Rachel Notley will remain as Alberta NDP leader — for now

Rachel Notley is making no sudden moves when considering her future as leader of the Alberta NDP.

In her first public appearance two weeks after the NDP were defeated in the May 29 election, Notley said she will take time to consider her future as the party's leader. She said there's no timeline for making that decision.

"In this particular election, we didn't quite get to our goal, and instead we only got to about 70 per cent of our goal," Notley said at a news conference outside the Queen Elizabeth II building in Edmonton on Tuesday.

"I've been at this for too long. And people in our party and our movement have been at this for too long. And not a one of us is going to pack up and go home."

NDP members first chose Notley as party leader in 2014. She became premier in 2015 when right-leaning voters split their support among the former Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties.

She was defeated in 2019 after Jason Kenney led a movement to consolidate those parties under the United Conservative Party banner.

Although she served as Opposition leader for four years, hoping to best the Danielle Smith-led UCP, Notley fell short on May 29, when the NDP won 38 of the legislature's 87 seats.

NDP candidates will participate in a debriefing process during the next few months to reflect on the campaign, she said.

When reporters asked where she and the party fell short, Notley instead pointed to the NDP increasing its vote share from previous years and its caucus now being poised to form the largest Opposition in the legislature's history.

"Obviously a complete success would have been had we won," she said. "But we made up a tremendous amount of ground."

Notley stood by the NDP's decision to campaign on a corporate tax increase to 11 per cent from the current eight per cent.

Although the NDP had also planned to eliminate small business taxes, the UCP slammed the idea, alleging it could drive corporate investment out of Alberta.

Leah Ward, vice-president of Wellington Advocacy, who previously worked for the NDP caucus, said she's unsurprised to see Notley bide her time. She says consistency is important right now, as the caucus brings 19 first-time MLAs to the legislature.

The NDP's next leadership review is scheduled for 2024, and Notley likely has that date in mind as she contemplates her next steps, Ward said.