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As part of her detailed platform to cut costs for families, Alberta NDP Leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley is committing to developing and implementing a tax credit for parents paying fees for their children to attend K-12 schools.

“Parents pay hundreds of millions in fees every year, just to send their kids to school,” Ganley said. “We should be reducing school fees by properly funding public education — something I intend to do. Whatever fees are left at the end should lead to a break at tax time.

“This would help families keep a roof over their head and put food on the table.”

Alberta NDP Leadership Candidate Kathleen Ganley is unveiling key measures she would introduce to address climate change, create jobs and spur investment.

“Taking action on climate change is a job creator,” Ganley said. “We need to position the future of our energy sector as a ‘yes, and’ conversation, where we invest and develop new types of energy while also moving to decarbonize.

“We can lower emissions, create jobs and drive investment at the same time.”

“We must work with experts to get the details exactly right, the job of our leader’s is to bring people along - we combat that old UCP narrative, that action on climate change is an economy killer, not just with attacks, but with a story of our own, about the province we can build. We must be humble in our approach, and keep the concerns of the people around us, front and centre.”

Team Ganley has learned that the UCP’s controversial “Energy War Room” is shutting down.

“The War Room was symbolic of the UCP’s leadership — it existed only to signal the UCP’s disdain for our fellow Canadians and waste money, and it was intentionally designed to avoid even a hint of transparency,” Alberta NDP Leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley said. “I am thrilled to see this pointless waste of money finally ended — I hope the UCP will use the funding to do something to actually help the people of this province.”

As Alberta NDP Energy Critic, Ganley consistently advocated to have the Canadian Energy Centre closed. As an Alberta NDP Leadership candidate Ganley voted to close the War Room and better fund classrooms, namely by hiring more educational assistants to help kids learn.

One of the most incredible parts of this Alberta NDP Leadership campaign has been the opportunity to engage with young people.

With the voting age set at 14, it has been amazing to see youth get heavily involved in campaigns or take an active role in town hall events, rallies, and policy development as many get ready to cast a ballot for the first time. In fact, Team Ganley’s most dedicated phone caller is just 15 years old and our campaign would not be the same without his dedication and enthusiasm.

During my discussions with young New Democrats, and in discussions with other members of Team Ganley, I have heard widespread support for lowering the voting age in the general provincial election to 16.

I support this measure and commit to further studying the feasibility of implementing it.

Alberta NDP Leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley is releasing a series of key commitments to support building rural economies and communities after consulting with New Democrats while traveling across the province.

“When we work together, we win together,” Ganley said. “We need a strategy to win all 87 ridings. We need to build a bridge into certain areas of rural Alberta where we’ve struggled historically.

“The values of rural Albertans — good jobs, affordable living, reliable public healthcare, good schools — these are NDP values and we need to take a real, concrete offer on what matters to rural Albertans in the next election. We also have to get out there, engage, listen, and do the hard work. That’s how we will beat Danielle Smith and form the next Alberta NDP government, a government that is ready to lead this province for decades to come.”

If I am chosen as Alberta NDP Leader, I commit to  establishing an Election Planning Committee of MLAs, party staff and volunteers within a month of taking office. I will chair this committee and personally see that it fulfills its mandate.

Members of the EPC will visit every riding in the province over the summer and fall, holding town halls to discuss our election strategy for 2027 and what it will take to be competitive and give ourselves an opportunity to win all 87 ridings.

Alberta NDP Leader Kathleen Ganley has released her priorities to begin solving the healthcare crisis that has been made worse by UCP privatization attempts, cuts to funding and an ongoing war with doctors.

“Alberta healthcare is bordering on collapse,” Ganley said. “It’s being held together by frontline workers giving too much of themselves. That’s not fair and it isn’t sustainable.

“The UCP are going to leave us a big mess and we need to be a realistic that we won’t end the crisis overnight; however, there are several key steps I believe we should take the moment we form government in 2027.

This leadership race has been amazing. The excitement about the future of our party is incredible. 

I have heard from many of you who want to make sure that everyone involved in the leadership election stays involved afterwards. I can only speak for myself, but I can promise you that I will make sure everyone involved in this race is given the opportunity to remain heavily involved in the party and the lead-up to the 2027 campaign.

And, I believe the next campaign starts on June 23, 2024. 

Alberta NDP Leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley has announced a series of commitments to address Alberta’s housing crisis.

Ganley said Alberta has fallen behind the rest of the country due to a series of UCP cuts that started five years ago.

“We see the devastating effects of those cuts every day, on our streets and in our communities,” Ganley said. “My plan would reverse that trend. Currently, Alberta’s social housing stock makes up only 2.9 per cent of total housing in the province, when that figure is 3.5 per cent nationwide. I think we must do even better than that over time, as we know OECD countries are targeting seven per cent of social housing stock.”

Dear Friends & Co-Chairs of the Alberta NDP Women’s Caucus,

One of the things I love best about our party is the commitment to making sure that we are constantly working to create the conditions where women can participate in politics —  even when it's hard. I am delighted to affirm that, should I have the honour of being elected leader of the Alberta NDP, I am committed to ensuring that at the next election, we will run at least 50 per cent women candidates.

It takes work to make sure that women can participate equally in politics as there are systemic barriers to address, and they often have to be asked rather than volunteer. But this is important work — I don’t want this to still be a question for our daughters. 

Alberta NDP leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley and her team are committing to a series of actions to fight racism and build an economy that works for people.

“Working together, we can do incredible things,” Ganley said. “We can build a society that is inclusive, respectful and where we support each other. Racism has no place in this and that’s why I’m proud to have worked with my team on several key commitments to fight racism while growing our economy and welcoming newcomers here.”

Alberta NDP Leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley is committing to extensive consultation with Alberta’s disability community and to work in partnership to introduce and pass long-needed accessibility legislation.

Accessibility legislation already exists in British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan. 

“Accessibility legislation is a critical part of building an economy that works for everyone,” Ganley said. “Alberta is falling behind the rest of the country and that’s unacceptable — people need to be able to live barrier-free and contribute to their community.”

Like many across the province, I was incredibly troubled by the images of protestors being removed from the University of Calgary and then the University of Alberta.

For most of us, university is a time of self-exploration, learning new ideas, thinking new thoughts — and deciding who we are and what kind of world we want to create. The right to free expression — to think those thoughts, to speak them out loud, to debate, to be challenged and to challenge others, to ask questions of authority, and to wonder whether there isn’t a better way — this is how we learn. It is the best part of who we are and who we become; it breeds compassion and deep thinking about the world around us.

Ganley" "Congratulations to all fellow leadership campaigns and welcome to tens of thousands of new members. I am also so thrilled to also announce that Calgary-Mountain View, my riding, now has more than 3,500 members and is the largest Alberta NDP membership in the province!"

Alberta NDP leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley is pledging to fund classrooms, build schools and take political interference out of Alberta’s curriculum.

“Alberta has the lowest per-student funding in the country — the UCP should be embarrassed,” Ganley said. “My education plan is to measure both class size and complexity and make sure we’re funding for both. We would restore class-size reporting and set standards to ensure students are getting the education they deserve.

“I would also build desperately needed schools in growing communities across the province and modernize schools that have suffered over years of UCP neglect. I also believe families deserve clear timelines on when promised schools will be built in their communities.

“I would take the politics out of the curriculum by ensuring experts are developing it and I establish clear timelines for the curriculum to be reviewed and renewed. Classroom teachers would have a major role in this work.”

Alberta NDP Leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley says she will ensure all children, teachers and school staff have access to properly ventilated classrooms. 

“Like most kids, my daughter tends to catch whatever is going around in her school,” Ganley said.  “She needs to be in school, so do her peers and so do the teachers and staff.

“With the pandemic and the devastating wildfires we’ve seen in recent years, we know that so many factors can impact children's health and wellbeing. Protecting and enhancing ventilation in schools is a step the provincial government can take to ensure they are able to focus on learning and growing. This is important for their individual futures and the collective future of our economy.”

The first official Alberta NDP leadership debate exposed a major difference between frontrunners Kathleen Ganley and Naheed Nenshi, with the former continuing to lay out clear policy positions and initiatives she supports and would implement.

“I know right now that most people can’t afford their rent or their mortgage. I know that kids don’t think they’re going to be able to afford a home when they grow up — and I know that right now. I can take a policy (stance) on it right now,” Ganley said in an interview following the debate.

Naheed Nenshi disagreed with releasing detailed policies.

"With me as your leader, we will fight for every inch, every single day. Because our children are counting on us, and there is nothing more tenacious than a mother fighting for her kid.”

Alberta NDP leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley is committing to restoring Legal Aid funding as part of her plan to support people.

Ganley said she would uphold the conditions of the governance agreement she signed with Legal Aid Alberta and the Law Society of Alberta while serving as the Minister of Justice in Rachel Notley’s government. The agreement provided $70 million over four years to ensure that every Albertan has meaningful access to justice, fair representation and protection of law. The deal would have ensured that this critical service remains viable and strong for years to come. 

“The deal we signed reversed decades of Conservative under-funding and made the system fairer and more efficient,” Ganley said. “Legal AId serves tens of thousands of Albertans every year."

“We know people are struggling to keep a roof over their head and food on the table and that makes Legal Aid even more important.”

Alberta NDP leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley announced she will restore the Summer Temporary Employment Program (STEP) to give Alberta students entering the workforce a leg up.

“We need to build an economy that works for everyone,” said Ganley. “That starts with ensuring that students have every opportunity to get ahead with real work experience and a chance to develop critical skills for our economic future. Restoring the STEP Program after the UCP senselessly cut it is one step we can take.”

In 2019, the UCP government suddenly eliminated the Summer Temporary Employment Program, describing it as “free money” for employers. Prior to its termination, it employed 3,000 students with a budget of $10 million.

Alberta NDP leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley says her government would make public investment to restore rural transportation service across the province.

Her commitment comes after hearing  from rural and urban Albertans about the negative impact of Greyhound’s departure in 2018. The company said it could no longer justify the cost of operating in smaller Alberta communities. Since then, companies like Coldshot, EBus, FlixBus and Red Arrow have increased service in certain areas of the province but major swaths remain without any bus service.

Ganley said that’s unacceptable.

“This is public infrastructure,” Ganley said. “This is good for our economy, it’s good for public safety, it’s good for people.

Colleagues,

As we go through this leadership race, one thing stands clear: we all share a commitment to growing our party and connecting with Albertans far and wide. It is in this spirit that I bring forward an idea for your consideration.

Right now, our debate schedule includes stops in Lethbridge, Calgary, and Edmonton. While these places are home to many supporters, I believe we can broaden our reach and impact by holding debates in more of Alberta’s mid-sized cities.

I propose we add debates in Medicine Hat, Red Deer, and Grande Prairie.

“Our incredible mountains and parks are a huge part of what makes up this incredible place we call home,” Ganley said. “I want them to be there for my daughter, and for future generations to enjoy like I did.”

Alberta NDP leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley has a plan to drive down auto insurance costs for Albertans by introducing a public option. 

The court, long called for by lawyers and child advocates, would serve as a one-stop shop for families to resolve legal issues and conflicts, including child and spousal support, parenting time and property division.

“Protecting the emotional health of our children is something we all have an interest in,” Ganley said. “Providing these wraparound support services to families through a one-stop shop means there is less conflict and they are able to come to a better resolution, sooner — and that is better for everyone.”

"Bill 32 silences the voices of workers. In our democracy, any group can come together and advocate for what is important to them — from moms fighting for their kids, to communities fighting to keep their water free from coal, but not Alberta workers, at least not according to the UCP.

At a time when more and more workers are falling farther behind, telling workers they cannot act together to advocate for decent wages is undemocratic. I am committed to building an economy that works for people — we should be promoting the voices of Alberta workers, not invoking laws to silence them."

Alberta NDP Leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley committed today to introducing legislation prohibiting any future Alberta Government from leaving the Canada Pension Plan.

“The economy is about people and about making sure that we all have opportunities to build a future,” Ganley said. “Albertans work hard for their money — and pensions are the reward for a long career of contributing to our society.

“Since she was elected, Danielle Smith has broken promises time and time again and continued to play political games with Albertans’ retirement security. I would pass a law to stop this from ever happening again.”

Alberta NDP Leadership candidate Kathleen Ganley says she would fund and implement a universal school nutrition program within a four-year government term.

“No child should have to learn on an empty stomach,” Ganley said. “My campaign is focused on building an economy that works for people and education is a cornerstone of that plan.

“The kids learning in our schools today could go on to cure a form of cancer or make real progress combating climate change — but not if we deprive them of their right to an education. Part of that is ensuring they’re fed and ready to learn.”