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Rachel Notley

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Rachel Notley
MLA
Notley in 2015
Premier of Alberta
Designate
Assuming office
TBD
MonarchElizabeth II
Lieutenant GovernorDonald Ethell
SucceedingJim Prentice
Leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party
Incumbent
Assumed office
October 18, 2014
Preceded byBrian Mason
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Edmonton-Strathcona
Incumbent
Assumed office
March 3, 2008
Preceded byRaj Pannu
Personal details
Born
Rachel Anne Notley

(1964-04-17) April 17, 1964 (age 60)
Edmonton, Alberta[1]
Political partyAlberta New Democratic Party
SpouseLou Arab[2]
ChildrenEthan & Sophie
ResidenceEdmonton
ProfessionLawyer

Rachel Anne Notley (born April 17, 1964) is the Premier-designate of Alberta, a Canadian politician and lawyer, currently a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Edmonton-Strathcona, and leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party. Notley's legal career has focused on labour law, with a specialty in workers' compensation advocacy and workplace health and safety issues. Notley was elected MLA for Edmonton-Strathcona in the 2008 provincial election, succeeding former NDP leader Raj Pannu. On October 18, 2014, Notley won the Alberta New Democrat leadership election on the first ballot with a "commanding" 70% of the vote[3] and went on to lead the party to a majority victory in the 2015 provincial election. It is expected the Lieutenant Governor will call on her to form the NDP's first government in the history of the province, which would make her the first non-Progressive Conservative premier of Alberta since Harry Strom of the Social Credit Party, who served from 1968 to 1971. Notley would also become Alberta's second female premier.

Early life

Notley was born on April 17, 1964[4][5][6] in Edmonton, Alberta, and was raised in the town of Fairview, Alberta, the daughter of Sandra Mary "Sandy" (Wilkinson) and Alberta NDP Leader and MLA Grant Notley.[7][8] She is the sister of Paul Notley and Stephen Notley (author and illustrator of Bob the Angry Flower).[9] Her mother was born in Plunkett, Massachusetts.[10]

Notley earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Political Science at the University of Alberta, and a law degree at Osgoode Hall Law School.[1]

She is married to Lou Arab, a communications and public relations staffer for the Canadian Union of Public Employees[2] and a campaign strategist for the party.

Activism

After law school, Notley articled for Edmonton labour lawyer Bob Blakely, and went on to work for the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees representing members with Workers' Compensation cases.

In 1994, Notley moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, where she worked for the Health Sciences Association of BC as their occupational health and safety officer.[11] During her time in BC, she worked for one year as a ministerial assistant to the provincial Attorney General.[12] In this role, she was part of the team that first expanded the application of BC's family relations laws to same sex couples, several years before the Government of Canada took similar initiatives.

Notley acted as a representative of the provincial labour movement in the negotiation and drafting of new workplace health and safety standards.[1]

During her time in Vancouver, Notley was active with “Moms on the Move”, an organization that advocated for the rights of special needs children. She is also a past board member of the Vancouver Community College.[7] Notley returned to Edmonton in 2002. She worked for a short time for the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE),[13] worked at Athabasca University,[14] acted as volunteer co-ordinator for the Friends of Medicare "Romanow Now" campaign, and finally as a labour relations officer for the United Nurses of Alberta.[1]

Notley did volunteer work with the Strathcona Community League in 2006,[7] assisting with a drive to garner support for the installation of sidewalks in east Strathcona.

Politics

In October 2006, she was nominated as the Alberta NDP candidate in the provincial constituency of Edmonton Strathcona and was elected MLA in the 2008 Alberta provincial election. She was re-elected in the 2012 Alberta provincial election with the highest share of the vote of any current MLA in Alberta.[15]

On October 18, 2014, Notley won the leadership of Alberta's New Democrat Party with 70% support, succeeding Brian Mason and becoming the 9th leader of the party.[16]

In addition to serving as party leader, Notley was critic for Health, International and Intergovernmental Relations, Status of Women, Justice, and Executive Council.[17]

Notley's first leadership test was in the May 5, 2015 provincial election. The NDP had never come particularly close to government in what had long been the most conservative province in Canada. While it had peaked at 16 seats and official opposition status in 1986 and 1989, it had never really recovered from being completely shut out of the legislature in 1993. Since then, it had never held more than the four seats it held when the writs were dropped. However, it took a large lead in opinion polling in April. In the election, the NDP won a resounding victory, picking up 53 seats, a gain of 49, for a strong majority government. Notably, the NDP swept Edmonton and won 14 seats in Calgary. When Notley takes office, she will be the province's first progressive premier, and will end an 80-year streak of right-wing governments in Alberta.

Election results

2008 Alberta general election: Edmonton-Strathcona
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
New Democratic Rachel Notley 5,862 49.32% −11.33%
Progressive Conservative T.J. Keil 3,031 25.50% 7.09%
Liberal Tim Vant 2,452 20.63% 5.56%
Green Adrian Cole 540 4.54% 2.20%
Total 11,885 – –
Rejected, spoiled and declined 36 17 26
Eligible electors / turnout 30,390 39.31% −10.56%
New Democratic hold Swing −9.21%
Source(s)
Source: "41 – Edmonton-Strathcona, 2008 Alberta general election". officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
The Report on the March 3, 2008 Provincial General Election of the Twenty-seventh Legislative Assembly. Elections Alberta. pp. 336–339.
2012 Alberta general election: Edmonton-Strathcona
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
New Democratic Rachel Notley 9,496 62.58% +13.25%
Progressive Conservative Emerson Mayers 3,038 20.02% −5.48%
Wildrose Meagen LaFave 1,788 11.78% –
Liberal Ed Ramsden 670 4.42% −16.22%
Evergreen Terry Noel 183 1.21% −3.33%
Total 15,175 – –
Rejected, spoiled and declined 80 55 28
Eligible electors / turnout 28,079 54.43% 15.12%
New Democratic hold Swing 9.37%
Source(s)
Source: "45 – Edmonton-Strathcona, 2012 Alberta general election". officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "About Rachel - Alberta NDP". Alberta NDP Opposition. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011.
  2. ^ a b Knocking at the door of the Dome. canada.com, April 14, 2007.
  3. ^ "Rachel Notley becomes new leader of Alberta NDP". The Globe and Mail. Canadian Press. October 18, 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  4. ^ https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files/docs/hansards/han/legislature_27/session_1/20080417_1330_01_han.pdf
  5. ^ "Riding profile: Mill Woods, Strathcona and Meadowlark". Edmonton Journal. Canada.com. February 24, 2008. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  6. ^ Legislative Assembly of Alberta Library
  7. ^ a b c Legislative Assembly of Alberta[dead link]
  8. ^ https://hermis.alberta.ca/PAA/Details.aspx?st=%22Legislative+Assembly%22&cp=20&sort=department&ReturnUrl=%2FPAA%2FSearch.aspx%3Fst%3D%2522Legislative%2BAssembly%2522%26cp%3D20%26sort%3Ddepartment&dv=True&DeptID=1&ObjectID=PR1560
  9. ^ "Knocking at the door of the Dome". Edmonton Journal. Canada.com. April 14, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  10. ^ [1]
  11. ^ The Report: Newsletter of the Health Sciences Association of BC [2] Safety concerns in your workplace? See your Safety Steward!
  12. ^ Government of BC, Resume of Orders in Council[3]
  13. ^ NUPGE website [4] Nationwide campaign targets Liberal inaction on medicare
  14. ^ Athabasca University 2004/05 Calendar[5]
  15. ^ "CBC.ca Alberta 2008 election results". CBC. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  16. ^ "Rachel Notley is the new leader of the Alberta NDP". CBC News. October 18, 2014.
  17. ^ "NDP Leader Rachel Notley releases critic, committee assignments".

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