As an Edmontonian I’m willing to forgive Nenshi for the Oilers jersey videos. We’re a city of 100k dedicated fans during the regular season and 1 million bandwagon fans during the playoffs. It may be cheesy and uncomfortable but it’s not a bad way to say “I’m here now.”
Nenshi is facing Danielle Smith, who is an exceptional communicator, a shrewd politician and someone who campaigns like no other premier I’ve seen in Alberta. She knows the issues that activate her base and she governs for them. Smith’s agenda is radical and not what she campaigned on in the last election but she’s definitely implementing “change.” Meanwhile, the NDP is left looking like they are defending the status quo. That’s a problem.
It’s too bad you weren’t at the NDP Policy Convention at Edmonton Convention earlier this year.
If you had been there, you would have seen and heard a couple of thousand people having vigorous debates over the policy package that the party is looking to develop, refine and test before it gets released to the general public.
The policy book deals with any number of policy options designed to undo the colossal amount of damage being done to Alberta by the mindless, gutless, empathy-free ideologues sitting comfortably in their warm little world on the other side of the Legislature floor.
Everything you could possibly imagine was being looked at, from economic development, environment, and education to healthcare, human services, and hunger, and everything in between.
At the end of the convention,
Mr Nenshi delivered a one-hour-long speech designed to whip up and inspire the assembled delegates, and it landed very well with the vast majority of delegates.
If you think Naheed Nenshi is sitting in his ivory tower and not listening to party members (and more importantly, to the average Albertan voter), you have another think coming.
He’s been consulting (and I mean REALLY consulting, rather than publishing a series of biased, foregone-conclusion styled web polls designed to yield predetermined reponses) with folks up and down the province.
Just because he hasn’t consulted with you doesn’t mean he’s on his way to political hell.
The best pollster in Alberta has him down a dozen points and that poll, modelled out, would put the NDP at 26 seats, wiping out essentially all the Notley 2023 gains
I did watch the Convention speech! It wasn’t good at all, and pleasing a room full of New Democratic partisans is irrelevant to winning the province
Much like the discussion around the Federal NDP and Singh, Nenshi is only doing a good job if the numbers are going up. If they’re not going up, nothing else he’s going can qualify as a success
We had years of “sure the Federal NDP’s numbers are cratering, but Singh is still a good leader because of all the good work he’s doing”, and look how that ended up
Thank you for raising the alarm. Nenshi has not presented a compelling alternative vision. He needs to return to the grassroots "civic camp" style campaign that propelled him in his first run for mayor. The ideas that were coming out of that movement inspired people and everyone felt like they were a part of making things better. This time before the by-election should have been used to build community. So far, what I've seen is the same attack stance that led the NDP to lose the last two elections. Show us what you'll do differently, don't just tell us how bad Smith is -- we all know that. Those who don't know her failings by now, won't ever vote for Nenshi or the NDP anyway.
Fair points, but I would add the rather important fact that Premier Smith has delayed Nenshi's byelection for as long as possible, as she always takes the lowest road possible.
The absence in the Legislature of the Leader of the Official Opposition has surely limited his impact.
I can only hope that he and the NDP have been using this time well to strategize their opposition to the long list of UCP policies, incompetence, and scandals.
You are correct to point out that the NDP needs to focus on giving Albertans a reason to turn away from their default Conservatives.
They must understand and face the province as it is.
I don’t know why it would change anything from a policy rollout perspective, but I am somewhat hopeful/banking on the party upping their game once Nenshi wins his seat in the Legislature.
We’ll see how the Stampede show of force goes in a month.
A good analysis of Mr. Nenshi. I voted in the leadership of the party, but not for Mr. Nenshi for some of the reasons you describe. The delay of the by-election by the UCP has been very effective helping keep him on the shadows of political inaction. I'd heard from insiders that the Premier was much more worried if Kathleen Ganley would have won the leadership. That was who I supported: a lawyer, a hard worker, a parent andalready in the legislative assembly. In my view the NDs have taken the party back a step to a recognizable but reoundly criticized choice.
Evan, your initial paragraph (other than your quote of yourself!) concludes with, "... Nenshi isn’t even getting the boost of being seen as competent."
I am a Calgarian so I am familiar with Nenshi as he was Mayor of our fair city for far, far, far, far, far too long [is my animus showing?]. His sole competence during his time as Mayor was in raising taxes. Other than that, he specialized in dumb policies and antagonizing people. Oh, and bloviating. You have to admit (he did and does) that he was (and is) absolutely the smartest guy in the room; just ask him as he will be quite willing to tell you. My conclusion / certainty is that Nenshi and competence are strangers to each other.
I wasn't a fan of Notley and her policies but I have to admit that she was a terrific representative of her party. In other words, she showcased well and that is why many people voted NDP and that is fair enough. This guy? I humbly forecast he won't and they won't.
He has certainly criticized Danielle Smith and, be aware, he does know her. Very well. They went to university together and knew each other at that time and have been in contact over the years. It is trite to observe that they have different political perspectives. That also means the SHE knows HIM really well. Consider that in forecasting election probabilities.
From MY perspective, Smith is somewhat (really!) conservative, somewhat libertarian (small "l") [that "other stuff" is far more complicated than many opponents will admit] but is much more interested in what works [again, the "other stuff" is complicated]. Many will argue with me but that is what I see. Now, by contrast, Nenshi is much more singularly oriented: the NDP does not stand for the New Democratic Party but it now stands for the Nenshi Democratic Party. Put differently, Nenshi stands for Nenshi; remember, he is the smartest guy in the room as he will willingly tell you.
I absolutely believe that he is smart. On the other hand, humility is a terrifically key asset for any political leader. After all, a team is needed to assist the "great one" to deal with oversights, things they don't know, etc. Unless, of course, the "great one" never makes mistakes, knows all, and is infallible. I simply don't see Nenshi being able to fake humility; the humble gene is entirely missing from his makeup.
You are quite correct that Nenshi "... will say or do anything to win..." As an Albertan, I will vote for ABN - Anybody But Nenshi. Anybody.
So, you are "... not saying that he’s {Nenshi] a narcissistic egomaniac who needs external validation ..." but that is okay. I can say it for you.
Am I too hard on Nenshi? Nope. Not at all, not ever.
Good piece, as usual, Evan.
As an Edmontonian I’m willing to forgive Nenshi for the Oilers jersey videos. We’re a city of 100k dedicated fans during the regular season and 1 million bandwagon fans during the playoffs. It may be cheesy and uncomfortable but it’s not a bad way to say “I’m here now.”
Nenshi is facing Danielle Smith, who is an exceptional communicator, a shrewd politician and someone who campaigns like no other premier I’ve seen in Alberta. She knows the issues that activate her base and she governs for them. Smith’s agenda is radical and not what she campaigned on in the last election but she’s definitely implementing “change.” Meanwhile, the NDP is left looking like they are defending the status quo. That’s a problem.
The three by-elections on June 23, especially the one in suburban Edmonton-Ellerslie could give us another indication of whether the NDP’s current messaging is or isn’t resonating, but as you wrote here and David Climenhaga wrote today (https://albertapolitics.ca/2025/05/ndp-leader-naheed-nenshi-is-seriously-underperforming-and-people-are-starting-to-notice/) the clock is ticking on the next election.
It’s too bad you weren’t at the NDP Policy Convention at Edmonton Convention earlier this year.
If you had been there, you would have seen and heard a couple of thousand people having vigorous debates over the policy package that the party is looking to develop, refine and test before it gets released to the general public.
The policy book deals with any number of policy options designed to undo the colossal amount of damage being done to Alberta by the mindless, gutless, empathy-free ideologues sitting comfortably in their warm little world on the other side of the Legislature floor.
Everything you could possibly imagine was being looked at, from economic development, environment, and education to healthcare, human services, and hunger, and everything in between.
At the end of the convention,
Mr Nenshi delivered a one-hour-long speech designed to whip up and inspire the assembled delegates, and it landed very well with the vast majority of delegates.
If you think Naheed Nenshi is sitting in his ivory tower and not listening to party members (and more importantly, to the average Albertan voter), you have another think coming.
He’s been consulting (and I mean REALLY consulting, rather than publishing a series of biased, foregone-conclusion styled web polls designed to yield predetermined reponses) with folks up and down the province.
Just because he hasn’t consulted with you doesn’t mean he’s on his way to political hell.
The best pollster in Alberta has him down a dozen points and that poll, modelled out, would put the NDP at 26 seats, wiping out essentially all the Notley 2023 gains
I did watch the Convention speech! It wasn’t good at all, and pleasing a room full of New Democratic partisans is irrelevant to winning the province
Much like the discussion around the Federal NDP and Singh, Nenshi is only doing a good job if the numbers are going up. If they’re not going up, nothing else he’s going can qualify as a success
We had years of “sure the Federal NDP’s numbers are cratering, but Singh is still a good leader because of all the good work he’s doing”, and look how that ended up
Here's a good wedge to sign and push. "Danielle Smith is a Seperatist,"
https://www.albertandp.ca/SeparatistSmith
Thank you for raising the alarm. Nenshi has not presented a compelling alternative vision. He needs to return to the grassroots "civic camp" style campaign that propelled him in his first run for mayor. The ideas that were coming out of that movement inspired people and everyone felt like they were a part of making things better. This time before the by-election should have been used to build community. So far, what I've seen is the same attack stance that led the NDP to lose the last two elections. Show us what you'll do differently, don't just tell us how bad Smith is -- we all know that. Those who don't know her failings by now, won't ever vote for Nenshi or the NDP anyway.
Fair points, but I would add the rather important fact that Premier Smith has delayed Nenshi's byelection for as long as possible, as she always takes the lowest road possible.
The absence in the Legislature of the Leader of the Official Opposition has surely limited his impact.
I can only hope that he and the NDP have been using this time well to strategize their opposition to the long list of UCP policies, incompetence, and scandals.
You are correct to point out that the NDP needs to focus on giving Albertans a reason to turn away from their default Conservatives.
They must understand and face the province as it is.
I don’t know why it would change anything from a policy rollout perspective, but I am somewhat hopeful/banking on the party upping their game once Nenshi wins his seat in the Legislature.
We’ll see how the Stampede show of force goes in a month.
A good analysis of Mr. Nenshi. I voted in the leadership of the party, but not for Mr. Nenshi for some of the reasons you describe. The delay of the by-election by the UCP has been very effective helping keep him on the shadows of political inaction. I'd heard from insiders that the Premier was much more worried if Kathleen Ganley would have won the leadership. That was who I supported: a lawyer, a hard worker, a parent andalready in the legislative assembly. In my view the NDs have taken the party back a step to a recognizable but reoundly criticized choice.
My question is a simple one: who is a member of the team advising him, and are any of them leftovers from the Notley era? Sorry, that’s two questions.
Evan, your initial paragraph (other than your quote of yourself!) concludes with, "... Nenshi isn’t even getting the boost of being seen as competent."
I am a Calgarian so I am familiar with Nenshi as he was Mayor of our fair city for far, far, far, far, far too long [is my animus showing?]. His sole competence during his time as Mayor was in raising taxes. Other than that, he specialized in dumb policies and antagonizing people. Oh, and bloviating. You have to admit (he did and does) that he was (and is) absolutely the smartest guy in the room; just ask him as he will be quite willing to tell you. My conclusion / certainty is that Nenshi and competence are strangers to each other.
I wasn't a fan of Notley and her policies but I have to admit that she was a terrific representative of her party. In other words, she showcased well and that is why many people voted NDP and that is fair enough. This guy? I humbly forecast he won't and they won't.
He has certainly criticized Danielle Smith and, be aware, he does know her. Very well. They went to university together and knew each other at that time and have been in contact over the years. It is trite to observe that they have different political perspectives. That also means the SHE knows HIM really well. Consider that in forecasting election probabilities.
From MY perspective, Smith is somewhat (really!) conservative, somewhat libertarian (small "l") [that "other stuff" is far more complicated than many opponents will admit] but is much more interested in what works [again, the "other stuff" is complicated]. Many will argue with me but that is what I see. Now, by contrast, Nenshi is much more singularly oriented: the NDP does not stand for the New Democratic Party but it now stands for the Nenshi Democratic Party. Put differently, Nenshi stands for Nenshi; remember, he is the smartest guy in the room as he will willingly tell you.
I absolutely believe that he is smart. On the other hand, humility is a terrifically key asset for any political leader. After all, a team is needed to assist the "great one" to deal with oversights, things they don't know, etc. Unless, of course, the "great one" never makes mistakes, knows all, and is infallible. I simply don't see Nenshi being able to fake humility; the humble gene is entirely missing from his makeup.
You are quite correct that Nenshi "... will say or do anything to win..." As an Albertan, I will vote for ABN - Anybody But Nenshi. Anybody.
So, you are "... not saying that he’s {Nenshi] a narcissistic egomaniac who needs external validation ..." but that is okay. I can say it for you.
Am I too hard on Nenshi? Nope. Not at all, not ever.
Nenshi needs to hire you for advice.