On the last night before election day, NDP Leader Rachel Notley made a final plea to voters. “Our economy is more diversified,” she said. “Alberta is a climate leader. We are closer than ever to building a pipeline to tidewater.” “We have built or modernized more than 240 schools ... expanded access to post-secondary education ... improved public health care ... our lowest paid workers make a better living.” It wasn’t enough to save her job. The United Conservative Party won a majority government and former federal cabinet minister Jason Kenney is now Alberta’s premier-designate. Notley retained her seat for the NDP in the Edmonton-Strathcona riding, beating UCP candidate Kulshan Gill. In a gracious concession speech, Notley thanked her supporters and reminded them of the work Alberta's NDP government has accomplished in the last four years. "This may feel like a step back but remember we have made tremendous progress,” said Notley. “Four years ago Albertans hired us to do a very difficult job… and we did that job with purpose and we did that job with integrity,” she added. “Today Alberta is a better place because of it.” Notley said she spoke with Kenney before her speech and offered her congratulations. She wished his UCP government well, adding that democracy is our greatest power. She vowed that as the leader of the Opposition, she will do the job to best of her ability and will continue to fight for the values of the NDP Party. “Yes tonight’s vote is not the result we had hoped or worked so hard for,” said Notley. “But no matter what our role is in legislature, we will not rest.” Notley came to power in 2015 just after global oil prices tanked, causing a crisis for a government used to getting more than a fifth of its revenue from natural resources. With lower prices, it was clear that there would be major job losses -- unless the province could build a new pipeline to an ocean, allowing producers to fetch more money per barrel overseas. All the big pipeline proposals were in doubt. Environmentalists in B.C., the U.S. and Quebec all vowed to block any pipes from crossing their territories, in the name of fighting climate change. In a province where the Progressive Conservatives had won every election since 1971, the 2015 election was widely expected to be a battle between the PCs and the breakaway Wildrose Party. But Notley stunned pollsters by taking the lead. She seemed to connect with a wide range of voters, much like her father Grant Notley, who was leader of the Alberta NDP from 1968 to 1984. Voters also liked her pitch. Rather than making cuts to health care and education to make up for the fast-declining oil sector royalties, she proposed raising corporate taxes and taking on more debt. She also argued she could get the “social licence” to build a pipeline by showing Alberta was serious about fighting climate change. That meant a carbon tax and a cap on total oil sands emissions. On May 5, 2015, Notley’s NDP grew from a four-seat rump to a 54-seat majority in the 89-seat legislature. “Change has finally come to Alberta,” she said that night. “New people, new ideas, and a fresh start for our great province.” “I think we have elected the most women of any government caucus in Canada,” she added. “So that’s kind of cool.” As premier, Notley raised the minimum wage to $15 an hour, instituted a child benefit, and added new protections for workers -- a nod to her career as a lawyer for public sector unions. She also won praise for seeing the province through one of its biggest crises: the 2016 forest fires that burned down parts of Fort McMurray and forced 88,000 to flee. Two years into her mandate, it looked like Notley would finally get a pipeline. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau approved an expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline through B.C. “Let me say this definitively, we could not have approved this project without the leadership of Premier Notley and Alberta's climate leadership plan,” he said at the time. But the pipeline got stalled by a federal court, and Notley’s partnership with Trudeau’s Liberals failed to deliver. Albertans blamed them both for the province’s economic malaise. The Alberta unemployment rate was stuck at 7.0 per cent in March, far above the national rate of 5.7 per cent. Calgary’s was 7.7 per cent – the second highest in the country after St. John’s. Meanwhile, the province’s debt ballooned to more than $50 billion. Economic anger translated into a desire for change. But while the voters turned on the NDP, they weren’t too hard on Notley. All major polls found her statistically tied with or ahead of Kenney on measures of likeability, even though they said they would not vote NDP. In other words, don’t count her out of politics just yet. ---- Can't see our live blog below? Here's a link. --<doc-sep>Article content NDP leader Rachel Notley handily won her riding on an otherwise disappointing night for her party Tuesday. The former premier held a sizeable lead in Edmonton-Strathcona as of 11:30 p.m., with over 70 per cent of the 16,296 votes counted. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Results: Rachel Notley holds Edmonton-Strathcona on disappointing night for NDP Back to video The crowded, 11-candidate field in the riding included candidates from nearly every party, including the defunct Progressive Conservatives and Wildrose. UCP candidate Kulshan Gill was Notley’s nearest challenger with about 18 per cent of the vote. Prem Pal of the Alberta Party was in third with 955 votes — around six per cent. Notley, who has said she will remain on as opposition leader, cited her government’s accomplishments, including halving the number of children living in poverty. She also reflected on the history made by her party when it formed government in 2015, saying she was just seven years old when the Progressive Conservative government she eventually defeated first took power. 82 of 84 polls reporting Rachel Notley NDP 11,508 Kulshan Gill UCP 2,940 Prem Pal Alberta Party 955 Gary Horan PCs 260 Samantha Hees Liberals 189 Stuart Andrews Green Party 186 Ian Smythe Alberta Independence 67 Don Edward Meister Alberta Advantage 52 Naomi Rankin Communist 49 Dale Doan Wildrose 48 Gord Mclean Independent 33 Edmonton-Strathcona riding map for 2019 Alberta election.<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email After losing Alberta’s premiership Tuesday night, NDP Leader Rachel Notley announced she will stay on to represent her riding, Edmonton-Strathcona, and lead the Official Opposition in the legislature. Notley said it was an honour to serve as premier and will be an honour to be the Opposition, professing her gratitude as the crowd chanted, “Rachel! Rachel!” She said the province is a better place because of her government’s work, mentioning achievements such as lower child poverty rates, action on climate change, a higher minimum wage and advocacy for pipelines. @RachelNotley touts the NDP’s move to increase minimum wage, the climate plan. — Tom Vernon (@TomVernonGlobal) April 17, 2019 “Four years ago, Albertans hired us to do a very big job at a very difficult time,” she said, citing the collapse of oil prices. “We did that job with purpose and we did it with integrity. Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Four years ago, Albertans hired us to do a very big job at a very difficult time," she said, citing the collapse of oil prices. "We did that job with purpose and we did it with integrity. Story continues below advertisement “To every girl and every young woman watching tonight, I believe in you and never stop believing in yourself. I hope that we have shown you that in your life anything is possible.” Notley said voters hoping for a “more progressive” government might feel dejected but she offered a reminder of the “tremendous” progress the province has made. “Sometimes it can feel like you take two steps forward and then one step back, but may you never, ever stop taking those steps forward,” she said. Notley stressed that intolerance doesn’t belong in Alberta and people shouldn’t be afraid to call it out. “To every Albertan out there who identifies as LGBTQ2SA+, know you will always have a champion in me and in the Alberta NDP and in the Alberta NDP Opposition,” she said. View image in full screen After delivering her concession speech, NDP Leader Rachel Notley hugs her son Ethan Notley as daughter Sophie Arab looks on in Edmonton Alta, on Tuesday April 16, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson Notley noted she was seven when her dad, former Alberta NDP leader Grant Notley, was elected to the legislature in 1971, the year the Conservatives first took power. She was 51 when her party ended the Conservatives’ 44-year reign. Story continues below advertisement “Governing in Alberta should never again be a divine right,” she said, “but always, always an earned privilege. “As leader of the Opposition, I will do the job to the best of my ability and with the utmost integrity.” Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "As leader of the Opposition, I will do the job to the best of my ability and with the utmost integrity." Notley said she is grateful for the renewed vote of confidence from electors in her riding. She thanked her husband Lou Arab, daughter Sophie Arab and son Ethan Notley, calling them the “love of her life.” “It has been as an incredible honour to serve as your Premier, and it will be an incredible honour to serve as the leader of her majesty’s loyal opposition” @RachelNotley — Tom Vernon (@TomVernonGlobal) April 17, 2019 Notley commended her party’s path for reflecting the “young, incredibly diverse, outward-looking, confident” province. “I believe we have set a much higher standard for ethics and honesty in government,” she said. Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I believe we have set a much higher standard for ethics and honesty in government," she said. “I will make sure that our vision of Alberta endures through a rigorous and robust Opposition, holding government to account and making sure that voices of Albertans are heard in their legislature.” "It's on nights like tonight that I'm very glad that we expanded Alberta's craft beer industry." –@RachelNotley after winning her seat but not the premiership#AlbertaElection #ableg #abpoli #DecisionAB #abvote — Kaylen Small (@KaylenSmall) April 17, 2019<doc-sep>Share this Story: Alberta Election 2019 Live Results: Jason Kenney leads UCP to majority Alberta Election 2019 Live Results: Jason Kenney leads UCP to majority Jason Kenney will be the next premier of Alberta. Jim Wells/Postmedia Article content Jason Kenney will be the next premier of Alberta. The United Conservative Party cruised its way past Rachel Notley and the New Democrats to take a majority in the Alberta legislature. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Alberta Election 2019 Live Results: Jason Kenney leads UCP to majority Back to video The UCP victory caps Kenney’s three-year effort to unite Alberta’s conservatives parties and unseat the one-term NDP government. The United Conservative Party has formed a majority government. As of 10:50 a.m. Wednesday, premier-elect Jason Kenney’s party is leading or elected in 63 ridings, with the NDP leading or elected in 24. There are 87 ridings in Alberta, and 44 are needed to form a majority government. Approximately 7,149 polls of 7,337 are reporting. In 2015, Edmonton had 19 provincial ridings, and NDP candidates claimed all of them. In fact, they all won their ridings with a majority of the vote, even in ridings where they faced several challengers. This time, with the boundaries redrawn, the city has 20 ridings. With one new riding, and three incumbents not seeking re-election, Edmonton will have at least four new MLAs after today, no matter who wins. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content This is a rolling story that will be updated throughout the day as results come in. UPDATE: 11 a.m. Close races carry over to Wednesday A handful of tight races have candidates keeping a close eye on the polls Wednesday. In Banff-Kananaskis, UCP candidate Miranda Rosin leads NDP incumbent candidate Cameron Westhead by just 672 votes with 96 of 98 polls reporting. So far, 18,496 total votes have been cast in the riding. In Calgary-Currie, UCP candidate Nicholas Milliken leads NDP incumbent candidate Brian Malkinson by just 352 votes with 80 of 82 polls reporting. So far, 19,567 total votes have been cast in the riding. In Calgary-Falconridge, UCP candidate Devinder Toor is narrowly leading NDP candidate Parmeet Singh Boparai by just 163 votes with 63 of 65 polls reporting. So far, 13,106 total votes have been cast in the riding. In Edmonton-South, NDP incumbent candidate Thomas Dang is leading UCP candidate Tunde Obasan by just 585 votes with 73 of 75 polls reporting. So far, 19,654 total votes have been cast in the riding. In Edmonton-West Henday, NDP candidate Jon Carson is leading UCP candidate Nicole Williams by just 113 votes with 70 of 72 polls reporting. So far, 16,056 total votes have been cast in the riding. And in Lethbridge-West NDP incumbent candidate Shannon Phillips leads UCP candidate Karri Flatla by just 377 votes with 96 of 98 polls reporting. So far, 22,613 total votes have been cast in the riding. 11:05 p.m. — Riding Results • NDP’s Feehan holds on in Edmonton-Rutherford Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement Tuesday evening congratulating Kenney on his victory. “I look forward to working with the provincial government to create good, middle class jobs, build infrastructure, and grow the businesses and industries at the heart of Alberta’s prosperity so the province can remain competitive in our changing economy,” Trudeau said. “Together, we will address issues of importance to Albertans and all Canadians, including supporting canola producers, and taking decisive action on climate change while getting our natural resources to market.” The scene at UCP HQ in Calgary as Kenney wraps up his victory speech #ableg #abvote pic.twitter.com/nvfahoGHTa — Emma Graney (@EmmaLGraney) April 17, 2019 Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content 9:55 p.m. — Alberta Party crushed Alberta Party Leader Stephen Mandel could not save the party as it lost all three ridings it held when the writ dropped and he was a distant third in Edmonton-McClung, beaten by NDP incumbent Lorne Dach. The former Edmonton mayor and Progressive Conservative cabinet minister lost the southwest riding to Dach who held more than 43 per cent of the vote by 9:30 p.m. Mandel was running in third place with just over 21 per cent of the vote, as UCP candidate Laurie Mozeson held second with 34 per cent. In concession, Mandel said his future with the party is up in the air and he is open to a review of leadership. “I think that it’s not unreasonable at some point in time for the board to make a decision to say bring on somebody younger … who can take the party through the next four years into the election,” he said. — Dustin Cook https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fahZlUrF16A&feature=push-u-sub&attr_tag=IUT30ls6s2ga3dx3%3A6 9:45 p.m. — Jonathan Denis predicts ‘Conservative wave’ The notion of a conservative wave across Canada was echoed by former Progressive Conservative MLA Jonathan Denis, also at UCP HQ on election night. The real loser on Tuesday wasn’t Notley, he said, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “I think he’s going to be seeing many people at the first minter’s table who are not comfortable with his agenda, and it could mean a change in the fall,” Denis said. His resounding takeaway from the election was Albertans’ concern about the economy. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “We had a vote split in 2015. People wanted a change, I accept that,” Denis said. “I think moving forward though, the policies of Jason Kenney and the United Conservative Party are much more with the mainstream than the NDP.” — Emma Graney 9:30 p.m. — Rachel Notley gives concession speech https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QePHiGvPAa4&feature=push-lbss&attr_tag=YHVzNO39G1RiKn3g%3A6 In her concession speech, Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley said Alberta is a better place because of her government.<doc-sep>
Share this Story: NDP has changed the 'politics of this province forever,' Notley says after losing to UCP NDP has changed the 'politics of this province forever,' Notley says after losing to UCP Photo by David_Bloom David Bloom / David Bloom/Postmedia Article content NDP supporters gathered for a lacklustre celebration Tuesday night as election results rolled in projecting a UCP majority that quashed party hopes to govern for a second term. “Tonight’s result is not the one that we hoped for or worked so hard for,” said NDP Leader Rachel Notley, spurring chants of “Rachel” within the 500-strong crowd. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or NDP has changed the 'politics of this province forever,' Notley says after losing to UCP Back to video “It’s on nights like tonight that I’m very glad we expanded Alberta’s craft beer industry,” she joked. In her concession speech, Notley said Alberta is a better place because of her government. “We have fundamentally changed the politics of this province forever,” she said, offering her congratulations to premier-designate UCP Leader Jason Kenney. She promised her government would ensure the transition of power was “smooth and productive.” The NDP is the first government in Alberta history to fail to get re-elected for a second term. Polls throughout the demanding 28-day campaign consistently predicted a UCP victory, particularly in Calgary and rural ridings. But Edmonton continued to be an NDP stronghold. Article content As of 11 p.m., it appeared the NDP won 24 seats, a crushing blow compared to the 54-seat majority Notley previously held. The UCP took 63 seats, winning a robust majority in a two-party legislature. According to Elections Alberta, more than 223,000 ballots cast during advance polls were marked outside the voters’ home ridings and will not be counted until at least Wednesday. Newcomer Janis Irwin, who won the seat for Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood, said the night’s results were bittersweet. “We hoped for a better outcome, but … we are going to fight 100 per cent as opposition,” she said. “I am looking forward to being a voice for LGBTQ folks, as a member of the community.” Despite discouraging polls, Notley remained optimistic throughout her campaign, telling crowds that Alberta elections yield surprise results. That attitude ramped up in the final week of door-knocking when Notley courted conservative voters in an attempt to shore up support in Calgary battleground ridings. At a final campaign event Monday, after media finished asking questions, she turned to her team of Edmonton-area candidates and said enthusiastically that she’d see them at the victory party. It was the pervasive mindset over the last month in the NDP camp — a party that just four years ago celebrated their majority sweep to end 44 years of conservative rule in Alberta. While Tuesday’s results placed NDP back in the role of opposition, it’s still the party’s second-best performance in an election after 2015. (In 1986 and 1989, the NDP won 16 seats in Alberta elections.) Article content Numerous NDP candidates who served in Notley’s cabinet were re-elected, bolstering the party to act as a strong opposition. That included Edmonton-Glenora candidate Sarah Hoffman, who served as deputy premier and health minister. “I keep thinking about how we had thousands more volunteers on this campaign than we did on the last one, and I know the result isn’t exactly what people would have hoped,” she said, after hugging supporters and fellow candidates. David Eggen (Edmonton-North West) and Deron Bilous (Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview) were also among the high-profile NDP candidates and former cabinet ministers to be re-elected. They served in the education and economic development and trade portfolios, respectively. Prior to the 2015 election, the NDP team consisted of Notley and three other MLAs in the legislature. As of 11 p.m. Tuesday, it appeared at least 10 of 17 NDP candidates who served as cabinet ministers would win seats. Notley, the irrefutable star of her party, has promised to stay on to represent her Edmonton-Strathcona riding, a seat she has held since 2008. “I love that community,” she said Monday. “I have made it very clear that I would never take their votes for granted like that and I have every intention of serving as their MLA.” Her close-knit team though suffered the loss of a few key candidates, including Marg McCuaig-Boyd, who served as energy minister and lost the riding of Central-Peace Notley to UCP candidate Todd Loewen.