Notley Stepping Down As NDP Leader

Former Premier Rachel Notley is stepping down as lead of the Alberta NDP. She made the announcement on Jan. 16 and says she believes it is best both for her and the party.

Notley leaves as the party is the largest opposition in Alberta’s history and she says it is stronger than ever. She told reporters she considered stepping down in 2019 when she did not win a second term in government and she is proud of the work she has done since deciding against it.

“There are many reasons I did not. But the biggest is probably this: too many people were declaring that the Alberta NDP was done and, more importantly, that Alberta was destined to revert to being a one-party conservative state. And I knew that wasn’t true. And I also knew that it would be awful for Albertans if they came to believe that it was,” she says.

She says one of her biggest accomplishments is knowing Albertans do not have to feel like their voices do not matter in elections.

“It was that way when I started. It’s not that way anymore. Not only do I leave Albertans with that electoral choice, I leave them with a caucus that is filled with expert, dedicated, diverse people, supported by the hardest working and most skilled political staff in the country,” she says,

Notley will remain in her position until a new leader is elected. 

With files from mylethbridgenow.com reporter Tyler Hay