Former premier Rachel Notley, the leader of the Alberta NDP and Official Opposition, is stepping down.
The Canadian Press reported Tuesday that in a recent interview, Notley said there will now be a race to replace her, and she plans to stay in the job until a new leader is picked.
Notley said she may or may not remain as the member for Edmonton-Strathcona until her term ends in 2027.
And she hasn’t ruled out running again for the NDP.
Notley is scheduled to make “an important announcement” at noon on Tuesday in Edmonton.
Notley made history on May 5, 2015, when she and the NDP were elected in Alberta and ended more than four decades of government rule in Alberta by the Progressive Conservatives.
As premier, Notley and the NDP introduced legislation to eliminate union and corporate donations to political parties, raised the minimum wage, built more than 200 new schools, funded two new hospitals in Edmonton and Calgary, and initiated a $25-per-day childcare program.
However, in April 2019, the newly formed United Conservative Party, led by leader Jason Kenney, won the provincial election.
In a rare political move, Notley stayed on, becoming the only Alberta premier to take another run at the job after being defeated.
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When Kenney resigned years later after receiving 51.4 per cent support in a leadership review vote, Danielle Smith was chosen as UCP leader and took over as premier.
The UCP was re-elected in 2023, this time under Smith.
After the UCP won, Notley admitted she wasn’t sure what her future plans were, but she remained leader of the Opposition.
“Now is not the time to let up,” Notley said after her 2023 election defeat. “Now is the time to step up.
“Like all leaders, after an election, I will take the time to consider my role as leader. I did that after 2015. I did that after 2019 and I’m doing it now,” she said.
“As of now, my No. 1 priority is do the work Albertans have asked of us and nothing less.”
Notley was first elected as an MLA for Edmonton-Strathcona in 2008.
Prior to entering politics, she worked as a labour lawyer, focusing on workers’ compensation advocacy, workplace health and safety issues, and she worked for a variety of labour unions in Alberta and B.C.
Notley grew up in Fairview, Alta., and her father is Grant Notley, a former Alberta NDP leader.
She has a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Alberta and a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School.
With a files from The Canadian Press
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