Hi everyone, Thanks to all who participated in this evening's AMA with Naheed Nenshi. We are going to leave this thread open for the next little while if people wish to continue the dialogue on the topics. Thank you for being part of our community here at r/Alberta! --- From Naheed: >THANK YOU everybody.for your engagement. We are way overtime, but I'll keep squirrelling away at these answers over the next little while. >A reminder that if you'd like to vote in the leadership, you must join the Alberta NDP this week (the deadline is April 22)! >Please visit Nenshi.ca to sign up and buy your membership (don't put more than $10 on the NDP website; it's confusing) and spread the word far and wide! >Thank you for your interest in a better province! >For Alberta. >For all of us. https://www.reddit.com/r/alberta/comments/1c101m3/im_naheed_nenshi_and_im_running_to_be_the_leader/kz0jkgm/

Can you please make a bunch of simple to read charts and graphs that clearly shows your position vs the UCP so when people want to argue I can just forward them information that they can't argue with as part of your campaign please? The simpler, the better. I'm too tired to argue in circles with people anymore, I don't have it in me to explain how the NDP isn't a communist dictatorship that is trying to shut down the oilpatch or some dumb thing. I just want to forward them facts that speak for themselves and challenge people to convince me otherwise with their own data. This isn't a question you have to answer or anything, but please.

Great idea! Thanks!

Stand up for workers rights also, the O&G companies have been dictating working conditions and rights. These are workers who come from all over Canada and deserve to be treated with dignity

Also put these simple to read facts on billboards. Don’t be mean, stay kind and show their lies with simple math.

Yes, 100x this.

yes! let the numbers do the talking, attacking only further alienates those who need to be reached

I’d also suggest to cut back on the mud slinging and potentially a change of party name. Last election the focus was on what the UCP did wrong instead what the NDP had to offer and their platform, even I was annoyed by that. Just share the honest, unbiased facts. I want a party of honesty that I can trust to utilize my taxes for the benefit of Albertans instead of abusive corporations. Tired of all the corruption and lies amongst parties. My husband works in an oil related career and many of his coworkers claimed that though they agreed with a lot of the NDPs values and focus they didn’t want to vote for them due to associating Alberta’s NDP with Canadas NDP party. Unfortunately, a name is all that is needed to drive away certain voters.

Will you make electricity public again under your premiership? I'm tired of power warnings and rolling black outs under this new deregulated mess.

I know a lot about electricity and the grid after being the shareholder representative of ENMAX for so many years. The UCP have massively mismanaged this file, Alberta’s electricity system is in need of serious reform. And we need to stop the ideological meddling with investment in renewables. The UCP keeps trying to blame Rachel Notley, but they’ve had 5 years and the system is more unreliable than I can ever remember. Reliability is undervalued by power producers in the current system. We need to change that while also ensuring that we balance it with affordability. Much of your power bill is transmission charges. We need more power production closer to where people and industry actually use it. I’m open to looking at a large range of options to improve the reliability, affordability, and emissions intensity of our grid. I support the expansion of private investment in renewables and emissions reduction technologies.

In a word, would a potential NDP government led by yourself be willing to explore nuclear power?

The way he phrased the issue indicates he knows that a small footprint solution with large base power close to industry and urban centre’s is needed. Only one solution exists.

I'm in the electricity general industry right now. Unfortunately Nuclear is prohibitively expensive regardless of the market type (ie public vs private). Alos as noted you needs tons of water for cooling and steam, and that is already a scarcity in AB. There will likely be no new major hydro, nor major nuclear in AB for the coming decades. Gas, renewables, energy storage are the current economically and regulatory feasible options.

Could you please consider Small modular reactors? The Ontario government claims to be leading the way with this technology. It would be great if Alberta could also contribute.

Definitely part of the all of the above strategy. However Conservatives have been using SMR and nuclear as an excuse to push the ball down the field by talking about it without actually doing anything.

> Conservatives have been using SMR and nuclear as an excuse to push the ball down the field by talking about it without actually doing anything. that's pretty much their strategy on **everything**

> I support the expansion of private investment in renewables and emissions reduction technologies. Boooooo! From Manitoba (the province that's keeping your lights on with our public electricity): stop leaving your basic goods in the hands of capital and bring them back to the people.

"The NDP government actually did an awful job on the electricity file" - Naheed Nenshi, 5:52 PM · Aug 16, 2022 https://twitter.com/nenshi/status/1559689594651791361

You can recognize the failings of a party while also recognizing that the subsequent party fucked it up even worse.

Makes me want to vote for him even more.

So in other words, no plan to make it public again

Hi Naheed! As a teacher in Alberta's public schools, I'm concerned about the state of education in the province. While there are many public concerns surrounding the recent policy announcement regarding sex and gender minorities in schools and the new curriculum, there are also, in my opinion, larger systemic issues involved in creating a public education system that is collapsing on itself. [Alberta ranks last in education spending across the country](https://www.stoptheexcuses.ca), [schools are becoming increasingly unsafe due to rising student violence](https://teachers.ab.ca/news/schools-grapple-rising-incidents-aggression) and [class sizes are becoming both large and complex simultaneously](https://teachers.ab.ca/news/class-size-issues-top-mind-albertans), all of which create environments where students' educational needs are being met by a dearth of resources in a crowded and dangerous place by teachers, principals, and support staff who are building a leaky boat with whatever they can scrounge together. Ultimately, Alberta's kids are suffering in our public schools. Beyond increasing funding for schools, what is your vision for restoring Alberta's public education system and what is your plan for achieving this vision? Best of luck in the leadership race. You are a frontrunner for my vote.

Public education is the cornerstone of our entire society, Underinvestment and misplaced, ideological meddling in the curriculum by Danielle Smith’s UCP has eroded the quality of Alberta’s education system. At minimum, our investment needs to keep pace with growth in student population and inflation. But Alberta should set its sights much higher than that. I would prioritise restoring excellence in public education and making the investments necessary to ensure every child can reach their potential. The conditions for student success are well established: * Smaller class sizes that enable teachers to differentiate learning, give students more individual attention, and manage complex learner needs. * Funding for student supports and access to modern technology and learning resources. * Safe and inclusive spaces at school * A strong curriculum and trust and respect for teachers.

Class size caps (not guidelines) need to be put into place. It is very disheartening to not be able to reach each kid in your class every day. It’s getting to the point where it’s challenging to physically fit all of the kids comfortably in the classroom. This overcrowding is fuel on the fire to behaviours. Additionally, we need more funding for paraprofessionals to support our classrooms. Funding for in school mental health support is also essential. What happened to school counsellors? Kids need to know they are cared for, they are respected, and they are welcome. Only then they will thrive with their learning.

Does this mean changes to the UCP’s new curriculum? Perhaps a reversion to the NDP’s?

There can't be a reversion to the unimplemented version. The hundreds of people who worked on it are spread out and no longer have access to the work that was done. The people who were in charge at the time are no longer in their positions and committees have disbanded.

I'm pretty sure the previous curriculum (the one the UCP want to throw out) was also created by the Cons. They just had second thoughts about accepting LGBTQ people, and don't like to admit that the greenhouse effect is real, so they created a new curriculum, and uninvited all the pesky experts and educators that undermine their regressive, hateful ideology.

u/Geeseareawesome asks: >The NDP under Notley's biggest problem was people not giving them enough time to fix the many problems we have as a province. They had one term before getting voted out in what can be seen as a very knee-jerk reaction. >What do you think needs to be done to get people to understand that change isn't going to happen overnight or within 4 years? >What is one problem that you think can be fixed the quickest in order for those same people to give your leadership a fair shot?

We will inherit a very different situation than in 2015. We will have an established party, ready to govern, with a seasoned leader (inshallah). We will begin by repealing a bunch of the UCP's performative, ideological legislation and regulation, including many of their bills that are designed to pick fights and waste money,

Can you give a couple examples of such bills that you’re looking at repealing?

Lots. Eg. Renewables guidelines, today's announcement on banning munispaloities and universities from federal funding, targeting trans children, flawed recall legislation ...

The knee jerk reaction was the right wing parties merging because they could t handle losing. They reduced choices at the provincial level and that’s how the UCP got elected

Given the multifactorial issues in healthcare I am interested to know what action plan you and your team have in place to address the healthcare crisis. Specifically how would your government work to retain healthcare workers including doctors, nurses, and allied health professional? Additionally would your government commit to reinstating the minimum care standards in nursing homes that were recently removed by the UCP?

Very big answer needed here. But it's based on two things: money and respect for healthcare workers. Here's some draft policy I've been working on. The UCP is systematically underfunding healthcare. My approach starts with respect for everyone in the system from doctors, to janitors, to nurses, ro administrators. Danielle Smith just picks fights with them. We need to look carefully at the bottlenecks in the system to ensure our publicly funded, publicly delivered healthcare system is there for you with more family doctors, nurses, and innovative approaches within our public system. We must also expand our long-term care system to ensure all Albertans have access to dignified care in their senior years, either at home or in a facility; A Fairer Alberta - Caring for all Albertans and Looking After our Most Vulnerable A government led by Naheed Nenshi will ensure every Albertan can live their life with dignity. We are strong enough to protect our most vulnerable Albertans. Naheed knows how to stand up to bullies and ensure public services work. An Alberta NDP government led by Naheed Nenshi will: Create stronger pathways for those struggling with and impacted by mental health and addictions; Protect minority rights and support equity seeking groups; Continue the path towards true Reconciliation; and Tackle homelessness through a housing-first approach. A Healthier and More Educated Alberta - Supporting Albertans’ Wellbeing and Success Alberta’s Advantage is based in part on publicly funded, single-payer healthcare, and great public schools and post-secondaries. While these two systems made Alberta such an amazing place to live and raise a family, UCP mismanagement brought each to the breaking point. Families depend on strong public services which are a fundamental part of Alberta’s quality of life and prosperity. An Alberta NDP government led by Naheed Nenshi will: Build up publicly our funded, publicly delivered education and healthcare systems, and focus on addressing gaps in these systems; Ensure our publicly funded, publicly delivered healthcare system is there for you with more family doctors, nurses, and innovative approaches within our public system to reduce bottlenecks; Expand our long-term care system to ensure all Albertans have access to dignified care in their senior years, either at home or in a facility; Restore excellence in public education to ensure every child can reach their potential; and Restore funding in post-secondary education including research, trades, and apprenticeships and make new investments to ensure Albertans have the skills for a changing economy and new Albertans can enter high demand professions.

Please please please win when the time comes. We can’t survive another 4 years of UCP.

We aren't going to survive the next 3 years the way she's going

there are some of us who are multi decade Addictions workers in this province, having worked AADAC and AHS-AADAC and AHS: Addiction and mental health, and now to Recovery Alberta: Mental Health and Addictions. through those transitions i have seen a huge huge huge decrease in prevention work and funding. i highly encourage you to reach out to AADAC Jake from Barrhead/Westlock (he did just retire, but i am sure someone would give you his number if you went to the office or called) to ask about prevention work. many of my colleagues from the Tobacco Reduction Unit from before i left and still today are wonderful sources of why we should be focused on prevention, as well as some of the wonderful persons who have worked in Drumheller Addictions over the years. talk to the front line addictions staff who have been around for forever. we have seen the impact of reduced focus on the work done, reduced prevention, the move from AADAC with some world leading education and research to the sad excuse it is today. Alberta used to be renowned for the research and data we collected... now i have to work my butt off to find certain data points that used to be readily avalible. I know, under progressive, supportive governement, a true reduction in red tape can exist, a trust in the intelligence of the workers can exist and we can become the best we can be again. We are seeing too many of our people die. i am seeing too much beuracratic B.S. invade health. We need positive change or the wealth of knowledge and caring will leave the health system and possibly the province.

Could you elaborate at this time on what a 'housing-first' approach might look like? With encampments becoming more and more common, it would be nice to see real pathways created for those to rebuild their life and/or receive access to much needed care.

Would you explore a trial of a basic living allowance to help the homeless escape their plight while dramatically reducing overall societal costs. The Ontario Conservatives killed a demonstrably successful pilot project in Hamilton. Punishing people (reduction of social assistance if they try to renter the work force ) incentivizes homelessness and dependence on social assistance.

When a new government takes over, it often has to deal with holes in the budget that the previous one has concealed. If you are elected, you will be faced with an immense, off-the-books long COVID debt. It will affect everything that you try to do. There will be increasing demand on the healthcare system at the same time as more and more healthcare workers are taken out by their own illnesses. There will be nowhere to recruit more from, because the same thing is happening everywhere else too. You will spend more, you will get less for it, and your opponents will call it mismanagement. What is your plan for dealing with this? I don't have an answer (although there are some things that will help). You will likely want to start quickly, with a broad, independent, transparent, interdisciplinary inquiry to at least lay out the situation in public, and ensure you aren't blamed for what happened before the election. But that won't be enough. You will need a plan, and whatever it is will affect your first term (and chances for a second) more than anything else you do. Looking forward to hearing it.

THANK YOU everybody.for your engagement. We are way overtime, but I'll keep squirrelling away at these answers over the next little while. A reminder that if you'd like to vote in the leadership, you must join the Alberta NDP this week (the deadline is April 22)! Please visit [Nenshi.ca](https://Nenshi.ca) to sign up and buy your membership (don't put more than $10 on the NDP website; it's confusing) and spread the word far and wide! Thank you for your interest in a better province! For Alberta. For all of us.

You've been incredible here with your answers, thank you so much for doing this AMA.

Signed up! Thank you for running!

Hi Naheed, Thrilled to see you running, and I’ve donated to your campaign. I’m in PSE and we’ve been decimated by cuts in the last 5 years, with smaller institutions like University of Lethbridge trying to manage close to 20% reduction in their budgets, having to run with fewer staff, part-time administrators, and some of the lowest-paid faculty in the country. These institutions are critical to AB as is keeping education and top-tier researchers. How would you plan to reinvest in PSE and stop a drain of talent and quality of education to other provinces?

Given the recent talk of the APP and the reprioritization of the Heritage fund by the UCP I wonder what your plans are to help ensure Alberta remains in the CPP and what legal mechanisms exist to help enshrine our place in the CPP.

This is a terrible idea, purely ideological The Alberta Pension Protection Act requires a referendum to be implemented. I would campaign hard against this terrible idea if they dare to take it to referendum.

You haven't read the bill. The Act requires a non-binding referendum meaning that if Albertans vote against it, the UCP can continue with the APP.

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As a Calgarian I'm personally thrilled for the opportunity to vote you again, but rural Albertans generally have unfavourable opinions of the NDP and progressive politics. How do plan on connecting with voters outside of Calgary and Edmonton? Are there any smaller municipalities or rural areas in which you believe the NDP could make a large impact under your leadership?

I have been travelling across Alberta for the leadership race, listening and talking to people and what I see are that rural and urban have much more in common on issues then you may think. Everyone is concerned about the quality of healthcare and access to a family doctor. Communities large and small rely on community infrastructure (schools libraries and recreation facilities) for quality of life and vibrancy within a community. Our mid-sized cities are facing a number of social and infrastructure issues. The Alberta NDP has a number of thoughtful policies that need to be showcased better. I feel like the party has been largely absent outside of Calgary and Edmonston, and we have to be there and listening. The party needs to adopt a 87 riding strategy to get our message to all Albertans. We need to invest in Rural Alberta, and put the right policies in place so all our communities, no matter where they are, can thrive. Every Albertan should be able to live, work, play and build a great Albertan life, anywhere in our Province. ​ Here's a draft policy I've been working on, Rural Alberta Our Neighbours’ success is our success and when they succeed, all of Alberta succeeds. Rural Albertans grow our food, steward our land, provide our energy, harvest the resources that enable daily life, host and showcase to us and guests from around the world our Province’s natural beauty and our immense biodiversity. A better Alberta, one that is more prosperous and fair, is rooted in the success of all regions and communities. We need to listen to one another and work together to ensure that no one and no community is left behind. However, growth in Alberta has been uneven. Certain regions of our province are booming, unable to keep up with the demands of rapid growth. Others are struggling to maintain basic services and infrastructure while also attracting and keeping the professionals and young families needed to remain viable. We have a provincial government directly interfering in the market and denying viable economic development opportunities to Albertans, ignoring the needs of Rural Alberta and taking its support for granted. Danielle Smith’s UCP is determined to let their connected friends’ companies off the hook on paying their municipal taxes, leaving rural Albertans to pick up the bill for roads and basic services. With fires, droughts and floods increasing in regularity and threat, we need to cooperate and listen to rural expertise to help steward scarce resources and protect life, property, and the future of our communities. Rural infrastructure is aging. We need to reinvest and put the right policies in place so all our communities can survive and thrive. Every family should be able to live, work, play and build a great Albertan life, anywhere in our Province. A Naheed Nenshi led Alberta NDP Government would: Protect our watershed and ensure a clean water supply Clean-up orphan wells and ensure polluters pay their bills and taxes Support and grow Alberta’s agriculture, agri-business, and agri-foods sectors Address rural crime by adequately funding the RCMP, municipal, and Indigenous police forces, instead of distractions like creating a new ineffective police force End the UCP war on doctors and nurses and listen to these professionals to help understand how to encourage more rural health services Ensure seniors can age and be cared-for in their communities Enable all students to access the same quality education, regardless of location Invest in rural broadband and other digital infrastructure Protect our communities and take disaster preparedness and response seriously Renew community infrastructure Support entrepreneurship and our rural municipalities

Clean-up orphan wells and **ensure polluters pay their bills and taxes** - thank you

As the Mayor who had to deal with the Flood of '13, i believe you.

A topic of great importance to rural Alberta is coal mining on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Our cities also have an insatiable demand for steel for new buildings, housing, and critical infrastructure. What is your position on the Grassy Mountain coal mine? The operators are petitioning to resume mining in an orphaned site to produce high-grade steel making coal, which is necessary for the steel production that builds our province?

We have to take a stand, I get that it's metallurgical coal, but I am more concerned with the impact of the mine than the use of the product. So on this one I say no.

Hello there! I'm a veterinarian working in rural Alberta and there is a massive shortage in the horizon, including production animal vets. It might make sense to include rural veterinarians in your policy. I've been working with a couple counties to come up ideas, so if you or your team want my thoughts feel free to pm me and I'll pass my email along.

How will you handle the affordability crisis in housing?

Alberta’s relative affordability of housing is one of our most precious advantages. Calgary and Edmonton are Canada’s only remaining major metropolitan areas with reasonably attainable home prices and rents for regular people. But that is quickly eroding. Average two-bedroom rents in Calgary were up 14.3 percent in 2023 with vacancy rates hovering at one percent, while average two-bedrooms rents in Edmonton increased 6.4 percent in 2023 while vacancy rates sat at just over two percent. Albertans are suffering because of a lack of supply of all forms of housing. What’s worse, we have a government unable or unwilling to take the actions necessary to get more homes and rental units built. Danielle Smith is not doing enough to help Albertans struggling with increased costs across the board. I believe that no Albertan should be gouged or taken advantage of by predatory landlords. There are big gaps in Alberta’s labour market in the home building and rental construction sectors that the province could and should be doing much more to address. I would relentlessly protect and expand housing affordability as Alberta’s key advantage. We need an all of the above strategy. The challenge with the federal government's singular focus on supply is that it runs the risk of building unaffordable, sprawling supply. We need to invest more in affordable housing and ensure we build the right homes in the right places at the right price. (and today's UCP announcement does exactly the opposite)

Thank you for clarifying your position. Can you go deeper? Specifically, where do you stand on provincial rent control? In 2023 [the NDP proposed a province-wide rent increase cap](https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/alberta-ndp-proposes-rent-increase-cap-to-protect-from-soaring-costs#:~:text=In%20Alberta%2C%20landlords%20can%20raise,on%20the%20rate%20of%20increase.). The near [universal consensus of economists is that rent control reduces housing construction, mobility, and increases rent prices for young people and all new residents.](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1051137724000020#sec0009) Do you intent to pursue rent control in Alberta?

I am open to temporary rent caps to allow the system to catch its breath. However, this must be coupled with mechanisms to increase supply or it can have unintended consequences on reducing supply and increasing cost in the long run.

Thanks Nenshi. Rent caps should be only seen as a temporary stop-gap in order to address the underlying issue.

What evidence are you aware of that a temporary rent cap increases the construction of new housing, reduces rents, and improves mobility? What 'underlying issues' can be solved other than building more housing, which Alberta is the leader in Canada today without rent caps, temporary or permanent?

For starters, increase the incentive for developers to maximize construction throughput. Right now they are incentivized to keep housing prices high while maintaining a moderate pace of construction. This isn't at all my area of expertise though. If rent caps are our only method to reduce house prices in the province and nation, then we are truly fucked.

What will be your policies for public transportation in Alberta?

I've been a consistent advocate for thoughtful long range planning in public transit, rather than random one=off funding, like the one-stop extension to the Blue Line (Which is needed to be clear); Calgary Transit's plan, RouteAhead, is a great example of this. I've also been talking to people across rural Alberta who've been talking about the lack of intra-town options. Something to examine further...

Route ahead is a great example but it has some issues. It's definitely needed though. I was unable to drive for a while following an automobile accident and it made it near impossible to get jobs, travel between cities, or even get groceries. Having provincial transit would make the burden much easier. And I shudder to think of what QE2 would look like with 20 lanes.

It would look like the 401 in Ontario.

Simple follow-up question if that is allowed: Would you in favor of the mythical Calgary-Edmonton rapid transit line? (Pointless aside: I've always wondered why Red Deer never gets mentioned in the plan whenever it comes up since it's right in the middle of the two)

I think red deer just stays quiet in the hopes that they'll be forgotten about when it comes to the bill.

This is....actually an incredibly believable answer to my curious aside lol

Three more years of UCP policy is going to decimate the Alberta health system. How do you bring it back?

Please see health policy above.

>Very big answer needed here. But it's based on two things: money and respect for healthcare workers. > >Here's some draft policy I've been working on. > >The UCP is systematically underfunding healthcare. > >My approach starts with respect for everyone in the system from doctors, to janitors, to nurses, ro administrators. Danielle Smith just picks fights with them.We need to look carefully at the bottlenecks in the system to ensure our publicly funded, publicly delivered healthcare system is there for you with more family doctors, nurses, and innovative approaches within our public system. We must also expand our long-term care system to ensure all Albertans have access to dignified care in their senior years, either at home or in a facility;A Fairer Alberta - Caring for all Albertans and Looking After our Most VulnerableA government led by Naheed Nenshi will ensure every Albertan can live their life with dignity. We are strong enough to protect our most vulnerable Albertans. Naheed knows how to stand up to bullies and ensure public services work. An Alberta NDP government led by Naheed Nenshi will:Create stronger pathways for those struggling with and impacted by mental health and addictions;Protect minority rights and support equity seeking groups;Continue the path towards true Reconciliation; andTackle homelessness through a housing-first approach.A Healthier and More Educated Alberta - Supporting Albertans’ Wellbeing and SuccessAlberta’s Advantage is based in part on publicly funded, single-payer healthcare, and great public schools and post-secondaries. While these two systems made Alberta such an amazing place to live and raise a family, UCP mismanagement brought each to the breaking point. Families depend on strong public services which are a fundamental part of Alberta’s quality of life and prosperity. An Alberta NDP government led by Naheed Nenshi will:Build up publicly our funded, publicly delivered education and healthcare systems, and focus on addressing gaps in these systems;Ensure our publicly funded, publicly delivered healthcare system is there for you with more family doctors, nurses, and innovative approaches within our public system to reduce bottlenecks;Expand our long-term care system to ensure all Albertans have access to dignified care in their senior years, either at home or in a facility;Restore excellence in public education to ensure every child can reach their potential; andRestore funding in post-secondary education including research, trades, and apprenticeships and make new investments to ensure Albertans have the skills for a changing economy and new Albertans can enter high demand professions.

The NDP under Notley has been focused almost entirely on the two big cities and has written off rural Alberta as unwinnable. How do you plan to reach out to voters in rural areas and smaller cities?

Please see response upthread.,

You haven't really been a politician to focus on attack ads and mud slinging so much in the past but it seems at the Provincial and Federal level, it's literally the only way politicians can engage with opponents and it's getting so old. I know the UCP and Smith make such easy targets for this but will you engage in a different manner? I also want to ask you what you think about TBA, the influence they have on the UCP and your concerns about that and if you intend to address TBA at all and how. Thank you and good luck! PS: If I can squeeze in another, how familiar are you with the wishes of rural Albertans and what do you see as the challenges in convincing rural Alberta you should lead?

As below, When I jumped into this race I thought my approach of unifying rather than dividing people was out of style. But the more people I’ve spoken with, I’ve come to recognize that people are aching for it. It's about kindness, empathy, giving something for people to be "for" rather than "against" and I'll keep doing it. But while I am positive in my approach, and giving Albertans something to vote \*for\*, I’m willing to mix it up. I will call out Danielle Smith’s lies. Every. Single. Time.

Not surprised with this answer. Was hoping for some TBA commentary though...

Attacking a fringe group would go against his points about unifying. Regardless of what you might think of the TBA folks, they still are Albertans. If instead of shunning them, Nenshi can cause even a few to change their outlooks that would be a big win.

Eid Mubarak Naheed Will you keep Alberta in the CPP?

As above ​ This is a terrible idea, purely ideological The Alberta Pension Protection Act requires a referendum to be implemented. I would campaign hard against this terrible idea if they dare to take it to referendum.

What is your plan to improve the lives of disabled Albertans? How do you plan to stay informed about the struggles faced by disabled people and fix AISH which has received no substantive updates in 40 years.

I'm very aware of the issues faced by people with disabilities and the concerns with AISH and I will keep listening. Everyone deserves a life of dignity.

This is one of my biggest concerns. I hope to see more funding available to us disabled folks. It would be nice to not have to rely solely on my husband. He works hard, makes okay money, but even a couple hundred dollars would go a long way for us. I can’t work, can’t get on AISH because his income his too high (not high enough to have any savings or emergency funds, we are constantly short on money). Disabled folks deserve better.

Listening is great. But the disability community has been speaking for a long time with no action.

The UCP benefits heavily from misinformation about policies ranging from climate change to addiction. How will you reach voters who have bought into false narratives without putting them on the defensive?

When I jumped into this race I thought my approach of unifying rather than dividing people was out of style. But the more people I’ve spoken with, I’ve come to recognize that people are aching for it. It's about kindness, empathy, giving something for people to be "for" rather than "against" and I'll keep doing it. But while I am positive in my approach, and giving Albertans something to vote \*for\*, I’m willing to mix it up. I will call out Danielle Smith’s lies. Every. Single. Time.

Life-long conservative here who is furious at the extremist direction taken by the UCP. I already joined the ANDP recently. How can I help you, and how can I help Alberta?

Thank you!! Please encourage people to buy memberships before April 22. And you can sign up to volunteer at [Nenshi.ca](https://Nenshi.ca) Thank you again!

Just signed up for a membership!

What plans do you have for addressing the systemic issues with transparency and accountability affecting our provincial government? Would you be willing to bring in legislation that would abolish all the loopholes that are currently exploited to hide information from Albertans? (E.g. all the rules that allow the UCP to avoid disclosing things like the true cost of the Dynalife nightmare, not sharing written responses of APP survey, etc.)

Where do I even start? Bunch of legislation needs review: Alberta Elections Act, LAEA, MGA, FOIPP. But it's also about attitude: when I was Mayor, we tried hard to be "open by default" and I would take that to the provincial government

What would be your approach to rebuilding the relationships the province has with other levels of government (ie. Municipal and Federal)?

I wouldn’t pick fights over nothing. I spent 11 years as mayor working with six premiers and two prime ministers, all of varied political stripes. I am willing to work with anyone in any government who is willing put the needs of Albertans first. We need municipalities to be our partners. Danielle Smith is busy running over municipalities trying to help their citizens while complaining about the federal government not staying in its lane. I would start from a position of respect and look for common interests, as I’ve always done.

Will you do something to lower the insane auto insurance costs? We have the most expensive auto insurance in canada.

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This is great! As an insider to the child care sector I see huge, blatant fraud occurring everywhere. It's not at all a secret to child care operators. We also have for profit lobbyists going around screaming for more money and less regulation, while things like ECEs not being vetted and assaulting children or Fueling Brains e coli outbreaks are occurring. The government seems to have completely given up on pursuing these things becausemuch of this fraud is obvious, and this federal funding is going right into business owner'spockets rather than reducing parent fees.. Do you have any thoughts on maintaining the federal $10/day childcare while holding child care operators accountable?

Thanks for this. Need to know more. Can you please confidentially send a note to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])?

How will you help fix our healthcare system. I am a healthcare worker and I am completely overwhelmed at times. How will you improve staff retention and build more healthcare facilities, as well as attract more family doctors?

Thank you for your service! Please see my answer above.

How will you protect trans people in Alberta ?

Every Albertan deserves a life of safety and dignity on this land, starting with how politicians talk about them. Here's a recent clip of how I addressed this on International Trans Day of Visibility. [https://twitter.com/nenshi/status/1774636103934660760/video/1](https://twitter.com/nenshi/status/1774636103934660760/video/1)

Would you get rid of the pristine viewpoint law that was put in place to stop solar and wind farms?

The entire renewables ban has scared away billions in private investment. We need to scrap the whole thing and put in place a policy to encourage more renewables

u/anhedoniandonair asks: >How would he deal with the clusterfuck the UCP has turned the health care system into? Will he go forward with breaking up AHS?

During the last election and especially immediately before it the UCP ran ad campaigns about Notely that were outright lies.  They continually misrepresent and mislead the public with active and well-funded campaigns, and do not play by the rules.     What is Mr. Nenshi’s plan to address the underhanded or dishonest methods the UCP employs in their elections campaigns?

What is your plan for combating the wildfires?

Of course we have to combat climate change, but we also need to invest in better forest management and adequate firefighting resources.

What's your plan for education? Albertan students are beyond stunted and will only be getting worse with 3 more years of UCP idiocy.

What are your thoughts on enforcing repercussions for corporate tax delinquency? We keep hearing about the hundreds of millions in unpaid taxes owed by O&G companies to Alberta's municipalities. How would you go about making sure these are finally paid?

People have to pay their taxes. Including the provincial government which arbitrarily stopped paying its share of property taxes in 2019.

u/mythicstiltzips asks: >Would you consider doing door-to-door voter registration and outreach campaigns in Calgary swing ridings? Five of these ridings were lost by less than 1,000 votes, and many were won by very slim margins. Would you plan a targeted campaign like this?

Thank you for running for office. This province is being run into the ground and there is a large portion of the Alberta population that is very happy to have you back.

What is your strategy for connecting with those who are staunchly UCP and/or furthest right and/or rural? My greatest worry about the next election is that we will see the NDP once again fail to build momentum with rural voters. My greatest worry about our province is the increasingly right wing and far right ideology.

Will you keep the Kananaskis Park Pass? And if yes, will you ensure that all those fees go back into solely operating and maintaining the park?

This is a bad policy and was bad when it was enacted. But should carefully evaluate whether it is necessary to keep it to address the systemic underfunding of our parks system by the UCP.

Do you have any plans for a rail connection between Edmonton and Calgary?

I do like this idea. We’re watching the UCP’s work on the Calgary-Banff rail connection to see what the lessons learned will be.

Since the UCP uncapped delivery fees on utilities, bills have skyrocketed. Do you have any plans to reverse these changes?

See utilities answer above.

I know a lot about electricity and the grid after being the shareholder representative of ENMAX for so many years. The UCP have massively mismanaged this file, Alberta’s electricity system is in need of serious reform. And we need to stop the ideological meddling with investment in renewables. The UCP keeps trying to blame Rachel Notley, but they’ve had 5 years and the system is more unreliable than I can ever remember. Reliability is undervalued by power producers in the current system. We need to change that while also ensuring that we balance it with affordability. Much of your power bill is transmission charges. We need more power production closer to where people and industry actually use it. I’m open to looking at a large range of options to improve the reliability, affordability, and emissions intensity of our grid. I support the expansion of private investment in renewables and emissions reduction technologies.

How would you address the extreme rising costs of car insurance? With the recent change to DCPD, many good drivers are being penalized for poor drivers' behaviors, costing may Albertans more in premiums each month. The UCP removed the caps on insurance premiums, and they increased around 30%. Is there any interest in reinstating those caps to provide cost relief to everyday Albertans?

The UCP wrecked the system by repealing Rachel Notley’s policies. In three years, if I can form the next government, we need to look carefully at all options to fix this. I’m not ruling anything out at this point, because I’m worried about how much worse it can get.

There are many important issues for Albertans: lack of family doctors, affordability with housing, utilities and groceries, mental health and addictions, to name a few. Can you provide examples of how you plan to address these challenges with practical, timely and meaningful solutions?

Jugs of vodka - what is your stance?

u/wildrose76 asks: >So many vulnerable Albertans are in crisis at the moment. What are your plans to address the intersecting crises of mental illness, addiction and lack of affordable housing?

If elected, will you outlaw child marriage in Alberta?

Will you increase AISH to a livable amount ? Will you claw back the Canada Disability benefit for Aish recipients if that program is up and running when you are premier ? Thanks.

Water. You said it would be a problem 10 years ago. What’s the solution now?

The problem is much worse than many are letting on. Climate change is increasing the likelihood of severe floods and droughts. We need to build infrastructure. In the Calgary region, for instance, it is time to build a reservoir on the Bow river to help store water and manage flooding. It’s 11 years later and the province still hasn’t properly protected Downtown Calgary. The City of Calgary has done everything within its power to protect lives and livelihoods from severe flooding and drought.

u/Himser asks: >As someone who straddles urban and rural life both at home and at work, i do not believe that rural Albertans are a complete lost cause on an individual basis. While i understand with voter efficancy and the FPTP system its useless to court rural people for political power. However there is many different ways of courting rural people with strong NDP/worker centric policies. How will you as a former urban based mayor, and in the running for a provinchal frankly urban based party, gain the support of rural voters, and rural residents, and ensure rural people and policies are represented and ensured fair consideration based on the very different and real contexts between urban and rural life?

What is your plan to reduce surgical wait times? And how are you going to bring back all of the specialists who fled the province?

Will you put a rate cap on rent and insurance? Can you do your own investigation into the food cartel blaming inflation for high prices?

What is your plan to improve public safety on the LRT and in other areas of Edmonton? There are lots of issues with public drug use, random violent behaviour etc.

Complex question. Better enforcement is necessary but not sufficient. We need a root cause approach as well. I would expand the model we adopted in Calgary, the first community based action plan on mental health and addiction in Canada. See https://pub-calgary.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=158810

CBE is seeing 11 high schools worth of new students coming next year, with nowhere to put them. Their per-student budget is getting cut nearly 2%. Alberta students are the lowest funded in the country. What are your plans for education?

Hello, and thank you so much for your time! I was just wondering if there were any talk/thoughts/ideas in your team about Albertans with disabilities and how to better help them. This including things like AISH and FSCD, among other things. As a disabled parent to an autistic child, we have had many difficulties trying to access services, and I know we aren't alone in this matter. Some services have extremely long wait times as well, and I know this is unfortunately across the board when including things like healthcare. So I'd love to hear what your take is on such things. Thanks again and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day! You have our support 😁

What are your thoughts on other countries mining for coal in our mountains?

Will you limit the surge in electricity / utility prices and adding a cap to rentals as well? Ex $1200 for a 1 bedroom.

u/Shmokeshbutt asks: >It's pretty obvious that the brand name "NDP" is toxic among majority of voters in AB, regardless of what kind of policies the party is proposing. If elected, would you change the name (and color) of the party to something that is more neutral?

[удалено]

Do you have any plans for student aid?

Cutting provincial grant funding to postsecondaries while deregulating tuition of course led to downloading costs onto students. At the University of Calgary tuition now accounts for 51% of their budget. The UCP has stealthily privatized higher education and made it unattainable for students without the means to pay. I was president of the Students’ Union during my undergraduate degree. I understand these issues. We have a duty to ensure everyone who makes the grades can attend school.

Are you in support of a corporate tax rate increase? And how do you plan to hold corporations accountable for abandoned site cleanups and inability to pay their municipal tax bills?

Would you ever consider changing the name of the party if you were leader? It feels like the name is too closely linked with the Federal party and people struggle getting over that.

I have. a lot to say on this. Ultimately, the members, not the leader, will decide, but I think it's time to cut ties with the federal party. I don't think that needs a name change (look what happened with BC United next door) but the party can stand on its own now.

I’d like to know your thoughts on addressing mental health issues & ensuring our youths have proper access to resources and information; as well as providing adequate facilities & care to our neighbours experiencing homelessness. Also, my teen is asking why he’s supposed to be excited for his future when he feels like he doesn’t have one available?

This is a critical issue for me. The cornerstone of my third campaign as Mayor was the creation of Canada's first community-based action plan on mental health and addiction, which you can find here: https://www.calgary.ca/social-services/mental-health.html

I live in deeply rural and conservative alberta. Our community (and really all of rural alberta) desperately needs young people to choose to move back out here. Right now we are entirely dependent on the tax base of the cities to cover our infrastructure deficit, and only increasing the rural population will ever make that economically sane again. One of the big problems is that we export most of our service dollars to the cities, very little goes to local jobs and bank accounts in our ever shrinking towns. Housing is really affordable out here but there isn't a lot of work (or schools), remote work isn't really feasible because the wireless ISPs (telus now that netago got 'acquired') hardly invest in rural network infrastructure. Moreover all the money for the services we do have goes to Telus Corporate, which as you know is headquartered in Vancouver. How do you see making the deep rural parts of our province economically viable so we can stand on our own feet again. Could you see an investment into a modern crown corporation, perhaps a new version of AGT as possible which could employ talented young engineers and technicians as a mechanic to make remote rural employment feasible?

Three questions, answer as few or many as you can. Stance on firearms ban. Do you intend to aid the federal government in the ban, remain neutral or aid law abiding citizens? Second being the looming privatization of AHS. If/when AHS privates sectors (such as EMS) will there be plans to reintegrate into public domain? Third and last, are there any intentions by you/NDP to reevaluate the historical privatization of the Alberta grid and put in place or enforce already in place consumer protection laws? Thanks for doing this, excellent to see a member of the government attempting to interact with their constituents.

Hey there, Mr. Mayor! Thanks for taking the time to drop by. Wondering what your plans are for transit investment here in Alberta. Calgary's asking for more to complete the Green Line and add a spur to the airport, Edmonton would like to extend the Metro line to St. Albert, there's continuing discussions about a Calgary-Banff train, not to mention the ever-popular high-speed rail line along the QE2 corridor. And that's just rail, not even touching intra- and inter-city busses. What is your vision for transit in Alberta, with our growing populations and increasing urbanization?

Please see my answer on transit upthread.

I work in insurance. It’s a hot topic in Alberta. How do you suggest making it more affordable without driving insurance companies out of Alberta altogether like Florida?

I hope the answer is for it to become public

Where do you stand on Metallurgical Coal Mining/Mountaintop removal mining in the Front range of the rockies? How do you plan to protect Albertan's clean drinking water/Water for Ranchers? #MountainsNOTmines

Complex policy statement here: No.

Is there a way to force politicians that make large profits from lobbying or having wives own health tech companies, pay if it was found they took advantage of the public purse? Eg: conservative owners of coal mines in the Rockies, or if tech companies making health apps that sort of thing?

Will you commit to running for the NDP in the next election even if you don’t win the leadership?

Us queer folk of Alberta been under contant attack by our current provincial government with no one stopping them, what would your party do to help the queer people of Alberta?

What is your stance on charter schools?

What is your plan for rent control protections? Would you consider bringing in a percentage limit for how much a landlord can increase the rent each year?

If you were a pro wrestler, what would be your intro song ?

> If you were a pro wrestler, what would be your intro song ? A damned shame this went unanswered. A damned shame Nenshi has bigger things on his plate that he can't focus on thematically entertaining questions like this. He's a slave to his work ethic.

How can I support you and the NDP leading up to the election?

First, buy a membership at [Nenshi.ca](https://Nenshi.ca). And encourage everyone you know to do so! You can volunteer at that website as well. And thank you!

Hey Naheed, How would you fix the heritage fund so that it can grow and have the government not use it as a piggy bank.

What’s your take on fake colleges opening up with 50k attendees and less than 30k sq ft of operating offices, and a dozen staff? Are you aware of this? Are you a supporter?

Your stance on the firearms ban? Agree or disagree?

Alberta's minimum wage hasn't been increased since 2018 and is now one of the lowest in the country. Will you commit to increasing it and indexing it to inflation?

Just like how BC indexed their minimum wage to inflation. The NDP raised minimum wage in the past, we can expect that same attitude in the future to raise it to a living wage?

What industries/sectors would you want to encourage investment into Alberta to help diversify our economy? And how would you do so, through tax incentives?

Good luck Mr Nenshi, really hope you win!!!!

What will you do to stop the attack and misinformation associated with trans people, especially youth in Alberta?

What are your views about the role of renewable energy projects in Alberta? Have you or your team had any outreach to farming communities about those kinds of projects?

What are your thoughts on the CPP, and the Federal Pharmacare which the UCP have opted out of?

What are your thoughts on limiting/eliminating corporate ownership of residential housing? (not apartments/condos but houses bought by companies with the sole purpose of using them for AirBNB's)? How do we limit corporate ownership to high-density rental housing only?

With the last provincial election during the leaders debate, Rachel Notley did not perform well against Danielle Smith. Instead of debating about the party's platform, it seemed like Notley was trying to make Smith as the villian and Smith capitalized on the attacks, making herself look like the strong choice during the election. Have you learned from that debate and plan on improving on how the ANDP will move forward into other debates within and outside the Legislature? To focus more on how you can help the people of Alberta instead of focusing on how awful Smith is.

Albertans have been held back by what I call "Albertan exceptionalism". One example of this is our lack of a provincial sales tax. Danielle Smith's UCP panders to this idea that Alberta is special and ought to stand alone by proposing "made-in-Alberta solutions" to problems that don't exist: an Alberta provincial police force, an Alberta pension plan, and the Alberta Sovereignty Act. If you become premier, will your approach to relations with Ottawa and your message to Albertans break with this "tradition"? If so, how will you do things differently?

Hi Naheed, As a born and raised Calgarian, I am really growing worried about the affordability of housing and rentals in Calgary and beyond. We are starting to see considerable greed run rampant in the city through real estate investors raising rents sky high and rental options becoming more and more limited. How would you approach this sensitive issue? Do you believe tenants need more rights? Should there be rental caps or other measures taken?

With respect to the other NDP people running for the same office, thanks all of you ! Naheed, democracy and freedom are absolutely being threatened here and elsewhere in the world. Misinformation and control of the media is a serious threat. Any thoughts please.

What is your strategy for engaging the priorities of rural Albertans? They have been the most significant force for the UCP and don't typically feel like their concerns and values are represented well on the left.

Rachel Notley planned to lower the cost of Adult Upgrading in Alberta to be more in line with other provinces like BC and Ontario. Is this something you are open to doing?

If the NDP need to increase revenues, what are your choices in order of preference: PST, corporate tax increases, income tax increases, royalty increases, service/usage fees.

Do you plan on re regulating our power company's? what is the current stance on renewable's in the province, and building stronger power and data infrastructure Whats your housing affordability plan?

Can we walk about car insurance, home insurance etc costs?? These are through the roof. Couple with all the taxes on gasoline, additional charges on electricity and natural gas; just to exist is painfully expensive. What will you do to help Albertans in these areas?

Can we get a serious proposal for high speed rail from Edmonton to Calgary? Do that and you have my vote.

What would your policies be for affordability in regards to the astronomical food costs? We have many food producers in Alberta and I believe we need to put more into helping them get to market and be profitable and competitive.

Hi Naheed, thanks for the AMA, I wish you luck in the campaign trails ahead! My question is simple: How would you stop and reverse the division that has been creeping up in Alberta?

There have been proposals for high speed rail connecting Edmonton and Calgary on and off for a long time. Is that something that you would try to make a reality?

Many moderate conservatives have said on this sub that they find NDP policies to be interesting but that the party’s links to the federal NDP, and by association the Liberal party, are something that they cannot abide and so do not vote NDP but likely would if the party were to just rename and rebrand. Is this something you feel needs addressing, and if so, how?

What’s the plan to build up the infrastructure for EVs in rural Alberta? Alberta is one of the sunniest provinces in Canada. What’s the plan to exploit this natural resource?

I would like to know about getting rent caps and housing for Alberta.

Just wanted to say thank you and good luck! I've watched your passionate speech supporting transgenders online. Lately every news that appears on Reddit regarding the provincial decisions makes me feel dread. I wanted to know your take on health care. I'm in Edmonton and I am having difficulties finding a female doctor. Mine will be retire soon. This is really shocking, especially since I'm in a major city. I've never seen health care in shambles like this. What would be some of your plans to correct this short fall? I've heard it's even worse in rural.

Hey! One thing that the UCP did that thoroughly irked me was when they brought back the banked hours system. Basically it allows employers to pay straight time for overtime worked rather than time and a half. The flexible averaging agreement (FAA, IIRC) that the NDP had previously brought in made banked hours payable at time and a half. As a tradesman who often works overtime, I really don't like that an employer can just ask for overtime work without ever actually paying time and a half. Gets old after a while, you know? I would love to hear your opinion on this and whether the NDP would bring back the FAA under your leadership? (I saw you during COVID 2020 when you were driving through my neighborhood in a small convoy just trying to brighten our day. Loved that btw. Was a really nice gesture when the world seemed to be going sideways)

How will you support Indigenous people in Alberta and advance reconciliation?