I linked to this piece in the column above, but in case anyone missed it, here are five opportunities I identified for Nenshi’s NDP in June 2025:
1. Albertans are facing an affordability crisis and they need an opposition party to be the champion of lowering the cost of living. Nenshi and NDP MLAs should start every day by asking themselves the question “how can we make life more affordable for working-class Alberta families?” and then they should spend the rest of their day talking all about it, all the time.
2. In the debate about Alberta separatism, Nenshi has positioned the NDP as the “Stand up for Canada” party. Now he needs to appeal to that significant group of Albertans who want our province to remain in Canada but also think we could get a better deal out of Confederation. Canada isn’t perfect and neither is the relationship between the provinces and the federal government. In this debate, the status quo isn’t going to be good enough. Nenshi should come up with some concrete and aspirational ideas aimed at improving Alberta’s position within Canada.
3. The allegations made in the Dodgy Contracts Scandal, which the NDP has dubbed “Corrupt Care,” reek of corruption and political interference but it doesn’t always need to be the NDP’s central focus. Recent polling suggests the scandal has not caught the attention of voters, probably because the allegations are complicated and involve a web of political figures and confusing business arrangements. More from this scandal is guaranteed to break, so the NDP should keep the coals hot but they probably shouldn’t make it their central focus.
4. When Nenshi ran for the NDP leadership his campaign gained momentum through a series of town hall meetings with his supporters across the province. These meetings helped galvanize his position as the frontrunner in that race, attracted a lot of interested Albertans, and helped show a side of Nenshi that was fun, entertaining, and punchy. Getting Nenshi back on the town hall circuit could help reignite that spark and Stampede season is a perfect place to start.
5. Being mayor of the province’s largest city meant that for 12 years, anytime Nenshi wanted to speak to the media, journalists would be there to listen and report what he said. Being Leader of the Official Opposition takes more work to get attention and connect with voters, but with more effort, persistence, humility, and a focus on the issues that matter to Albertans, breaking through is not impossible. So get out there and hustle!
Time for Nenshi to go as leader. NDP are floundering under his leadership and continue to drop in the polls. For them to have any chance in an election, Pancholi or Ganley need to take the reins.
I don’t necessarily think it’s too late for Nenshi to turn it around for his leadership. The NDP have had good fundraising returns and are nominating candidates for the next election. They should be competitive.
I just think it’s so critical that Nenshi be much more present and that the NDP focus on their strong key issues. If they can do that without than falling into the trap of always responding to the UCP government’s frame then they have a chance.
I'm not ready to give up on Naheed Nenshi yet. I think media in Alberta bypasses him purposely ignoring him because many of the media in Alberta cater to right-wing interests. Nenshi has podcasts on YouTube, Facebook, X, and TikTok. I've watched a most of them.
P.S. I do really like Rakhi Pancholi. She a strong woman who is an incredibly powerful speaker and wise for her years.
I will say that it is incredibly frustrating that the most effective piece of communication from the Alberta NDP of the last couple has not been from Nenshi at all, but from the deputy leader when he is away on a "pre-scheduled vacation."
Max Fawcett's piece the other day (namely when is quoting a piece from Doug Firby) seems to imply that he is ill and if he really is getting too ill to put in an effective fight.
While it is tempting to say that he needs to step aside if that is in fact the case, I would have to imagine that the UCP will just call a snap election the second he does so. They will not let their opposition have another leadership election. Therefore, Pancholi, as deputy leader, would have to step in and be the leader into the next general election and any actual leadership race would have to wait until after that election. I'll just say that I'm really not liking the parallels to the 2024 presidential election in that scenario.
It is intesting to read the words of Elan Harper, nominee for the Conservative Phashists of Canada, stating,
"I’m running because I believe Canada deserves a better government than the one they have"
It definitely sounds as if she is a dyed in the wool UCP minion and seemingly a supporter of the separatist movement. Why else would she talk about believing Canada deserves a better government and concludes the sentence by saying ' than the one THEY have." (emphasis mine) I would think as most of us the are federalists in the separation narrative, she would say end with " than the one WE have." She speaks of Canada in the third person as if it were a foreign nation in the same way one might say, 'I believe the USA deserves a better government than the one they have.' Her words, as a lawyer, seem to be telling. Lawyers are usually very precise with their words, as Ms. Pancholi was in her remarks.
Nenshi has to leave to save the province. The fact that this is the first instance of opposition pushback in months, while the UCP has had an insane year of blunders since he won a seat, is unforgiveable.
It isn't the first instance of opposition pushback. Where have you been? You're repeating the same harmful words Conservative trolls use in comments during Nenshi's videos.
...I've been in Alberta, waiting to see Nenshi pop up at opportune times and actually captivate voters in any way so that we can be done with the UCP. I'd love to know that I'm in a particular bubble and that you've been seeing him win over on-the-fence voters, but I don't think that is the case. Polling suggests that it isn't.
I've seen the polls. They look bad, I agree. I still say it's partly because Nenshi doesn't get any news time in Alberta. He finally got about 2 minutes on I think Global news tonight. Wow! The news outlets are ignoring the opposition party.
Also, we're 1/2 way through Smith's term. At this point it's not unusual for polls to have the results they have especially in light of what I see as an unfounded hate for Rachel Notley and distrust of the NDP since their one term.
But if you think Nenshi isn't doing enough, contact him and tell him. I'm going to do that. I'll be telling him some Albertans think he's not saying and doing enough to be a formidable opposition to Smith and the UCP.
I linked to this piece in the column above, but in case anyone missed it, here are five opportunities I identified for Nenshi’s NDP in June 2025:
1. Albertans are facing an affordability crisis and they need an opposition party to be the champion of lowering the cost of living. Nenshi and NDP MLAs should start every day by asking themselves the question “how can we make life more affordable for working-class Alberta families?” and then they should spend the rest of their day talking all about it, all the time.
2. In the debate about Alberta separatism, Nenshi has positioned the NDP as the “Stand up for Canada” party. Now he needs to appeal to that significant group of Albertans who want our province to remain in Canada but also think we could get a better deal out of Confederation. Canada isn’t perfect and neither is the relationship between the provinces and the federal government. In this debate, the status quo isn’t going to be good enough. Nenshi should come up with some concrete and aspirational ideas aimed at improving Alberta’s position within Canada.
3. The allegations made in the Dodgy Contracts Scandal, which the NDP has dubbed “Corrupt Care,” reek of corruption and political interference but it doesn’t always need to be the NDP’s central focus. Recent polling suggests the scandal has not caught the attention of voters, probably because the allegations are complicated and involve a web of political figures and confusing business arrangements. More from this scandal is guaranteed to break, so the NDP should keep the coals hot but they probably shouldn’t make it their central focus.
4. When Nenshi ran for the NDP leadership his campaign gained momentum through a series of town hall meetings with his supporters across the province. These meetings helped galvanize his position as the frontrunner in that race, attracted a lot of interested Albertans, and helped show a side of Nenshi that was fun, entertaining, and punchy. Getting Nenshi back on the town hall circuit could help reignite that spark and Stampede season is a perfect place to start.
5. Being mayor of the province’s largest city meant that for 12 years, anytime Nenshi wanted to speak to the media, journalists would be there to listen and report what he said. Being Leader of the Official Opposition takes more work to get attention and connect with voters, but with more effort, persistence, humility, and a focus on the issues that matter to Albertans, breaking through is not impossible. So get out there and hustle!
Here's the link: https://daveberta.substack.com/p/polling-plunge-a-five-alarm-fire
Time for Nenshi to go as leader. NDP are floundering under his leadership and continue to drop in the polls. For them to have any chance in an election, Pancholi or Ganley need to take the reins.
I don’t necessarily think it’s too late for Nenshi to turn it around for his leadership. The NDP have had good fundraising returns and are nominating candidates for the next election. They should be competitive.
I just think it’s so critical that Nenshi be much more present and that the NDP focus on their strong key issues. If they can do that without than falling into the trap of always responding to the UCP government’s frame then they have a chance.
I'm not ready to give up on Naheed Nenshi yet. I think media in Alberta bypasses him purposely ignoring him because many of the media in Alberta cater to right-wing interests. Nenshi has podcasts on YouTube, Facebook, X, and TikTok. I've watched a most of them.
P.S. I do really like Rakhi Pancholi. She a strong woman who is an incredibly powerful speaker and wise for her years.
I will say that it is incredibly frustrating that the most effective piece of communication from the Alberta NDP of the last couple has not been from Nenshi at all, but from the deputy leader when he is away on a "pre-scheduled vacation."
Max Fawcett's piece the other day (namely when is quoting a piece from Doug Firby) seems to imply that he is ill and if he really is getting too ill to put in an effective fight.
While it is tempting to say that he needs to step aside if that is in fact the case, I would have to imagine that the UCP will just call a snap election the second he does so. They will not let their opposition have another leadership election. Therefore, Pancholi, as deputy leader, would have to step in and be the leader into the next general election and any actual leadership race would have to wait until after that election. I'll just say that I'm really not liking the parallels to the 2024 presidential election in that scenario.
It is intesting to read the words of Elan Harper, nominee for the Conservative Phashists of Canada, stating,
"I’m running because I believe Canada deserves a better government than the one they have"
It definitely sounds as if she is a dyed in the wool UCP minion and seemingly a supporter of the separatist movement. Why else would she talk about believing Canada deserves a better government and concludes the sentence by saying ' than the one THEY have." (emphasis mine) I would think as most of us the are federalists in the separation narrative, she would say end with " than the one WE have." She speaks of Canada in the third person as if it were a foreign nation in the same way one might say, 'I believe the USA deserves a better government than the one they have.' Her words, as a lawyer, seem to be telling. Lawyers are usually very precise with their words, as Ms. Pancholi was in her remarks.
Postmedia columnist Don Braid weighed in and grabbed a few quotes from this column in his latest Calgary Herald piece:
https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/braid-alberta-legislature-naheed-nenshi-supporters-wonder-where-star-power-went
Nenshi has to leave to save the province. The fact that this is the first instance of opposition pushback in months, while the UCP has had an insane year of blunders since he won a seat, is unforgiveable.
It isn't the first instance of opposition pushback. Where have you been? You're repeating the same harmful words Conservative trolls use in comments during Nenshi's videos.
...I've been in Alberta, waiting to see Nenshi pop up at opportune times and actually captivate voters in any way so that we can be done with the UCP. I'd love to know that I'm in a particular bubble and that you've been seeing him win over on-the-fence voters, but I don't think that is the case. Polling suggests that it isn't.
I've seen the polls. They look bad, I agree. I still say it's partly because Nenshi doesn't get any news time in Alberta. He finally got about 2 minutes on I think Global news tonight. Wow! The news outlets are ignoring the opposition party.
Also, we're 1/2 way through Smith's term. At this point it's not unusual for polls to have the results they have especially in light of what I see as an unfounded hate for Rachel Notley and distrust of the NDP since their one term.
But if you think Nenshi isn't doing enough, contact him and tell him. I'm going to do that. I'll be telling him some Albertans think he's not saying and doing enough to be a formidable opposition to Smith and the UCP.