The following is a letter Kathleen Ganley sent to the Alberta NDP Women's Caucus:
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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.
In the last two elections, under the leadership of Rachel Notley, the Alberta NDP showed significant support for achieving gender equality by having half of the candidates being women, and ensuring that women ran in winnable ridings. Currently, I’m proud to serve in an Alberta NDP Caucus that is made up of a majority of women.
Ensuring women are at the table means better decisions. That is why I am committed to ensuring that any government I form is at least half women.
I know that this will not be an easy goal to achieve. With the UCP actually making politics meaner and angrier, and their Take Back Alberta allies working to undermine the foundations of our democracy, we will need a leader committed to reaching out, building the connections, and recruiting, encouraging and mentoring the woman leaders of tomorrow.
I am ready to be this leader.
Growing up in Alberta, I never thought I would see a government that represented my views and the Alberta I believed in. Then I did — and I served in the first gender-balanced Cabinet in Alberta history. I am committed to making sure our daughters have it easier than we did.
I would gladly meet with the Women’s Caucus to discuss our collective goals for the future of the party at your earliest convenience.
The UCP are failing Albertans, and we need to be ready in 2027 to rise to occasion and rebuild an Alberta that works for all of us. This will require a strong team — I believe a strong team means strong women at the table, and with your help and support we will build that team together.