NDP to announce new leader and Conservatives vote in Calgary Signal Hill

It's a big political weekend in Calgary

The view from the inside of the Wonderland Sculpture outside The Bow tower in downtown Calgary (source: Dave Cournoyer)

Calgary is in the headlines a lot these days, but today’s Daveberta newsletter doesn’t have anything to do with the busted water main that is threatening the city’s water supply (but I do hope to write more about that later).

Today’s newsletter focuses on two big political events happening in Alberta’s largest city this weekend: the announcement of the NDP leadership vote and the federal Conservative nomination vote in Calgary Signal Hill.

NDP will announce its new leader

Candidates for the NDP leadership: Kathleen Ganley, Naheed Nenshi, Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse, and Sarah Hoffman

The Alberta NDP will announce the results of its leadership vote around 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 22 at the Hyatt Regency Calgary (the announcement will almost certainly be live-streamed on the NDP’s social media accounts).

Former Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi is widely expected to win the race, maybe even on the first ballot, and become the party’s first-ever leader from Calgary. Nenshi dominated the race from the moment he entered the fray and despite the efforts of his opponents he appears to be unstoppable in this contest.

As of Tuesday, June 18, around 75% of the more than 85,000 NDP members had cast their ballots.

All four of the candidates on the NDP leadership ballot joined the Daveberta Podcast to share why they decided to throw their hat in the race (full episodes of the Daveberta Podcast are available to paid subscribers):

• Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse

• Kathleen Ganley

• Sarah Hoffman

• Naheed Nenshi

The leadership announcement will mark the end of a monumental era in Alberta NDP politics as Rachel Notley steps down as party leader and leader of the Official Opposition. Party supporters will raise a glass to the former premier at a June 21 gala event at Calgary’s BMO Centre at Stampede Park.

Notley’s gala is on the same night as Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals, so expect more than a few attendees to be watching their phones to see if the Edmonton Oilers can beat the Florida Panthers on home ice.

Notley led the party from the opposition fringe into government and relevance in Alberta politics after she won the party leadership back in 2014. The Alberta NDP is a fundamentally different party today than it was ten years ago in large part to Notley’s leadership.

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Calgary Signal Hill Conservatives choose next candidate

The new boundaries of the Calgary Signal Hill riding for the 2025 federal election (source: Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission)

Conservatives will choose their next federal candidate, and almost certainly the next Member of Parliament, for Calgary Signal Hill on June 22. The nomination contest in this safe Conservative voting riding was triggered after three-term Conservative MP Ron Liepert announced his retirement last year.