'No real winner' following first Alberta NDP leadership debate: political scientist
An Alberta political scientist said the NDP leadership hopefuls remained fairly even following the first of the party’s debates.
The five candidates vying to be the next leader of Alberta’s NDP took the stage in Lethbridge on Thursday night to plead their case to party members.
Kathleen Ganley, Sarah Hoffman, Gil McGowan, Naheed Nenshi and Jody Calahoo Stonehouse are all vying for the opposition’s top job.
“No real winner, but I think some raised their profile a bit. I think Stonehouse for people who didn't know her actually did very well. And as Gil McGowan actually joked about, he surprised people,” Trevor Harrison, a political scientist with the University of Lethbridge, said.
While the debate was reasonably tame, there were still some punches thrown.
Nenshi, the presumed front-runner and former mayor of Calgary, took more criticism than the other candidates.
Hoffman in particular seemed to make a point of going after Nenshi.
“There was a little bit of feistiness, most particularly between Sarah Hoffman and Naheed Nenshi. Questions that are really kind of central to his appeal. Is he really an NDPer or is he an interloper?” Harrison said.
Despite the extra pressure, Harrison believes Nenshi was able to stay calm under pressure.
“For the most part, I think he handled himself well. He was not only conciliatory but his whole appeal was really reaching out and expanding the NDP tent,” he said.
One of the biggest talking points during the debate was figuring out how the party could make up ground in rural ridings.
Outside of Edmonton or Calgary, the party has struggled to consistently win seats.
Despite an emphasis being put on attracting rural voters, there isn’t a consensus on who the best leader would be to do that.
“In terms of, did anybody stand out as someone who could perhaps bring rural voters into the tent, it’s hard to say,” said Harrison.
Two more debates will be held with one in Calgary on May 11 and one in Edmonton on June 2.
Harrison expects candidates will likely spend much of the next debates talking about the controversial Bill 20 that was just introduced in the legislature.
If passed, the bill would allow the province to remove city councillors, repeal municipal bylaws and allow for the creation of political parties at the local level for Calgary and Edmonton.
The candidates’ stance and response to the bill could prove key to securing needed votes.
“Because nobody talked about it last night, but going into Calgary then going into Edmonton I suspect we will see a lot of discussion around the changes to municipal governance,” said Harrison.
The last day for party members to vote for the next Alberta NDP leader is June 22.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Passenger killed, 30 injured as Singapore Airlines flight hits severe turbulence
One passenger was killed and 30 injured after a Singapore Airlines SIAL.SI flight from London hit severe turbulence en route on Tuesday, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, officials and the airline said.
Feels like mid-30s in parts of Canada, while other areas expecting snow
Anything is possible this week, as far as Canada's weather is concerned, with forecasts ranging from scorching heat in some parts of the country to rain and snow in others.
BREAKING Canada's inflation cools to 3-year low of 2.7%, in boost for rate cut bets
Canada's annual inflation rate slowed to a three-year low of 2.7 per cent in April, matching expectations, and core measures continued to ease, data showed on Tuesday, likely boosting chances of a June interest rate cut.
Trump campaign calls 'The Apprentice' 'blatantly false,' director offers to screen it for him
Donald Trump's reelection campaign called 'The Apprentice,' a film about the former U.S. president in the 1980s, 'pure fiction' and vowed legal action following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. But director Ali Abbasi is offering to privately screen the film for Trump.
What is BORG drinking, and why is it a dangerous trend? An expert explains
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.
Independent stores and grocery alternatives see sales boost amid Loblaw boycott
As the month-long boycott of Loblaw-owned stores wears on, small independent food retailers and alternative grocery options say they're seeing a boost in traffic and sales.
London judge rejects Prince Harry's bid to add allegations against Rupert Murdoch in tabloid lawsuit
Prince Harry can't expand his privacy lawsuit against The Sun tabloid publisher to include allegations that Rupert Murdoch and some other executives were part of an effort to conceal and destroy evidence of unlawful information gathering, a London judge ruled Tuesday.
Quebec woman suffers critical injuries after crash with moose in Algonquin Park
A Quebec woman is in critical condition and another man was injured after a vehicle collided with a moose in Algonquin Provincial Park early Sunday morning.
Katy Perry sings goodbye to 'American Idol'
Katy Perry said her goodbyes on 'American Idol' after seven seasons. On Sunday night’s live 'idol' season finale, a medley of Perry's hit songs were performed, including 'Teenage Dream,' 'Dark Horse' and 'California Gurls.'