New Alberta NDP leader Nenshi outlines priorities as party names Opposition leader
CBC
Entering his first full week as leader of Alberta's New Democrats, Naheed Nenshi on Monday laid out his initial roadmap for the party and outlined new roles for some caucus members.
On Saturday, the former Calgary mayor garnered 86 per cent of votes from party members, easily securing victory as the new leader of the Alberta NDP.
Though he now leads the party, Nenshi does not hold a seat in the legislature. That means he can't yet fill the role of Opposition leader, a position left vacant with the departure of former party leader Rachel Notley.
"I'm in no rush to gain a seat in the legislature because I actually think that, having not been in the legislature before, having been in politics in a different way, I bring a set of fresh eyes to the situation," Nenshi told reporters Monday.
While Nenshi and party officials zero in on a possible seat, Christina Gray, House leader of the NDP and MLA for Edmonton-Mill Woods, will hold the title of leader of the Official Opposition. Gray will also remain House leader.
"This is an exciting time for our caucus and movement, and we are looking forward to continuing to fight for a better future for all Albertans," Gray said in a statement.
Edmonton-Whitemud MLA Rakhi Pancholi, who was a part of the NDP leadership race before dropping out to endorse Nenshi, will be the deputy leader.
Speculation has pinpointed Lethbridge-West as a possible option for Nenshi. That seat will be vacated July 1 by former NDP environment minister Shannon Phillips, who announced her resignation earlier this month.
Speaking Monday on the Calgary Eyeopener, Nenshi said he likely wouldn't run in that riding.
"Probably not. I will have some good conversations with the people in Lethbridge about what they're thinking about," Nenshi said.
"But I believe that we really should have MLAs that are able to spend time in their constituency, that are able to represent them."
Nenshi said no other changes would be made in the House leadership or critic roles at this time.
As was the case during the leadership campaign, discussion around the future of the provincial NDP's affiliation with the federal party was of key focus in Nenshi's first few days as leader.
He told reporters on Saturday it was possible party members could make a decision on that front at a party convention next spring, and reiterated such a timeline Monday on CBC's Alberta@Noon.
With the B.C. NDP and B.C. Conservatives neck and neck heading into election day on Saturday, there are also a record number of Independent candidates who — if voted in — could hold the balance of power in a minority government scenario. British Columbians have only elected one Independent MLA in the last 60 years. Vicki Huntington won a seat in 2009 and was re-elected in 2013. But University of the Fraser Valley political scientist Hamish Telford said the situation could be different this election cycle. Of the 40 Independent candidates running, six of them are incumbent MLAs, who carry the benefit of name recognition in their community. "So we've got Independents in this election who I think we could deem to be viable shots at actually winning a riding, which is not normal," Telford said. "They're still long shots, but they are certainly plausible candidates."
Though Bill C-282 has received cross-party federal support in Ottawa, Alberta's provincial government says it's not a backer of the Bloc Québécois legislation that aims to prevent Canada's supply-managed sectors — dairy, poultry and eggs — from being included in future international trade negotiations.
A former Canadian Olympic snowboarder and 15 others are facing criminal charges for allegedly running a drug-trafficking operation that shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia to Canada and used violence — including murder — to achieve the group's goals, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday.