Rahim Mohamed: Well, what the heck is Rachel Notley, then?
Rahim Mohamed: Well, what the heck is Rachel Notley, then?
She doesn't have an easy job. But her refusal to take a firm stand on, well, anything has at times made the NDP leader feel like an afterthought.
By: Rahim Mohamed
Several recent pieces published in The Line have attempted to pin down the political thought of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith — debating the question of whether the iconoclastic Smith is truly a conservative. This is an interesting philosophical question but the political identity of Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley, Smith’s principal challenger heading into this month’s provincial election, may be even more of a head-scratcher.
Despite being an MLA for the past 15 years, and even serving as Alberta’s 17th premier between 2015 and 2019, Notley remains something of an enigma to many in the province. Indeed, she even felt the need to re-introduce herself to voters at the NDP’s campaign launch on Monday, telling assembled supporters, “My name is Rachel Notley and I am running to be your premier!”
As the leader of the nominally democratic socialist Alberta NDP, Notley has, understandably, sought to play down the party’s ideological origins (“democratic socialism” polls about as well as ‘impossible meat’ in the ruggedly individualistic Wild Rose Country). While an understandable political survival instinct, this reflex has also, at times, led Notley to latch onto squishy, half-hearted positions that satisfy no one.
Take, for instance, Notley’s noticeably jumbled response to an announcement of a deal in principle to build a new arena in downtown Calgary.
“So like yeah, sure, exciting project,” Notley told reporters at a press conference held at the University of Calgary last Thursday. "But we're in a situation where the cost has doubled over 18 months, and the public contribution to that cost has tripled." Notley wrapped up her response with a rather trite call for a “strong conversation” about the deal — an odd thing to say about a project that’s been debated to death over the better part of a decade.
And this was far from a one-off. Notley has also twisted herself into a pretzel trying to reconcile her support for Alberta’s oil and gas industry with the ambitious carbon emissions reduction plan of the federal NDP. (Unlike other federal parties, the NDP is integrated with its provincial and territorial wings). When asked about a federal emissions cap in a podcast appearance earlier this year, Notley had the following to say:
“The current cap (of 110 megatones) is not realistic that’s been proposed by the federal government, but I do think it’s possible to get a cap that is very ambitious that we can get to that is not super far away from that current cap.”
Huh?
Notley even managed to botch a clear shot at the asinine Alberta Sovereignty Act last fall, seemingly calling for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step in and revoke the act before hastily reversing course.
Notley’s equivocation habit has trickled down to her party, making the Alberta NDP’s platform a hodgepodge of ad hoc positions lacking any semblance of ideological coherence. Even CBC’s highly scientific Vote Compass can’t pin the Alberta NDP down, placing it smack dab in the middle of the political spectrum (and slightly to the right of the centrist Alberta Party). The compass also assigns some surprising (and contentious) positions to the party.
Per the algorithm, the average Alberta NDP partisan “somewhat agrees” that “the environmental damage caused by the oil sands industry is exaggerated,” “somewhat disagrees” that the provincial government should “intervene to try and bring down housing prices,” and “somewhat agrees” that “private schools should be eligible for public funding.” (Note the only constant is the prefix “somewhat.”)
Albertans expecting anything more full-throated in the next few weeks shouldn’t hold their breath. So far, the NDP campaign has heavily emphasized Rachel Notley’s personality over her politics. One recent campaign ad boasts that Notley is “more comfortable in jeans than pantsuits.”
Wearing blue jeans may have been a revolutionary political act in Cold War-era East Berlin, but it’s not something a serious premier-in-waiting should lead with.
Notley, of course, has a strong social-democratic family pedigree and was once spotted wearing a Che Guevara watch (although that could just mean she’s a fan of Rage Against the Machine). Her time in politics has nevertheless been shockingly devoid of vision. Even Notley’s four years at the helm of Alberta’s government feel like a blur. (A columnist for the left-leaning Tyee called Notley a “sad, timid failure” as premier).
Nobody expects leading a left-leaning party in Alberta to be easy, but Notley’s refusal to take a firm stand on, well, anything has at times made her feel like an afterthought. This isn’t a great look for one of only two people in the province who has a shot at being premier.
Whether you want to call Premier Danielle Smith a conservative or a “libertarian-laced populist,” she at least has a clear political worldview that she’s willing to share with anyone within earshot. Rachel Notley? Not so much.
The coming weeks will determine whether Alberta’s electorate even cares about political philosophies. What’s clear for now is that Rachel Notley doesn’t really have one.
Nice jeans though.
Rahim Mohamed is a master’s student at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. His writing has appeared in The Hub, and the National Post, and CBC News Calgary.
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