Naheed Nenshi is still finding his feet — and a seat in the legislature — after six months as leader of the Alberta Democratic Party.
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"I'm still getting used to my new role," the former Calgary mayor said of his new position during a recent year-end interview.
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Without a seat in the House of Representatives, he's watching the provincial legislature move sideways and try new things.
The opposition New Democrats have become more focused in their media messaging and approach to debates in the House of Representatives, in part to avoid the trap of responding to the Conservative Party government with daily outrage, he said.
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"It's been almost beneficial for me to have the freedom to go and talk to nurses, teachers, parents or police officers, instead of sitting in this room watching really, really bad actors and really terrible drama in the hallway," he said. However, the question of where and when Nenshi might take up a seat in this hostile theatre will likely continue to haunt him into 2025.
This year Rachel Notley announced her resignation as party leader in January and more recently her departure from the Legislative Assembly on December 30.
In June, Nenshi took over.
With Notley's seat in Edmonton-Strathcona soon to be vacant, Nenshi can hope to be elected in the capital, where he currently spends much of his time. He said he didn't expect Premier Danielle Smith to call a by-election before the six-month deadline to do so in June, as the House traditionally adjourns for the summer.
"The prime minister is postponing the by-election to exclude herself from participating in the budget debates," he said.
In more ways than one, PKD is still under construction.
Above Nenshi's head is a steady stream of UCP attack ads accusing the provincial New Democrats of being under the thumb of Jagmeet Singh's federal NDP.
Provincial members are automatically part of the federal party, despite obvious policy differences between the two, particularly on the oil and gas industry. Nenshi has long said he wants to bring the federal membership issue to his party members for a decision as soon as possible.
NDP members can discuss this sticking point in the party's constitution and potentially change it, as early as May, at the upcoming NDP policy convention in Edmonton.
He must also steer the direction of what remains largely a blank slate of plans and platforms.
In the new year, Nenshi said the focus will continue to be on what he says are missing from the UCP legislative agenda: accessibility, jobs, health care, public safety and education.
"These are not priorities for this government at all."
He has moved forward on one front, tasking his former health secretary, Luanne Metz, to consult and compile a health care plan for the coming year. "(UCP) is improvising as we go along and we're going to take our time to get it right," Nenshi said.
PKD proposed several priorities in the fall.
Young Democrats introduced private members' bills to protect frontline workers from employer pockets, introduce standards for cancer care delivery and take steps toward reconciliation with Aboriginal people.
A proposal to reinstate class size reporting was rejected.
There are UCP policies that Nenshi hopes to repeal one day, including what he calls "cruel and heinous" legislation that restricts health care for transgender people and would introduce a pronoun policy in schools. And, after the first full year of the government relaxing ethics rules for accepting gifts from political staff, Nenshi has another proposal.
"Pull back the curtain so we can see all the fraud and corruption that has happened under this government to ensure it never happens again," he said.
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