Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) President Gil McGowan said he has been approved as a candidate in the NDP leadership race. While McGowan was pleased about this first piece of news, he said he had caught COVID-19. “I’m very excited about #1 … not so much about #2,” tweeted McGowan on Thursday. .When it comes to his campaign, he said his main focus between now and March 15 will be on getting the required number of signatures to reach the nomination threshold. The Alberta NDP leadership race rules stipulated he could not start collecting signatures until he was approved, so time is short. He needs signatures from people in all five regions of Alberta — Calgary, Edmonton, and northern, central, and southern Alberta — and has seven days to get them. With that in mind, he asked people for their help. If people want to sign his nomination papers, he said they can send him a direct message and will have a volunteer meet them. Only NDP members can nominate candidates. He encouraged people to visit its website to sign up if they do not have memberships. While he suspects he is over his case of COVID-19, he said he would not be doing any public appearances until he has tested negative for at least two days as per isolation recommendations from the experts he knows and trusts. As a result, he said he would not be doing an official campaign launch until some time next week. When he does, he will host one event in Calgary and another in Edmonton. He confirmed he would not be stepping down as AFL president while he participates in the NDP leadership race. He said he “was elected to serve the interests of Alberta workers from AFL-affiliated unions, and I intend to continue doing that throughout this spring.”The president went on to say he will not be using any labour movement resources during his leadership bid. As per Alberta election finance rules, his campaign will be financed by donations from individual supporters. Since his campaign was not approved until Thursday, election finance rules stipulated he could not spend any money on it. His team has started to develop a website and other campaign materials. McGowan concluded by shouting out his fellow NDP leadership candidates and saying many of them are his friends. He said it “speaks volumes about the strength of the ANDP that so many highly-qualified candidates are vying for leadership.”“I look forward to engaging with them — and with all party members — in thoughtful and spirited discussions about the future of our party and the future of our province,” he said. “Game on.” The other NDP leadership candidates are MLA Kathleen Ganley (Calgary-Mountain View), MLA Rakhi Pancholi (Edmonton-Whitemud), MLA Sarah Hoffman (Edmonton-Glenora), and MLA Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse (Edmonton-Rutherford). McGowan was floated as a potential Alberta NDP leadership candidate when leader Rachel Notley announced she was resigning from her position in January. READ MORE: Potential contenders to replace Notley as Alberta NDP leaderHe might not be an NDP MLA at the moment, but he has made it known he wants it to form government.He has served as AFL president since 2005, which followed him being its communications director for 10 years. Additionally, he has written three books on unions and the Alberta economy.
Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) President Gil McGowan said he has been approved as a candidate in the NDP leadership race. While McGowan was pleased about this first piece of news, he said he had caught COVID-19. “I’m very excited about #1 … not so much about #2,” tweeted McGowan on Thursday. .When it comes to his campaign, he said his main focus between now and March 15 will be on getting the required number of signatures to reach the nomination threshold. The Alberta NDP leadership race rules stipulated he could not start collecting signatures until he was approved, so time is short. He needs signatures from people in all five regions of Alberta — Calgary, Edmonton, and northern, central, and southern Alberta — and has seven days to get them. With that in mind, he asked people for their help. If people want to sign his nomination papers, he said they can send him a direct message and will have a volunteer meet them. Only NDP members can nominate candidates. He encouraged people to visit its website to sign up if they do not have memberships. While he suspects he is over his case of COVID-19, he said he would not be doing any public appearances until he has tested negative for at least two days as per isolation recommendations from the experts he knows and trusts. As a result, he said he would not be doing an official campaign launch until some time next week. When he does, he will host one event in Calgary and another in Edmonton. He confirmed he would not be stepping down as AFL president while he participates in the NDP leadership race. He said he “was elected to serve the interests of Alberta workers from AFL-affiliated unions, and I intend to continue doing that throughout this spring.”The president went on to say he will not be using any labour movement resources during his leadership bid. As per Alberta election finance rules, his campaign will be financed by donations from individual supporters. Since his campaign was not approved until Thursday, election finance rules stipulated he could not spend any money on it. His team has started to develop a website and other campaign materials. McGowan concluded by shouting out his fellow NDP leadership candidates and saying many of them are his friends. He said it “speaks volumes about the strength of the ANDP that so many highly-qualified candidates are vying for leadership.”“I look forward to engaging with them — and with all party members — in thoughtful and spirited discussions about the future of our party and the future of our province,” he said. “Game on.” The other NDP leadership candidates are MLA Kathleen Ganley (Calgary-Mountain View), MLA Rakhi Pancholi (Edmonton-Whitemud), MLA Sarah Hoffman (Edmonton-Glenora), and MLA Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse (Edmonton-Rutherford). McGowan was floated as a potential Alberta NDP leadership candidate when leader Rachel Notley announced she was resigning from her position in January. READ MORE: Potential contenders to replace Notley as Alberta NDP leaderHe might not be an NDP MLA at the moment, but he has made it known he wants it to form government.He has served as AFL president since 2005, which followed him being its communications director for 10 years. Additionally, he has written three books on unions and the Alberta economy.
