Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi announces bid for Alberta NDP leadership

Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi confirmed Monday he will seek the leadership of Alberta's New Democrats, changing the trajectory of the race to replace Rachel Notley.

Nenshi's candidacy has fuelled the Alberta political rumour mill for more than a month. 

In early February, the 52-year-old wrote in a statement to CBC News that he had been "listening to a lot of pitches from party members and other Albertans" and suggested he would have more to say in the coming weeks.

In an interview with CBC News on Monday, Nenshi said he was entering the race based on his concerns that the governing United Conservative Party is "not only incompetent, but they're actually immoral and they're dangerous."

He said too many Albertans can't find doctors, classrooms are overcrowded, and he suggested the UCP can only "pick fights and waste money."

"They punch down on the vulnerable and they've left us completely unprepared for a world that is changing," he told the CBC's Scott Dippel in an interview. 

"Ideally, we need to build an Alberta that is a beacon of hope for everyone around the world."

Nenshi joins a field of five candidates that includes Edmonton NDP MLAs Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse, Sarah Hoffman and Rakhi Pancholi, as well as Calgary MLA Kathleen Ganley and long-time labour leader Gil McGowan.

Some of those fellow candidates were asked by reporters for comment on Nenshi's bid.

"He's saying, like many of us are, many Albertans are, that the Alberta NDP are going to be the next government in 2027," Pancholi said. "I'm happy to hear that he wants to join the race and exchange some very bold ideas."

"I think everyone's been talking about this for quite a while. I guess now it's official," Hoffman said. "I've never felt more excited or hopeful about my campaign. And I think he will make a great second place candidate."

A former business professor at Calgary's Mount Royal University with a master's degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Nenshi secured an unlikely come-from-behind victory in the 2010 Calgary mayoral election. He was the first Muslim mayor of a North American big city, serving three terms as mayor until 2021,.

Over his 11 years in office, Nenshi received international attention for his handling of the 2013 Calgary floods and was in the mayor's chair for four states of local emergency, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the economy faltered, Nenshi's poll numbers dropped and he announced in April 2021 he wouldn't seek another term.