Meryl Smith Lawton

One Of Two | Rachel Notley, MLA for Edmonton-Strathcona, forms half the Alberta NDP caucus.

The nearly 200 delegates to the recent Alberta NDP convention chose to stick to a familiar path rather than co-operate with other opposition parties as they discussed their party’s future.

And while most political conventions are increasingly becoming the domain of senior citizens, there was a noticeable delegation of middle-aged Albertans attending the conference at the Chateau Lacombe Sept. 11-13.

The convention culminated on Sunday with a campaign by the Democratic Renewal Project, a group of NDP, Liberal, and Green supporters trying to convince delegates to form an electoral coalition with other opposition parties to defeat the Tories. The motion was brought to the floor by the Edmonton-Rutherford and Edmonton-Whitemud NDP Associations and was easily the most controversial debate of the weekend. Dozens of delegates flooded to the microphones to debate the pros and cons of an idea that would change the nature of opposition politics in Alberta. The debate brought out such NDP notables as Athabasca University Prof. Alvin Finkle, MLA Rachel Notley, Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan, and former MLA David Eggen before the motion was defeated in an overwhelming rejection, with a 120-40 vote. Nor was this the only indication that the NDP are not embracing new tactics.

Speaking on the first night of the convention, Nova Scotia NDP organizer Matt Hebb described the series of events that led Derrell Dexter’s NDP to form a majority government in his province. Hebb described the Nova Scotia NDP of the 1990s as a third-place party that, much like its Alberta counterpart, hadn’t matured into a viable alternative. He then advised delegates to build a bigger tent of supporters and to act like a party of government by taking a pragmatic and constructive approach to politics. “Act like a party of government, don’t talk about it” was one of the key messages that Hebb left with delegates as he wrapped up his speech.

Members of the Alberta NDP can learn many lessons from their eastern counterparts, but like the official Opposition Liberals, they have continued to fall into the trap of acting like an entrenched opposition rather than an alternative to the governing Progressive Conservatives.

While party officials talked a lot about focusing more resources on building their organization, it didn’t appear that they were offering much difference from the past. NDP delegates continued to seek inspiration from their own history, regularly quoting former leaders Tommy Douglas and Grant Notley, and celebrating Leader Brian Mason’s 20th anniversary in elected office.

Can the NDP convince Albertans that they are a party ready to govern? While they experienced a recent gain federally with the election of Edmonton-Strathcona MP Linda Duncan, they only elected two MLAs in the 83-seat Alberta legislature, demonstrating an inability to meaningfully connect with Albertans.

Many New Democrats are proud of having served as a vocal opposition in the past, but they have never succeeded in challenging the Tory political machine. If the Alberta NDP succeeds at improving its financial and organizational capacities, the current slowdown in Alberta’s resource sector could give the left-wing party an opportunity to capitalize on the economic situation. Whether they achieve this will largely depend on if they can successfully present Albertans with a compelling reason to trust them with the responsibility of governance.