Alberta NDP leader to run in Calgary riding in next election

Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi at Neighour Day in Sunnyside, the Calgary neighbourhood where the annual event was launched in 2014.

Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi says he will run in a Calgary riding in the next provincial election.

In a statement posted on social media, the former Calgary mayor said he will leave his current riding of Edmonton-Strathcona to open the riding for a new representative.

Nenshi said it will allow him to choose a riding in the community where he grew up and where he made most of his professional and political life.

Nenshi has not decided which Calgary riding he will run in.

Nenshi’s byelection win in Edmonton-Strathcona in June 2025 came almost a year after he won the party’s leadership race to replace former premier Rachel Notley, who also represented the Edmonton constituency.

He won the byelection with more than 82 per cent of the vote.

“As you may know, we are in the midst of an illegitimate and corrupt process to redraw the electoral map. There will be legal challenges. Once we have a finalized (and hopefully fair!) map, I’ll announce which Calgary riding,” Nenshi wrote, referring to an ongoing review of provincial riding maps.

Nenshi has accused Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative government of using the review to rig the next election.

The government has said it’s about ensuring there’s fair representation for rural areas.

Nenshi says in Thursday’s letter that he will continue to serve as representative of Edmonton-Strathcona until the next general election in October 2027.

With files from The Canadian Press