INNISFAIL - Naheed Nenshi’s staggering win as the new leader of the provincial NDP has rallied the hopes of party supporters for a return to government but also condemnation from opponents as having the same “tax-and-spend ideology as the Liberal-NDP coalition."
“Naheed Nenshi taking over the Alberta NDP serves as a reminder that the Liberal-NDP coalition is stronger than ever,” said Devin Dreeshen, a UCP cabinet minister who represents the Innisfail-Sylvan Lake riding. “The tax-and-spend ideology of the Liberals is nothing new for Nenshi.
“As mayor of Calgary, he doubled taxes, hollowed out the downtown core, and made life more expensive in Alberta’s largest city,” he added. “His failed pet-projects and continued neglect of basic infrastructure hurt hardworking families and drove businesses and investment out of Calgary.
“Albertans deserve a leader who works for them, not Ottawa,” said Dreeshen.
Nenshi claimed the NDP leadership on June 22 by a landslide first-ballot victory; defeating three other candidates with 86 per cent of the votes cast.
Innisfailian Jason Heistad is a four-term veteran of Innisfail town council who ran as the NDP candidate for the Innisfail-Sylvan Lake riding in the 2023 provincial election against incumbent Dreeshen.
While Heistad was ultimately defeated by Dreeshen, his vote count, along with its percentage of the total cast, is believed to have eclipsed all previous provincial NDP records in the riding.
He said Nenshi’s leadership victory bodes well for the NDP in the next provincial election, and that the former Calgary mayor will bring “new life” to the party by being a formidable force against Premier Danielle Smith in the legislature.
“First off, he needs to get a seat and figure out where he lands, and where he'll be based out of,” said Heistad, adding it would be preferable if Nenshi contests an available Calgary riding. “He's very well liked across the province, and not only in the City of Calgary.
“When you see a resurgence of a membership, which is rivaling the UCP membership, you can see that there's interest for new leadership,” he said, adding Nenshi’s comments of breaking away from the federal NDP are “valid."
“I believe they are valid to change the course of the NDP,” said Heistad. “Albertans like to have a choice, but they do not like our politics being interfered with any type of federal party itself, so that gives it new life as well.”
