As the Alberta NDP leadership race enters the final stretch, its impact on the party continues to become apparent.
According to the Alberta NDP, the party currently has 85,144 members, a substantial increase from 16,224 on Dec. 31, 2023. Party membership sales ended on April 22, indicating that the quintupling of the membership occurred in less than four months.
Data about membership numbers in specific ridings, first published in a CBC article on May 21, indicates that all 87 provincial electoral divisions have seen an increase, some more noticeably so than others.
The numbers, shared with CBC by the leadership campaign of Calgary-Mountain View MLA Kathleen Ganley, indicate that the Highwood riding — encompassing Okotoks, Diamond Valley and area — now has 963 members.
The riding had 132 members on Dec. 31, 2023, according to Highwood NDP constituency association president Sheila Stacey, which means Highwood has seen a more than 600 per cent increase in Alberta NDP membership.
The rapid growth can be attributed to multiple factors, said Stacey.
"They're concerned with the direction of our province and they're concerned with the direction of our current governing party," she said. "[The UCP has] some really out-there legislation that they're pushing through this spring, and I think people should be concerned."
The main factor behind the massive spike in membership, both throughout the party and in Highwood specifically, has been interest around the leadership race, which began on Feb. 5. The Highwood NDP constituency association hosted campaign events with most of the leadership candidates over the last few months.
"Certainly the leadership race and really strong candidates and engagement with the leadership race... one candidate that has significant range of name recognition, Naheed Nenshi of course, has brought some folks in."
According to former leadership candidate Rakhi Pancholi, the party's membership "more than doubled" the week after Nenshi announced his candidacy on March 15, leading to her dropping out of the race and endorsing his campaign on March 26.
Nenshi and Ganley are the race's two candidates from Calgary, which, according to membership data, is now home to the party's largest member base with 39,240, eclipsing NDP stronghold Edmonton's 21,253.
The two Calgarians — together with Sarah Hoffman and Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse, MLAs for Edmonton-Glenora and Edmonton-Rutherford respectively — last shared the stage at a panel discussion in Athabasca (Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock) on May 15, which drew over 200 attendees from across the province. Prior to that, alongside former candidate Gil McGowan, all candidates attended a rural issues and priorities forum in Claresholm (Livingstone-Macleod) on April 13 that was attended by over 100 people.
The Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock and Livingstone-Macleod ridings currently have 384 and 891 Alberta NDP members, respectively.
"More people getting involved with events, getting involved with the political process and engaging other people, it's only gonna mean more growth for the Highwood NDP, and I think it's gonna help set a solid foundation for an upcoming election," said Stacey. "We're super excited that it only means good things for progressive politics moving forward here in the Highwood."
The leadership race culminates on June 22 with the winner being announced at an event in Calgary.
