'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
BREAKING Police investigating shooting outside of Drake's Bridle Path mansion: source
Toronto police are investigating a shooting that took place outside of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion early Tuesday morning, a source tells CP24.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Highlights from the 2024 Met Gala exhibit: Sleeping Beauty would wake up for these gowns
Sure, she was a royal princess and all. But there’s no way Sleeping Beauty — either before or after her nap — ever had quite the fabulous wardrobe that’s been assembled at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Stormy Daniels is expected to appear at Trump's hush money trial on Tuesday
Donald Trump returns to the hush money trial Tuesday facing a threat of jail time for additional gag order violations as prosecutors gear up to summon big-name witnesses including porn actor Stormy Daniels.