St. Albert MLA Marie Renaud said she supports a move that would allow Alberta’s NDP party members to distance themselves from federal New Democrats.
Currently, Albertans who sign up for membership with the Alberta NDP automatically become members of the federal party.
Whether this tie should be severed was a matter of debate during the NDP leadership race, and the party still hasn’t settled on an answer. NDP leader Naheed Nenshi, who won the race last Saturday, told reporters shortly after his victory that he would “surface the conversation as soon as possible.”
Nenshi is a firm supporter of decoupling Alberta NDP membership with membership in the federal party, and Renaud backed Nenshi’s bid for leadership.
“What I hear from people regularly when I'm door knocking is that they support the Alberta NDP, but they don't like the fact that they don't have a choice in automatically becoming a federal member of the NDP when they buy a provincial membership,” Renaud said. “And I agree with that.”
The decision ultimately rests with the entire party membership.
“I think if people want to be federal members, that's absolutely terrific, and the two parties should work together, as they have common goals,” Renaud said. But members should get a choice in the matter.
The relationship between provincial New Democrat parties and the federal party is an outlier. Most provincial parties that have a federal counterpart do not require that members sign up for both parties.
Alberta’s NDP has in the past been at odds with Jagmeet Singh’s party. Perhaps the loudest collision between the two came when former leader Rachel Notley boosted the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, a project the federal NDP did not support.
Nenshi victory as NDP leader
Nenshi won over 86 per cent of voters in the NDP leadership race. The race saw Alberta NDP membership swell to 85,000 from 16,000 members.
Renaud said that Nenshi is starting to understand the unique challenges that face St. Albert and other midsize cities. She pointed to infrastructure funding specifically.
“He's got some really unique perspectives,” she said. “He was a mayor for 11 years, so he understands what cities need and want.”
During a campaign stop in St. Albert, Nenshi told party members that he hopes in the next election to flip the St. Albert – Morinville riding, which currently seats Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Minister Dale Nally.
“That seat is winnable,” Renaud said. “The larger St. Albert grows, the more the two seats are going to be more urban than rural … I absolutely plan on doing everything in my power to support whoever is going to run in that seat.”
Renaud expects the NDP party will look different under Nenshi’s leadership. “And I have no doubt there will be policy differences” between Nenshi and Notley, she said.
Notley gave her final speech as Alberta NDP leader at the BMO Centre in Calgary last Friday.
