'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
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.