NDP MLAs Sarah Hoffman and Samir Kayande first candidates nominated for 2027 election
Candidate nomination season kicks off in Alberta
It could be 18 months before Albertans line up to mark their ballots in the next provincial election but that isn’t stopping Alberta’s main opposition party from starting to nominate candidates ahead of the vote.
The Alberta NDP started nominating candidates this week, far ahead of the scheduled October 2027 vote. A much earlier election was rumoured but appears increasingly unlikely as we move further into 2026.
NDP MLA Sarah Hoffman became the first candidate nominated ahead of the next election when she was acclaimed in Edmonton-Glenora on March 3. Hoffman has represented the riding since 2015 and served as Deputy Premier and Minister of Health in the NDP government led by Premier Rachel Notley from 2015 to 2019.
The following night, on March 4, the NDP nominated first term MLA Samir Kayande for re-election in Calgary-Elbow and, last night, MLA Peggy Wright was selected to run for re-election in Edmonton-Beverly-Clarevew.
Local NDP members are expected to nominate MLA Lizette Tejada in Calgary-Klein on March 6, and MLA Julia Hayter in Calgary-Edgemont on March 7, rounding up the first week of incumbent nominations for the party.
Calgary-Mountain View MLA Kathleen Ganley is expected to be nominated on March 20.
Ganley has been an MLA since she was first elected in the neighbouring Calgary-Buffalo in 2015 and served as Minister of Justice in the NDP government. She switched ridings and was re-elected across the river in Mountain View in 2019 and 2023.
First term NDP MLA Nathan Ip will be nominated in Edmonton-South West on March 21 and MLA Rhiannon Hoyle in Edmonton-South on March 29.
The NDP have also added three more candidate nomination meetings since my last update:
Court Ellingson is seeking the NDP nomination in Calgary-Foothills on March 29. The former vice-president strategy of Calgary Economic Development was first elected in 2023 and currently serves as the opposition Finance critic.
Sarah Elmeligi is seeking the nomination to run for re-election in Banff-Kananaskis on April 25. She was first elected in 2023.
Janis Irwin will seek the NDP nomination to run for re-election in Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood on May 3. Irwin was first elected in 2019 and was re-elected in 2023 with 71.46 per cent of the vote.
The NDP’s decision to start their slate of nominations with incumbents running for re-election gives us a view of who might not be seeking re-election.
With new party leader Naheed Nenshi wanting to put his own stamp on the party by recruiting new candidates and a large group of MLAs now serving their third term in office who might be considering retirement, it is likely that we will see some turnover in the NDP caucus in the next election.
Nominating incumbents early can be a smart choice as it signals which ridings are open for new candidates. The final report of the Electoral Boundaries Commission, which is expected to be released later this month, could create challenges for the NDP if ridings are redrawn in ways that force already nominated candidates to challenge each other for nominations again under a new electoral map.
Calgary-Shaw by-election watch
While a number of United Conservative Party MLAs and prospective candidates have signalled their plans to run in the next election, the governing party appears to be waiting for the new electoral map before publicly announcing nomination meetings. But there is a possibility that there could be at least one new MLA elected between now and October 2027.
Calgary-Shaw UCP MLA Rebecca Schulz is expected to resign her seat in the Legislature this May and talent management company owner Mike Derry has already announced his plans to seek that party’s nomination in an upcoming by-election.
Derry was the talent management lead for Canadian Natural Resources Limited from 2013 to 2022 and is a coach with the Bow Valley Hockey Society. He was the Chief Financial Officer of Calgary-South East UCP association and has volunteered with Conservative MP Tom Kmiec‘s campaign in Calgary Shepard.
According to Derry’s website, “The Committee to Elect Mike Derry” includes Anthony Ascue, who recently ran for Calgary City Council under the A Better Calgary Party banner. The ABC Party was organized by well-known conservative activist Craig Chandler.
Schulz was re-elected in 2023 with a 13 point margin of victory over NDP candidate David Cloutier. This is a comfortable margin of victory, but the riding also saw one of the largest swings towards the NDP, with Cloutier increasing his party’s vote by 17 points over the results from 2019.
Kelly Hopper joins federal Conservative nomination race in Calgary Confederation
Kelly Hopper is challenging Elan Harper for the federal Conservative Party nomination in Calgary Confederation.
Hopper ran for the Conservative nomination in the neighbouring Calgary Signal Hill in 2024 and her website says former UCP MLA and 2025 candidate Jeremy Nixon asked her to enter this race.
Nixon was the UCP MLA for Calgary-Klein from 2019 to 2023, and was defeated in Calgary Confederation by Liberal Corey Hogan in the 2025 federal election.
One of Nixon’s former caucus mates, former Calgary-Varsity MLA Jason Copping, is listed as the President of the Conservative electoral district association in Calgary Confederation.
Calgary Confederation was the closest race in Alberta in the 2025 federal election, but recent polls showing support for the federal Liberal Party surging up to 40 per cent in the province could make this a fairly safe red riding. Pollara’s Dan Arnold took a deep dive into these polling results:
More Alberta politics
A new poll from Abacus Research shows the UCP with 49 per cent support among committed voters and the NDP sitting at 36 per cent support. Pollster David Coletto notes that the UCP’s lead “is driven by overwhelming strength outside Edmonton and Calgary.”
The cost of living (64 per cent) and health care (45 per cent) were the two biggest issues on the minds of Albertans surveyed.
Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas is publicly musing about holding a municipal plebiscite to ask residents whether they believe the city is getting a “fair deal” from the provincial government.
The CBC reports that Farkas raised the question after Finance Minister Nate Horner announced an increase to Calgarians’ property tax bills in the budget. The typical Calgary homeowner will pay roughly $28 more per month, on top of a $19 jump the province imposed last year.
Alberta Federation of Labour President Gil McGowan announced a Province-Wide Day of Protest on May 29 to stand up to what he describes as an increasingly radical and undemocratic agenda from Premier Danielle Smith’s UCP government.
Canadian Natural Resources Limited announced it has paused the planned $8.25-billion Jackpine mine expansion north of Fort McMurray as it waits for the federal government to finalize its new carbon pricing and methane reduction policies.
Candidates for the federal NDP leadership will join a forum in Edmonton on March 13. Candidates for the leadership include Edmonton-Strathcona MP Heather McPherson, journalist and activist Avi Lewis, union leader Rob Ashton, municipal councillor Tanille Johnston, and farmer Tony McQuail.
The Green Party of Alberta has named James Anderson as the party’s new interim leader. The party has been without a leader since Jordan Wilkie resigned following the 2023 election. According to the Green Party website, a new permanent leader will be chosen by May 2026.
Justin Brattinga is now the Manager of Public Affairs with the Canadian Strategy Group. Brattinga is the former senior ministerial communications advisor and Press Secretary to Premier Jason Kenney in 2022.
Recommended reading
Former cabinet minister Shannon Phillips shared some thoughts about the American attacks on Iran and Canada’s role as a middle power.
Jeremy Appel writes that the Assembly of Treaty Chiefs passed a vote of no-confidence in UCP government.
Ken Boessenkool writes about Premier Smith’s precarious political situation on Paul Wells’ Substack.
Jared Wesley writes about populism and referenda in Alberta politics.
Trevor Tombe writes about Alberta’s budget, financial decisions, and the royalty roller coaster.
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Perhaps another sign of an election in the nearer future are the UCP’s election style attack ads, which ran during the Edmonton Oilers’ game on Tuesday evening. If the New Democrats are so opposed to pipelines, why did they convince the despised Trudeau to build and pay for one to the west coast after years of Conservatives failure?