Rachel Notley

Rachel Notley was Alberta's NDP Premier from 2015 to 2019. She brought in a minimum wage increase, some improvements to labour protections, and handled the 2015-2016 oil price crash reasonably well. But she lost to Jason Kenney in 2019 and lost again to Danielle Smith in 2023. She's respected even by people who disagree with her. From a cost-of-living perspective — Alberta did better than much of Canada in her era, but oil prices do most of the heavy lifting in that province regardless of who's in power. She tried. The province didn't want what she was offering, and now Albertans are living with what they chose instead.

Rachel Notley genuinely cares about working Albertans — I believe that. Her time as Premier had real challenges, particularly the oil price crash, and I give credit for navigating difficult circumstances. As opposition leader she's been a consistent voice against UCP overreach. But the NDP needs to broaden its appeal to reach Albertans who are worried about cost of living but skeptical of NDP economic policies. The affordability crisis in Alberta is real. Families need to believe there's a viable alternative. That case needs more work.

Rachel Notley made Canadian political history in 2015 by leading the NDP to a majority government in Alberta — ending 44 consecutive years of Progressive Conservative rule in one of Canada's most conservative provinces. That alone was remarkable. What she did with the mandate was even more so. In four years, her government cut child poverty in half, introduced the Climate Leadership Plan that produced the single largest emissions reduction in Canadian history, raised corporate taxes, eliminated the flat income tax that favoured the wealthy, and invested in hundreds of new schools and major infrastructure projects including the Calgary Green Line and Edmonton Valley Line LRT. She also banned corporate and union donations to political parties — a meaningful democratic reform. Her government lost the 2019 election to Jason Kenney's UCP, in part due to the economic pain of the oil price collapse and sustained opposition from the energy industry. But she returned as Opposition Leader and built the NDP into a genuine governing alternative, achieving a record 38-seat Opposition following the 2023 election. She stepped down as leader in 2024, leaving the party in a stronger position than she found it. Notley governed with principle, competence, and a willingness to make difficult decisions. She is one of the more consequential provincial leaders of her generation.