The United Conservative Party caucus is raising the alarm over what it calls a “deep and growing alliance” between the Alberta NDP and the federal Liberals, spotlighting former NDP cabinet minister Shannon Phillips’ public endorsement of the Liberal candidate in Lethbridge.
Phillips, who served as environment and parks minister under Rachel Notley and was a prominent NDP critic until recently, is now campaigning for the Liberal Party of Canada.
The UCP argues this move exposes a long-standing alignment between the Alberta NDP and the Trudeau-led Liberals, pointing to shared policies like the carbon tax and opposition to Alberta’s energy sector.
"I’ve never been much of a federal Liberal. But, as I get older, I’ve come to understand the real value of friendship, especially when it goes beyond party lines," said Phillips on Facebook.
“Shannon Phillips spent years pushing Trudeau-style policies in Alberta, and now she’s openly supporting the Carney Liberals,” Chief Government Whip Shane Getson said in a statement Tuesday.
“The NDP isn’t even pretending to stand up for Alberta anymore — they’re campaigning for the same party that has been against Alberta for the last nine years.”
Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi has distanced himself from federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, telling the Western Standard that what separates them is, “Oh, just about everything.”
Phillips’ endorsement follows former NDP MLA Rod Loyola’s jump to the Liberals as a candidate in Edmonton-Gateway. Loyola, once criticized for praising Fidel Castro in a rap video, left the NDP under Premier Naheed Nenshi only to resurface days later with the Liberals.
Adding to the trend, former NDP Service Alberta minister Stephanie McLean — who in 2017 boasted in the legislature about her department’s extensive regulations — has also joined the Liberal ranks.
“It’s not just a few individuals. This is a pattern,” Getson said. “Top NDP insiders are backing the Liberals. There is no daylight between the NDP and the Liberals. Their values are the same. Their policies — from the carbon tax to anti-energy activism to centralizing power in Ottawa — are the same.”
The UCP vowed to counter the trend by cutting taxes, creating jobs and defending Alberta’s interests against Ottawa.
Getson questioned why the federal NDP is even fielding candidates given the apparent lack of support from provincial counterparts.