EDMONTON — Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi is looking to finally win a seat in the legislature after a year of sitting on the sidelines.
He's running in one of three provincial byelections Monday as a candidate in Edmonton-Strathcona, where his predecessor, former premier Rachel Notley, last won 80 per cent of the vote. Also vying for the seat is United Conservative Party candidate Darby Crouch.
In Edmonton-Ellerslie, NDP candidate Gurtej Singh Brar could solidify the Opposition party's hold on the city, but United Conservative Party candidate Naresh Bhardwaj is hoping to make an inroad.
In rural central Alberta, the separatist Republican Party of Alberta is aiming to capitalize on discontent with Ottawa.
Party Leader Cameron Davies has been campaigning in Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills against the UCP's Tara Sawyer, the NDP's Bev Toews and Bill Tufts of the Wildrose Loyalty Coalition. The seat became vacant after former legislature speaker and longtime UCP legislature member Nathan Cooper resigned to take a post as Alberta's representative in Washington, D.C.
The push for the province to leave Confederation was renewed after April's federal election saw Prime Minister Mark Carney win a fourth Liberal mandate.
Soon after, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's UCP government passed a law that will lower the threshold for citizens to spark a referendum on seceding from Canada.
Smith has repeatedly said she wants Alberta to remain in Canada, but she has also said there should be more opportunities for direct democracy.
Advance polling numbers from Elections Alberta show the Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills riding had the highest turnout at 13 per cent.
Byelections typically do not draw as many eligible voters as general elections. The last general election in 2023 saw just over 60 per cent participation.
Also running in the Edmonton-Strathcona seat are Republican Ravina Chand, Samuel Petrov of the Alberta Party, Liberal Don Slater and Wildrose Loyalty Coalition candidate Jesse Stretch.
Other candidates in Edmonton-Ellerslie are Caroline Currie of the Alberta Party, Pamela Henson from the Wildrose Loyalty Coalition, Fred Munn of the Republican Party and Liberal Manpreet Tiwana.
The south-Edmonton riding had been represented by Rod Loyola under the NDP banner until he resigned to run in the federal election.
Polling stations in the three byelections close at 8 p.m.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2025.
Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press
