rachel Notley looked back at her accomplishments and toward the Alberta NDP’s future as it readies to announce her replacement Saturday.
Notley addressed a fundraising dinner crowd of around 400 at BMO Centre in Calgary on Friday, sporting an Edmonton Oilers jersey and urging people to support the new leader.
Article content
“Our story is not one of overnight victory. It comes on the heels of decades of work to keep our party, and our values, and our vision for the province alive,” she said.
“The day is going to come very soon when we have another chance at change, and we need to be ready. Not ready for Rachel, but ready for Alberta.”
Notley, 60, offered advice for her successor, stating authenticity to oneself and the party’s values were key to success.
“Be yourself,” she said. “Show Albertans who you are and what you believe in at every chance that you get, and never forget that your voice is only as strong as the party’s and the people who are part of our movement.”
The speech came during the third period of the Stanley Cup Final’s Game 6 and was interrupted — at Notley’s request — for scoring updates in the Oilers’ eventual 5-1 win.
She spoke of the party’s evolution, from being one of two New Democrat MLAs to being within a few thousand votes of winning last May’s election.
“Reducing the margin of loss was the thing we chanted at our victory parties,” she joked.
She listed her efforts to reduce child poverty, get the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion built, increase minimum wage and build Alberta’s reputation in other provinces as her proudest accomplishments.
Article content
“We never, never talked down Canada. Instead, we talked up Alberta,” she said. “I talked to Canadians from all walks of life about why they needed Alberta and we needed them.”
Notley led the party to a majority government in 2015, ending a 44-year run of Progressive Conservative governments.
The party was defeated in 2019. It lost again in 2023, though it won a majority of seats in Calgary, and with 38 MLAs, it’s now the largest Official Opposition in the province’s history.
Four candidates are on the ballot to replace Notley after she announced plans to step down as leader in January.
Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi is considered the favourite, in part due to a spike in membership sales after he joined the race — though Notley offered an alternate explanation Friday.
“Well over our 80 per cent recent membership sales are from folks who’ve been with us all along in different ways,” she said, adding that could mean they contributed money or posted lawn signs in prior campaigns.
First ballot results are expected Saturday around 2 p.m.
Notley has not revealed if she plans to stay on as an MLA or if she would serve as parliamentary leader in the event the unelected Nenshi wins on Saturday.
mblack@postmedia.com
Recommended from Editorial
-
Rachel Notley leaving behind an Alberta NDP that’s still ready to run
-
The Alberta NDP is choosing its new leader this weekend. Here’s how it’ll work
Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters.
You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun
Share this article in your social network