Speedy efforts to distance provincial New Democrats from the new-look federal party don’t mean Albertans should expect any changes to the provincial orange brand.
But Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi told reporters Monday that if members of the party want to have a conversation around changing the name, he’s open to that possibility.
“I think Albertans are smart enough to understand that we are different and that we are an alternative for them as a government in waiting,” Nenshi said.
“But ultimately, if the members of the party want to have that conversation â as you’ve seen this weekend, New Democrats are very, very good at having conversations within the party with people who may or may not agree with one another â I’d be happy to have that conversation.”
Three years ago, a political organization founded by members of the Alberta NDP said provincial ties to the federal NDP was a drag on support.
It also rolled out polling, which it had commissioned and was conducted by Janet Brown Opinion Research. That found 50 per cent of the 900 Alberta respondents surveyed thought the federal party had influence over the provincial NDP.
Brian Malkinson, who was director of the group and a former NDP cabinet minister, said at the time the polling was indicative of the need to pitch a name change.
But the provincial party has largely put the matter to bed for now, he said Monday.
“The party, rightfully, is currently focused on [Alberta Premier] Danielle Smith and the UCP,” Malkinson said.
Malkinson noted the parties share solidarity historically, and many members tend to work on campaigns at both levels. There’s also overlap on key policy issues, such as health care, he said.
“If [NDP Leader Avi Lewis] and the federal party’s positions continue to be a problem and a major drag, then I think this conversation is going to come back ⦠but if there was going to be a rebrand, it would have needed to be, basically, a year and a half ago,” he said.
When Nenshi took over as leader of the Alberta NDP, the nature of the provincial New Democrats’ affiliation with the federal party was an early area of focus, especially given provincial conservatives’ propensity to use it to argue the provincial party was in lockstep with unpopular policies.
In May 2025, party delegates voted to end the practice in which members of the provincial party automatically became members of the federal party.
And mere minutes after Lewis took the stage at the party convention in Winnipeg on Sunday, the Alberta NDP released a statement from Nenshi that stated the direction of the federal party under Lewis “is not in the interests of Alberta.”
“Many thousands of our provincial members, including myself, are not members of the federal party. We are a big tent and welcome the support of people who vote for every federal party,” the statement read.
On X, Smith argued those ties were not so easy to sever and cast the party as a “radical” force with an eye on shutting down the economy.
“Their extreme views are a danger to jobs and affordability,” Smith wrote.
Lewis, for his part, offered an olive branch to Nenshi, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck during his first press conference as leader, saying there was a path forward to deal with disagreements tied to energy policy.
Brian Mason, who was leader of the Alberta New Democrats from September 2004 until October 2014, said he was concerned to see the party immediately release a statement distancing itself from the new leader.
While he viewed the decision to end automatic membership as a sensible change, the provincial party should state clearly where it stands on policies, rather than let conservative premiers dictate its positions out of fear of criticism, he said.
“I was concerned to see Mr. Nenshi’s statement yesterday. I think that the people of Alberta and the people of Canada are best served by unity in the NDP,” Mason told CBC News.
“I think that’s a voice that needs to be resonating across Alberta, but across Canada as well. And so, I’m not happy to see this discord.”
In 2012, after then-federal NDP leader Tom Mulcairâs comments about the Alberta oilsands provoked controversy, Mason invited him to tour the region.
“So there are ways that a leader provincially can deal with the federal party,” Mason said.
When asked if he felt there was weight to the argument that some of Lewis’s views won’t play in Alberta, Mason said it certainly will be a factor in the federal election.
“But I think it’s important that the provincial NDP should stand up and say what they believe in,” he said. “And make the distinctions, if those are necessary, and run on their own strength.”
Speaking to reporters Monday, Nenshi congratulated Lewis on his victory and said he was happy to meet with him, while emphasizing that provincial and federal New Democrats haven’t seen eye-to-eye on energy policy “for many, many years.”
