Alberta NDP leadership candidate Sarah Hoffman said the party has to decide what it is going to do next now that leader Rachel Notley’s tenure is finishing up. In the last election, the Alberta NDP won the majority of seats in Calgary, every one in Edmonton, one in Lethbridge, Banff, St. Albert, and Sherwood Park. However, it was not enough to win the election. “And what we can’t do is run the same election we just lost with a new leader telling every one how awful Danielle Smith is and expect different results,” said Hoffman in a Saturday speech at the Vote Leadership 2024 Debate in Calgary. “What we need to do is knock on doors and talk about the things that I’ve heard on doors over the last year.” Hoffman said the NDP needs to focus on healthcare, climate, and housing. Additionally, she said it needs bold NDP policies. She called herself “unapologetically NDP.” If she becomes leader, she vowed to propose rent control to make a difference in people’s lives. When she knocks on doors, meets with cabinet, and sits in the Office of the Premier of Alberta, she said she will bring those values with her. She invited people to join her in that. Alberta NDP leadership candidate Gil McGowan said he is determined to make Smith a former premier. “But before we can do that, we need something — Strategy,” said McGowan. “Are you familiar with SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis?” McGowan asked attendees who had university educations or were in university to stand up. Many attendees stood up. Polls show the NDP wins among university-educated Albertans, especially in Calgary and Edmonton. However, they indicate it loses among those with high school, trades, and college education, which make up 60% of the population. He said workers in that group "are the missing piece in the coalition we have to build in order to defeat the UCP (United Conservative Party)." While winning them over is possible, he said the threat is ignoring this knowledge. In response, he admitted it has to be focused on bringing in working class and rural Albertans. That is how it wins in 2027. Alberta NDP leadership candidate Naheed Nenshi said healthcare is one of the most critical issues facing Albertans today. “Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve been warned that our healthcare system is on the brink of collapse,” said Nenshi. “Well folks, in many communities in Alberta, it has already collapsed.” Despite the efforts of healthcare workers, Nenshi pointed out it has collapsed. These healthcare workers include doctors, nurses, managers, and administrators. He said part of the answer is money. Since he used to be a mayor and did not have much money, he said he is skilled at finding it. Another solution he proposed was respecting healthcare workers. This means not tearing up their agreements, not demonizing them, and not referring to them as leeches. If people ask Smith what is wrong with healthcare, she would say Alberta Health Services spends too much on management. He said creating three new organizations with management will not reduce the amount of it. Alberta NDP leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley acknowledged she has heard every day from teachers and educational assistants about the deterioration in classroom conditions. “They’re the worst they’ve every been to the point where students are some times so frustrated that our teachers are being hit or kicked or bitten,” said Ganley. “So it has deteriorated significantly, and it has deteriorated significantly because of the UCP.” Because Alberta has the lowest per student funding in education in Canada, Ganley said it should be embarrassed. She said it has to do better. To improve the education system, she vowed to measure class sizes and their complexity. She will hire more teachers and EAs to support students. She said it has to build more schools to ensure teachers are not forced to teach on gym stages. While students are learning on gym stages now, she said they are negative learning environments. Alberta NDP leadership candidate Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse pledged to bring in a royalty dividends agreement so the government can hold industry accountable. “These are our resources,” said Calahoo Stonehouse. “We need to act like resource owners and ensure that Albertans are getting their fair share.” With these royalty dividends, Calahoo Stonehouse said they can be spent on innovation, entrepreneurship, and families to ensure there are jobs available. She added this spending will allow people to afford their houses, vehicles, and insurance. Because the minimum wage has stayed the same for five-and-a-half years, she said this is why it is important for the Alberta government to support unions. Unions can provide workers with safety, bargaining rights, and raises.Nenshi came out swinging at the Vote Leadership 2024 Debate in Lethbridge on April 25, saying he was surprised to be back in politics. READ MORE: Nenshi says he came out of political retirement to save Alberta at NDP debateWhile he was enjoying his retirement, he said he is an Albertan. “I grew up here, I chose to make my life here after living and working all over the world in my 20s, and like all of you, I’m deeply troubled by the direction of our province and the direction of our government,” he said.
Alberta NDP leadership candidate Sarah Hoffman said the party has to decide what it is going to do next now that leader Rachel Notley’s tenure is finishing up. In the last election, the Alberta NDP won the majority of seats in Calgary, every one in Edmonton, one in Lethbridge, Banff, St. Albert, and Sherwood Park. However, it was not enough to win the election. “And what we can’t do is run the same election we just lost with a new leader telling every one how awful Danielle Smith is and expect different results,” said Hoffman in a Saturday speech at the Vote Leadership 2024 Debate in Calgary. “What we need to do is knock on doors and talk about the things that I’ve heard on doors over the last year.” Hoffman said the NDP needs to focus on healthcare, climate, and housing. Additionally, she said it needs bold NDP policies. She called herself “unapologetically NDP.” If she becomes leader, she vowed to propose rent control to make a difference in people’s lives. When she knocks on doors, meets with cabinet, and sits in the Office of the Premier of Alberta, she said she will bring those values with her. She invited people to join her in that. Alberta NDP leadership candidate Gil McGowan said he is determined to make Smith a former premier. “But before we can do that, we need something — Strategy,” said McGowan. “Are you familiar with SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis?” McGowan asked attendees who had university educations or were in university to stand up. Many attendees stood up. Polls show the NDP wins among university-educated Albertans, especially in Calgary and Edmonton. However, they indicate it loses among those with high school, trades, and college education, which make up 60% of the population. He said workers in that group "are the missing piece in the coalition we have to build in order to defeat the UCP (United Conservative Party)." While winning them over is possible, he said the threat is ignoring this knowledge. In response, he admitted it has to be focused on bringing in working class and rural Albertans. That is how it wins in 2027. Alberta NDP leadership candidate Naheed Nenshi said healthcare is one of the most critical issues facing Albertans today. “Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve been warned that our healthcare system is on the brink of collapse,” said Nenshi. “Well folks, in many communities in Alberta, it has already collapsed.” Despite the efforts of healthcare workers, Nenshi pointed out it has collapsed. These healthcare workers include doctors, nurses, managers, and administrators. He said part of the answer is money. Since he used to be a mayor and did not have much money, he said he is skilled at finding it. Another solution he proposed was respecting healthcare workers. This means not tearing up their agreements, not demonizing them, and not referring to them as leeches. If people ask Smith what is wrong with healthcare, she would say Alberta Health Services spends too much on management. He said creating three new organizations with management will not reduce the amount of it. Alberta NDP leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley acknowledged she has heard every day from teachers and educational assistants about the deterioration in classroom conditions. “They’re the worst they’ve every been to the point where students are some times so frustrated that our teachers are being hit or kicked or bitten,” said Ganley. “So it has deteriorated significantly, and it has deteriorated significantly because of the UCP.” Because Alberta has the lowest per student funding in education in Canada, Ganley said it should be embarrassed. She said it has to do better. To improve the education system, she vowed to measure class sizes and their complexity. She will hire more teachers and EAs to support students. She said it has to build more schools to ensure teachers are not forced to teach on gym stages. While students are learning on gym stages now, she said they are negative learning environments. Alberta NDP leadership candidate Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse pledged to bring in a royalty dividends agreement so the government can hold industry accountable. “These are our resources,” said Calahoo Stonehouse. “We need to act like resource owners and ensure that Albertans are getting their fair share.” With these royalty dividends, Calahoo Stonehouse said they can be spent on innovation, entrepreneurship, and families to ensure there are jobs available. She added this spending will allow people to afford their houses, vehicles, and insurance. Because the minimum wage has stayed the same for five-and-a-half years, she said this is why it is important for the Alberta government to support unions. Unions can provide workers with safety, bargaining rights, and raises.Nenshi came out swinging at the Vote Leadership 2024 Debate in Lethbridge on April 25, saying he was surprised to be back in politics. READ MORE: Nenshi says he came out of political retirement to save Alberta at NDP debateWhile he was enjoying his retirement, he said he is an Albertan. “I grew up here, I chose to make my life here after living and working all over the world in my 20s, and like all of you, I’m deeply troubled by the direction of our province and the direction of our government,” he said.
