The worst kept secret in Alberta politics is finally out.
Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi made it official on Monday, joining the race to become the next leader of the Alberta NDP.
And he came out swinging.
In an interview with The Globe’s Kelly Cryderman days before he formally joined the race, Nenshi was clear why he, a politician who has long shunned partisan antics, decided he wanted to be the one to replace outgoing leader Rachel Notley and lead the Official Opposition against Premier Danielle Smith, calling her government “a dangerous mix of incompetent and immoral.”
Of course, before he even gets that shot, Nenshi needs to win over the party faithful. There are currently four sitting NDP MLAs – Sarah Hoffman, Kathleen Ganley, Rakhi Pancholi and Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse – and union leader Gil McGowan set to face off against the former mayor.
And while all the candidates would be fine leaders, the history between Nenshi and Smith could make for a fascinating clash in a provincial election scheduled for 2027.
As Cryderman says in her column, “three decades ago, Ms. Smith and Mr. Nenshi were on friendly terms as part of a high-octane group of political nerds who attended the University of Calgary together.” Now they could face off with that shared history as the backdrop, even if things have changed significantly in the ensuing decades.
“That is not the woman I knew 30 years ago,” he said of Smith. “This is someone else entirely.”
As a latecomer to the race, it remains to be seen if Nenshi’s style of politics will win him the top job. While he is is one of the most recognizable figures in Canadian politics after his three terms as Calgary’s mayor, how he fits with the party’s goals will determine if he succeeds.
As The Globe’s Carrie Tait pointed out, his signature colour is purple, a blend of Liberal red and Conservative blue. And while he certainly has progressive bonafides, the party membership will decide if he’s one of them.
Lisa Young, a political scientist at the University of Calgary, says traditionally, the NDP in Canada has a stronger sense of identity, community and membership compared with their competitors.
“They are less open to an outsider coming in, even with star power,” she said. “At the same time, they very much want to win the next election.”
By entering the race, Nenshi immediately gives it more profile. The other candidates say they are happy to have him join and look forward to how he shapes the contest. But they definitely aren’t conceding.
“If he wants to finish second, he should enter the race,” said Hoffman in an interview last week. “My membership sales go up every time he talks about entering the race.”
It should be an interesting few months before the NDP announce their new leader on June 22.
This is the weekly Western Canada newsletter written by B.C. Editor Wendy Cox and Alberta Bureau Chief Mark Iype. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up for it and all Globe newsletters here.
Wendy Cox