Former Alberta premier Rachel Notley stepping down as NDP leader

globalnews.ca:

Former premier Rachel Notley, the leader of the Alberta NDP and Official Opposition, is stepping down.“Having considered what I believe to be the best interests of our party, our caucus, as well as my own preferences, I am here today to announce that I will not be leading Alberta’s NDP into the next election,” she said Tuesday afternoon.Notley said she’ll stay on until there’s a leadership race and vote for a new Alberta NDP leader. Once a new leader is chosen, she’ll step down from that role.Notley said she is “absolutely not” pursuing a role in federal politics.However, she said she’s not made any decisions about how long she’ll stay on as MLA for Edmonton-Strathcona.

Her term ends in 2027.Notley, Alberta’s longest-serving MLA, said her biggest political accomplishment was showing Albertans they had options.“We are not a one-party province where Albertans have no real choice about how their province should be run,” she said during Tuesday’s news conference.“Alberta is not a one-party province or a two-party province with two different shades of conservatives.”Notley said she’s confident that will continue.“Our party has never been stronger.”During her announcement, Notley became emotional talking about her family.She said her husband and children always believed in her and encouraged her.“I couldn’t have done it without them,” she said.“I was raised by both my father and my mother to believe that public service is something you should strive for throughout your life. I wish they could have been here,” Notley said.“It wouldn’t have happened for me without the examples they both set,” she explained, adding they showed her daily the value of hard work, compassion for others and the honour of public service.Notley made