Rachel Notley, leader of the Alberta NDP, announced her intention to step down from the position after almost a decade. In 2015, Notley made history as the first NDP premier to take office in Alberta, ending 43 years of consecutive Conservative governments.
So far, six people have put their names forward to replace Notley: Rakhi Pancholi the MLA for Edmonton-Whitemud, Sarah Hoffman of Edmonton-Glenora, Kathleen Ganley of Calgary-Mountain View, and Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse of Edmonton-Rutherford. Union leader Gil McGowan and former Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi are also in the race.
Joe Ceci, Calgary-Buffalo MLA and former finance minister under Notley says the NDP needs a new leader “who can fill Rachel Notley’s shoes, and get up every day with the desire to reach out to Albertans of all stripes.”
The party’s provincial council intends to have a new leader by June 22 and recently released its rules for the upcoming race. However, the Alberta NDP has not chosen a new leader since 2014, so how has the process changed since then?
Candidate selection
According to the party’s rules and timelines, to be considered for the leadership race, potential candidates must fulfill a series of requirements. Applicants must have been a member of the party as of August of 2023, agree to align themselves within NDP Codes of Conduct, and receive the minimum number of nominations from across Alberta.
Applicants are required to declare their intentions to run and apply for the race. Their official candidacy for the role is announced once they have completed initial interviews and background checks. During the initial process candidates agree to comply with the rules and code of conduct, according to the Alberta 2024 leadership rules.
Once the application is approved, candidates can begin seeking a minimum of 50 signatures from approved nominators from five regions of Alberta. Nominations need to come from across the province and must represent a diverse set of communities and minorities.
Leadership applicants must receive 10 signatures each from Edmonton, Calgary, northern, central, and southern Alberta constituencies. The tallied signatures from each identified region must also include one vote from a self-identifying woman, and one from a self-identifying member of an equity-seeking group.
Diversity policies
Twenty-five nominators out of the 50 must also self-identify and willingly disclose themselves as women. An additional 20 nominators must self-identify and willingly disclose that they belong to an equity-seeking group.
The NDP leadership rules include “Person of Colour, Indigenous, living with a disability, youth, and 2SLGBTQ+,” in their definition of a member belonging to an equity seeking group.
Duane Bratt, a political science professor at Mount Royal University, says the party’s one member, one vote system differs from the 2014 race.
“Why that is significant is that the unions used to represent 25 per cent of the votes. And they got rid of that. And in fact, the party constitution says that in a leadership selection, the unions will get anywhere from zero per cent of the vote to 25 per cent of the vote. In 2014 when Rachel Notley was selected, it was 25 per cent. In this case, it’s zero,” says Bratt.
Upcoming deadlines
Race contestants must submit the required signatures and submit their first race fee of $18,500 by March 25. Those running must pay a series of instalments towards funding the leadership race, totalling to $60,000 in fees.
Membership sales for voter eligibility in the leadership race closes on April 22 and candidates must pay their second entrance fee of $20,000 on the same day. Candidates are issued lists of eligible voters on May 1, to contest their good standing with the party. The process is overseen by the chief returning officer who determines what names may be added or removed. The deadline for nominees to contest the list and pay the third fee of $20,000 is May 12.
Bratt says that requiring that payment of fees are not only necessary for funding the race itself, but also for ensuring candidates are legitimate in their intentions for following through with the role.
“If it was $500, you might have 50 people. So making it $60,000, you’re gonna have much fewer, so it’s easier to manage,” he adds.
Approved voters will cast their votes using a ranking system, marking their choices from first to last in preferential order.
Ballots will be mailed to voters on June 3. Approved voters will cast their votes using a ranking system, marking their choices from first to last in preferential order.
Voters will have the option to cast their vote online or over the phone until noon, while those opting to use a mail-in ballot will only have their vote considered if it is received by 8 a.m., June 22.
Ballot counting
Voters will use a ranking system to determine the next leader of the Alberta NDP. In counting, the first ranked name will be considered from the administered ballots as a vote towards their desired candidate.
If no one receives over half of the votes, whichever contestant receives the lowest amount of votes in the first round of counting is eliminated from the race. The ballots will then be re-counted. The second-ranked candidate will then assume first place on the ballots that have the eliminated candidate as first.
This process will be continued until one candidate receives over 50 per cent of the vote. If two candidates tie, both with exactly 50 per cent of the votes, the party will arrange for a run-off election to be held.