Ok here we go again: nice try, but I must correct the outsiders' persistent but outdated stereotype of Alberta as "conservative."
What do you mean exactly?
Edmonton has voted NDP for decades; Calgary voted almost majority NDP the last time.
The current NDP is closer to Lougheed than the UCP is under nutjob Smith.
Nenshi has known Smith since their U of C student days. He is very qualified to counter her extremist far-right economic and social policies. He is also a formidable and compelling communicator.
AB voters have increasingly sorted into a polarized urban-rural split, which also skews along education and income. This split is similar to the rest of Canada.
AB continues to carry a somewhat disproportionately large electoral representation of rural ridings.
But AB cities are modern, young, diverse, culturally rich urban centres, just like most other cities in Canada.
So I for one am excited and reassured by Nenshi entering the fray.
I'm simply progressive, not tribal anything, so I think Nenshi is EXACTLY what's needed at this point after two losses, the last being catastrophic, and a signal that this Notley iteration was wearing thin, becoming too tribal, fiddling with changing the name...... Rachel was the leader and she was A leader, none of the rest are, they all smell of those two defeats and raw personal ambition.
Where they are at this point is written all over Shannon Phillips' face; she's our MLA in Lethbridge so I know whereof I speak.
Bring in the fresh blood from "outside" who isn't swanning in, he's been asked repeatedly and although he has preferred in the past to be non-partisan, he recognizes that's no longer a luxury he/we can afford. And he mentions climate change, and how mean the UCP are, and dangerous, and how Smith is the worst premier he's seen, and he's seen a few. CBC did an interview with him today on Canada Tonight. It's good, I'd recommend it.
The majority of Albertans are centrists, just like most Canadians. They will respond to a leader who can argue effectively for responsible and forward-looking economic development and progressive social policies. That's it. Nenshi can be that kind of leader, esp in contrast to Smith. Wish he could take on Poilievre!
Nenshi isn't in a bubble. He just doesn't fit into a neat ideological box. It's a bit of a stretch that his flawed attempt at bipartisanship on the trans debate is somehow indicative of his inability to listen to others. Or that he should shut up about it: this is the stage where he has to win the NDP base, not the broader electorate.
Ganley is my MLA and I love her, and would support her. that said Nenshi has a plain spoken, focus on the facts, build the compromise centrist approach to politics that's refreshing after what will be 10 years of strident divisiveness from Kenney and Smith. He would be compelling to Alberta because he is *not* all that progressive. He's quite conservative, just in the saner , Peter Lougheed variety.
I just saw Nenshi's announcement about throwing his hat in the leadership ring. My first reaction was that he is politically far to nieve to be in the ABLeg, let alone lead the NDP. As a Albertan, a voter, and a reader of your opinions, I have to say I completely agree with the point you made, Alberta needs a true progressive leader that can move the province and everyone in it forward. Like you, I'm looking forward to tomorrow's Real Talk episode and seeing what else he has to say. Unlike you, if he wins the ABNDP leadership race, I'll be doing research as to who my vote will be going to, as I believe Nenshi isn't right for the job.
I ve been pondering your post for a couple of days now. Overall, I agree with you that the ANDP should be very cautious about choosing Naheed Nenshi as their next leader. I don't think he has near the cachet in Edmonton that he has in Calgary, and I doubt he has any appeal at all outside the two major cities. More than that I think that the record of party outsiders riding to the rescue of Alberta political parties is poor. I offer Hon Nancy MacBeth and Dr. Raj Sherman as clear example of how poorly this can work.
On the other hand, I think the ANDP should welcome Mr. Neshi's candidacy as well as that of Gil McGowan. As you have pointed out with respect to other party races, leadership contests should lead parties to reflecting on what they wish to stand for as they move forward. At present, Nenshi and McGowan both come from outside the party apparatus but from opposite sides of their historic positions. Added to the earlier candidates they produce a wide range of values and policies for the party to reflect on.
As a supportive non-member, I would urge Alberta ND voters to push all of their leadership candidates on value, policy and electoral strategy matters throughout the campaign and then choose with an eye to building on the very strong structure that former-Premier Notley is leaving them.
Suggest the Alberta NDP visit the BC NDP for tips. The BC NDP under Eby is cruising to another majority government. Although the two provinces are quite different in that BC is economically diverse by choice...didn't use to be; rural BC has a lot of the same wingnuts as Alberta does. Eby, like Horgan, is successful as getting voters and countering the nonsense the BC United party spews.
I wanted to give my take on the situation so far: I went last night to Nenshi’s volunteer signup evening and I was very happy with what I saw. So was he, and nearly choked up at the support that was there. There were over 400 people; he said he had speculated there might be 40 or 50. He mentioned that over the past 24 hours he had had a dollar amount in his mind that maybe they might be able to raise in that short time and the resulting figure was 10 times that.
The crowd was from a broad range of ages, ethnicities and affiliations, so far as I could tell from those I recognized and from the applause throughout his speech. When I talked to the man beside me and as instructed, stated my “why” for being there, he talked about all the other times he had worked for Nenshi and I realized there was a hard core of Nenshi supporters there who go back a long way.
How refreshing to hear about climate change, how the world is transitioning and how Alberta should be a leader in that process. (No Oil to Tidewater nor Axe the Tax from this guy).
He talked about the amazing progress that Rachel Notley and the NDP have made over the past decade and he praised the calibre of the other candidates. He talked about his history of being not into party politics and how one could usually tolerate the Alberta government even if one wasn’t fully on board, “but this is different!” (Prolonged applause).
He explained his admiration for this big orange house that has been built, and how he wanted to gather a large crowd to support it. He described that crowd as being just people who want good schools, healthcare and public transportation, support for the vulnerable and an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy and the oil and gas companies.
I think he covered the elephants in the room. He gave a very credible account of how he fit into it all and most important, he was very upbeat and exuded hope and positivity.
We were given three tasks: in the next 48 hours reach out to five people to join; approach ten people in your work place, organization or other group and email to say what that group is. Sign up to make phone calls to people from a list of individuals who had indicated support.
Even if Naheed Nenshi doesn’t end up as the new leader, he is obviously going to bring in a lot of support from a wide range of people and it would have been extremely foolish of the ND organization to disallow him as a candidate.
Interesting commentary, Evan. I agree that if the NDP is seriously looking for a “saviour”, Dr Nenshi is not the guy for the job. That said, he would deliver enormous value to the NDP caucus as a senior advisor, who knows where Smith and her cabal have buried all the bodies.
I also agree that Rakhi Pancholi (my personal
choice) and Kathleen Ganley are the best options for an experienced leader who can purge the province of this hideous crowd of QAnon wannabes.
Those involved in the NDP leadership contest in Alberta are going to have to address"
"Child Trafficking Rings Thrive in Pedophile-Friendly Medical Systems of Alberta and BC
Dr. William Makis Names Names. Justin Trudeau and Rachel Notley Are Deeply Implicated in the Fast-Breaking Scandal Involving Sexual Exploitation of Children by Prominent Medical Practitioners"
Can we please rid threads of these Qanon crazies? They have Telegram and Truth Social and 8Chann. Using the thread to spam should be a bannable offense.
One of my biggest concerns about Nenshi is that a bunch of his Mayoral inner circle went on to prominent positions in the Alberta Party, orchestrating their last two disastrous campaigns. They accomplished such highlights as installing Mandel as leader over the more broadly popular Greg Clark, to running two campaigns where they yelled at everyone for being “partisans” while having no platform of their own. I worry that it’s a preview of both the tactics and personnel that Nenshi would bring to the NDP.
Ok here we go again: nice try, but I must correct the outsiders' persistent but outdated stereotype of Alberta as "conservative."
What do you mean exactly?
Edmonton has voted NDP for decades; Calgary voted almost majority NDP the last time.
The current NDP is closer to Lougheed than the UCP is under nutjob Smith.
Nenshi has known Smith since their U of C student days. He is very qualified to counter her extremist far-right economic and social policies. He is also a formidable and compelling communicator.
AB voters have increasingly sorted into a polarized urban-rural split, which also skews along education and income. This split is similar to the rest of Canada.
AB continues to carry a somewhat disproportionately large electoral representation of rural ridings.
But AB cities are modern, young, diverse, culturally rich urban centres, just like most other cities in Canada.
So I for one am excited and reassured by Nenshi entering the fray.
Bring it on!
https://twitter.com/planetjanetyyc/status/1764027742566355232
I'm simply progressive, not tribal anything, so I think Nenshi is EXACTLY what's needed at this point after two losses, the last being catastrophic, and a signal that this Notley iteration was wearing thin, becoming too tribal, fiddling with changing the name...... Rachel was the leader and she was A leader, none of the rest are, they all smell of those two defeats and raw personal ambition.
Where they are at this point is written all over Shannon Phillips' face; she's our MLA in Lethbridge so I know whereof I speak.
Bring in the fresh blood from "outside" who isn't swanning in, he's been asked repeatedly and although he has preferred in the past to be non-partisan, he recognizes that's no longer a luxury he/we can afford. And he mentions climate change, and how mean the UCP are, and dangerous, and how Smith is the worst premier he's seen, and he's seen a few. CBC did an interview with him today on Canada Tonight. It's good, I'd recommend it.
The majority of Albertans are centrists, just like most Canadians. They will respond to a leader who can argue effectively for responsible and forward-looking economic development and progressive social policies. That's it. Nenshi can be that kind of leader, esp in contrast to Smith. Wish he could take on Poilievre!
Nenshi isn't in a bubble. He just doesn't fit into a neat ideological box. It's a bit of a stretch that his flawed attempt at bipartisanship on the trans debate is somehow indicative of his inability to listen to others. Or that he should shut up about it: this is the stage where he has to win the NDP base, not the broader electorate.
Ganley is my MLA and I love her, and would support her. that said Nenshi has a plain spoken, focus on the facts, build the compromise centrist approach to politics that's refreshing after what will be 10 years of strident divisiveness from Kenney and Smith. He would be compelling to Alberta because he is *not* all that progressive. He's quite conservative, just in the saner , Peter Lougheed variety.
I mistakenly reported your comment when I meant to report Anthony Qanon below. My apologies...PLEASE IGNORE THE REPORT.
I just saw Nenshi's announcement about throwing his hat in the leadership ring. My first reaction was that he is politically far to nieve to be in the ABLeg, let alone lead the NDP. As a Albertan, a voter, and a reader of your opinions, I have to say I completely agree with the point you made, Alberta needs a true progressive leader that can move the province and everyone in it forward. Like you, I'm looking forward to tomorrow's Real Talk episode and seeing what else he has to say. Unlike you, if he wins the ABNDP leadership race, I'll be doing research as to who my vote will be going to, as I believe Nenshi isn't right for the job.
I ve been pondering your post for a couple of days now. Overall, I agree with you that the ANDP should be very cautious about choosing Naheed Nenshi as their next leader. I don't think he has near the cachet in Edmonton that he has in Calgary, and I doubt he has any appeal at all outside the two major cities. More than that I think that the record of party outsiders riding to the rescue of Alberta political parties is poor. I offer Hon Nancy MacBeth and Dr. Raj Sherman as clear example of how poorly this can work.
On the other hand, I think the ANDP should welcome Mr. Neshi's candidacy as well as that of Gil McGowan. As you have pointed out with respect to other party races, leadership contests should lead parties to reflecting on what they wish to stand for as they move forward. At present, Nenshi and McGowan both come from outside the party apparatus but from opposite sides of their historic positions. Added to the earlier candidates they produce a wide range of values and policies for the party to reflect on.
As a supportive non-member, I would urge Alberta ND voters to push all of their leadership candidates on value, policy and electoral strategy matters throughout the campaign and then choose with an eye to building on the very strong structure that former-Premier Notley is leaving them.
Suggest the Alberta NDP visit the BC NDP for tips. The BC NDP under Eby is cruising to another majority government. Although the two provinces are quite different in that BC is economically diverse by choice...didn't use to be; rural BC has a lot of the same wingnuts as Alberta does. Eby, like Horgan, is successful as getting voters and countering the nonsense the BC United party spews.
I wanted to give my take on the situation so far: I went last night to Nenshi’s volunteer signup evening and I was very happy with what I saw. So was he, and nearly choked up at the support that was there. There were over 400 people; he said he had speculated there might be 40 or 50. He mentioned that over the past 24 hours he had had a dollar amount in his mind that maybe they might be able to raise in that short time and the resulting figure was 10 times that.
The crowd was from a broad range of ages, ethnicities and affiliations, so far as I could tell from those I recognized and from the applause throughout his speech. When I talked to the man beside me and as instructed, stated my “why” for being there, he talked about all the other times he had worked for Nenshi and I realized there was a hard core of Nenshi supporters there who go back a long way.
How refreshing to hear about climate change, how the world is transitioning and how Alberta should be a leader in that process. (No Oil to Tidewater nor Axe the Tax from this guy).
He talked about the amazing progress that Rachel Notley and the NDP have made over the past decade and he praised the calibre of the other candidates. He talked about his history of being not into party politics and how one could usually tolerate the Alberta government even if one wasn’t fully on board, “but this is different!” (Prolonged applause).
He explained his admiration for this big orange house that has been built, and how he wanted to gather a large crowd to support it. He described that crowd as being just people who want good schools, healthcare and public transportation, support for the vulnerable and an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy and the oil and gas companies.
I think he covered the elephants in the room. He gave a very credible account of how he fit into it all and most important, he was very upbeat and exuded hope and positivity.
We were given three tasks: in the next 48 hours reach out to five people to join; approach ten people in your work place, organization or other group and email to say what that group is. Sign up to make phone calls to people from a list of individuals who had indicated support.
Even if Naheed Nenshi doesn’t end up as the new leader, he is obviously going to bring in a lot of support from a wide range of people and it would have been extremely foolish of the ND organization to disallow him as a candidate.
Interesting commentary, Evan. I agree that if the NDP is seriously looking for a “saviour”, Dr Nenshi is not the guy for the job. That said, he would deliver enormous value to the NDP caucus as a senior advisor, who knows where Smith and her cabal have buried all the bodies.
I also agree that Rakhi Pancholi (my personal
choice) and Kathleen Ganley are the best options for an experienced leader who can purge the province of this hideous crowd of QAnon wannabes.
Those involved in the NDP leadership contest in Alberta are going to have to address"
"Child Trafficking Rings Thrive in Pedophile-Friendly Medical Systems of Alberta and BC
Dr. William Makis Names Names. Justin Trudeau and Rachel Notley Are Deeply Implicated in the Fast-Breaking Scandal Involving Sexual Exploitation of Children by Prominent Medical Practitioners"
https://anthonyjhall.substack.com/p/child-trafficking-rings-thrive-in
Can we please rid threads of these Qanon crazies? They have Telegram and Truth Social and 8Chann. Using the thread to spam should be a bannable offense.
One of my biggest concerns about Nenshi is that a bunch of his Mayoral inner circle went on to prominent positions in the Alberta Party, orchestrating their last two disastrous campaigns. They accomplished such highlights as installing Mandel as leader over the more broadly popular Greg Clark, to running two campaigns where they yelled at everyone for being “partisans” while having no platform of their own. I worry that it’s a preview of both the tactics and personnel that Nenshi would bring to the NDP.