Kathleen Ganley is not only looking to be the leader of the Alberta New Democrat Party, but the province. She is in the running to take over as leader of the Party when Rachel Notley steps down and says her focus is on leading the next NDP government.
“I am interested in being the leader of the official opposition, obviously that’s the job I am anticipating for, but I am interested in being the premier in the next Alberta NDP government and I think that has to be the goal that we are all focused on.”
She adds she sees the leadership race as a new start for the party, but also recognizes the impact Notley had on Alberta politics.
“I actually think we have done a lot of good work – we have made a lot of gains. Here in Calgary, we went from three seats to 14 so that is big gains. What Rachel has given this province and progressives in this province cannot be overstated but I do think that to move forward, we need to focus a little more on talking about the economy and on welcoming more people into the tent. Being a big tent party means some challenging conversations, but I think at the end of the day, that’s how we build the best ideas and the best vision for the future,” Ganley says.
Her experience as MLA for Calgary-Mountain View and serving as minister of justice and solicitor general from 2015-2019 are part of why she believes she is the right choice to lead the NDP.
“This needs to be about how we move forward, not about how we stay the same and so I think we need to get out there, we need to talk to more people, we need to sort of include their ideas and that is my offer. That is why I am running on this team model, my offer is for people to come forward – for people to bring their energy and their ideas and their vision for the future of this province so that we can all build something that works for everybody,” she says.
Ganley says she is focused on building a resilient economy and talking about issues that are top of mind of Albertans.
“I moved very intently into the energy file to learn about it and to learn what’s important to people about that and it’s a huge part of our economy. I think that talking to folks about how we make energy a ‘yes and’ conversation, so how we support both renewables and oil and gas at the same time is incredibly important and that’s possible,” she says.
The Alberta NDP will elect a new leader on June 22.