Alberta NDP leadership candidate Naheed Nenshi came out swinging in the race’s first debate, saying he was surprised to be back in politics.

While Nenshi 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,” said Nenshi in a Thursday speech at the Vote Leadership 2024 Debate in Lethbridge.

“At perhaps the most fraught time in modern human history, we need a government that is smart, that is pragmatic.”

At the moment, he said the Alberta government is reckless, dangerous, immoral, and incompetent. Because of these negative traits, he said it is necessary for the Alberta NDP to win the next election.

He pointed out the NDP has the values, ethics, and policies people believe in. That is why it will win the next election.

Alberta NDP leadership candidate Gil McGowan said there are two reasons working class people and those outside Calgary and Edmonton do not vote for it.

“First, they think we suck at the economy,” said McGowan.

“Second, and this is a hard truth we have to face, they often think we’re a bunch of sanctimonious, overeducated urban snobs who look down on them.”

People have labelled the NDP the party of education, healthcare, and human rights. However, McGowan said the NDP has to become the party of wage growth, affordability, and a compelling economic plan to build prosperity in a changing world.

If if wants to succeed, he acknowledged it has to counteract the impression of being a party that excludes and looks down upon working class people and those outside the cities. He said its future “depends on us becoming more Tim Hortons and less Starbucks.”

Alberta NDP leadership candidate Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse showed off her education with water policy, saying it is time to be intelligent with water.

“Which means we have to talk about storage, how we’re storing water, how we’re releasing water,” said Calahoo Stonehouse.

“If we look at the tailings ponds, what are the ways in which we’re investing in chemical engineering to separate the minerals to release the water in a healthy way.”

If Calahoo Stonehouse becomes premier, she said she would build an institution dedicated to water. She added Alberta “must become innovative on how we strategically implement the usage of water, particularly around irrigation in the south.”

Six major corporations are the largest consumers of water in southern Alberta. She said her government will renegotiate the lease and allocation agreements to ensure every town, city, person, farm, and ranch has the water they need to sustain the economy.

Alberta NDP leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley brought up Lethbridge women having to get on the highway and drive two hours while in labour.

“That is the world that the UCP (United Conservative Party) are building, and we absolutely need to do better,” said Ganley.

“My plan involves focusing on three things to fix healthcare.”

Ganley’s first plank is family medicine. To attract more family doctors, she admitted the Alberta government will have to change contracts.

Her second plank is long-term care. She vowed to spend money on long-term care and ensure those workers have proper wages and full-time employment to enable seniors to have the care they deserve.

Her third plank is home care. This is because she wants people to not clog up other areas of the healthcare system.

Alberta NDP leadership candidate Sarah Hoffman said her government would repeal the ban on large-scale solar and wind projects on her first day.

“It’s an economy killer,” said Hoffman.

“It’s an environmental disaster.”

Before the Alberta government brought in the ban, it was leading Canada in renewable energy development. She said the NDP had created the right conditions to promote renewable energy.

If she becomes premier, she pledged to get out of the way of industry and let it get back to building projects across Alberta. Her climate plan emphasizes expanding wind and solar energy and preparing municipalities for natural disasters.

Nenshi said on March 11 he was out with the purple and in with the orange.

He confirmed he would enter the Alberta NDP leadership race.

“We need a government that we can trust,” he said.

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