Alberta NDP leadership candidate Rakhi Pancholi said membership in one party should not require membership in another. “Albertans who want to join the Alberta NDP — and so many of them are excited to join us in shaping our future — should get to decide if they also want to become a member of the federal NDP,” said Pancholi in a Thursday statement. .When Pancholi joined the NDP in 2018, she said she did so because she believed in its values. She called the NDP “a champion for the continued success of our province on everything from climate change to equity to economic growth.” After buying her membership, she admitted she was surprised to learn she would become a member of the federal NDP. She acknowledged she had never held a federal political party membership and saw clear differences between it and its provincial counterpart. Many current Alberta NDP members support the federal party. However, other members do not. When it comes to joining the federal NDP, she said each Alberta NDP member should be able to make that choice for themselves. She added it should not decide for them. In running for leader, her goal is to build an inclusive party supporting opportunity for every one. By forcing people to join a federal party, she said it limits its ability to grow it and bring in more members. Pancholi concluded by saying she believes it “shouldn’t matter how long you’ve been a member or whether you support a federal party or stay out of federal politics altogether.” Rather, she said what matters is people are part of a movement to build up Alberta. “Let’s break down barriers to participation,” she said. “Let’s offer choice, let’s grow our party, and let’s write the next chapter in Alberta’s story.” Alberta’s Progressive Future (APF) said in November it was time for the provincial NDP to begin exploring the potential benefits of a name change. READ MORE: Advocacy group calls for Alberta NDP to change name“While the Alberta NDP is already completely autonomous from the federal party, sharing the same name as the federal party creates confusion for the average Alberta voter,” said APF spokesperson Brian Malkinson. “This confusion is very effectively exploited by the UCP (United Conservative Party) and will continue to be for as long as the provincial party has the same name as the Federal NDP.”
