Former NDP cabinet minister calls Notley stepping down as party leader “the end of an era”

“I think she changed the channel here in Alberta, and across the country, showing a different kind of leadership. I expect that’ll be her legacy.”

McCuaig-Boyd points to things like more affordable daycare during the NDP’s time in government as accomplishments.

“We cut child poverty in half (in) very tough times and that was due to all of the ministries pulling together and finding the resources.”

“For me personally, her convincing the federal government to buy (the) Trans Mountain Pipeline, I think, was a huge coup, not just for Alberta, but for Canada.”

Critics point to budget deficits during the NDP’s time in power from 2015 to 2019 and a controversy over farm safety legislation known as Bill 6.

McCuaig-Boyd says the party was a new government that may not have communicated as well as it should have.

“I think she said (on Tuesday) were we a perfect government? No, but I think we met the challenge, certainly in 2015, and showed there was another way to govern.”

Notley grew up in Fairview. Her dad, Grant Notley, was NDP leader and MLA for the old Spirit River-Fairview constituency.

When asked who she thought might be contenders to replace Notley, McCuaig-Boyd thinks Kathleen Ganley is interested and assumes others like Sarah Hoffman, Rakhi Pancholi, and David Shepherd would all be interested.

She adds she is not interested herself, adding “if I was younger, maybe.”

by Curtis Galbraith

Former NDP cabinet minister calls Notley stepping down as party leader “the end of an era”

Pro Tips