Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi is without a seat in the Alberta legislature, and he's not happy about it. He's working hard on the pancake circuit to get his name out there, but it's no easy task.
00:00:00.000Now, usually a top priority for a new political party leader is to get a seat in the legislature or parliament, depending on their level of government.
00:00:07.340But Alberta NDP leader Nenshi has been pretending that he isn't in a hurry to seek a seat in the Alberta legislature, but that's anything but true.
00:00:15.260I mean, having ridden into the NDP leadership with a very impressive level of party support, people anticipated Nenshi's political ascendancy would progress quickly.
00:00:24.280I mean, the first comprehensive poll held in Alberta since he won the leadership has found that support for the NDP has been flatlined, and they're trailing Daniel Smith's UCP by 14 points.
00:00:35.280Typically, a new party leader can expect a honeymoon with the electors and maybe even a bump in support, but this hasn't happened with Nenshi.
00:00:41.560I mean, he's proven himself to be a formidable organizer in the leadership race, but he just hasn't endeared himself to the electorate at large.
00:00:47.740Nenshi's working hard right now on the pancake circuit while the legacy media dutifully carries water for him with breathless coverage on how well-attended the heads and events have been, but the public at large really hasn't taken notice of him.
00:01:00.140And when the summer ends and the public events dry up, Nenshi's going to be challenged by his lack of a seat more than ever.
00:01:05.780The legislative session's going to begin this fall in Alberta, and some unknown backbench MLA named Christina Gray will serve as the leader of the opposition while Nenshi remains on the outside looking in.
00:01:15.260And many Albertans don't know who Nenshi really is.
00:01:17.800If a person isn't an avid CBC viewer or didn't live in Calgary during his reign as mayor, they really aren't too familiar with the guy, actually.
00:01:25.320And it's going to take more than flipping some pancakes at rodeos to get people to know him.
00:01:28.800The legislature is the natural place to establish himself as an opposition leader and potential future premier.
00:01:33.820It's where Nenshi can hold the premier's feet to the fire on policies and where he can promote NDP motions.
00:01:39.300It would keep him in the news scroll and establish him in the minds of Albertans as a possible premier in waiting.
00:01:44.020But alas, for now, the best Nenshi can do is hang around the legislature atrium after sessions and hope that a reporter wants to speak with him.
00:01:51.920With media outlets getting smaller, few, aside from the Western Standard, of course, have the resources to keep a reporter on site in the legislature full time.
00:01:59.200Those other outlets garner their information from debates on bills and get video clips from the legislative session.
00:02:03.880They don't sit in groups to scrum party leaders in the lobby as they used to.
00:02:14.720Normally, somebody within a party would be willing to step aside from a safe seat for a new leader.
00:02:19.940Clearly, right now, nobody within the NDP caucus is willing to do that for Nenshi.
00:02:23.640Part of the problem is that Nenshi can't offer great incentives for an MLA to fall on their sword and give them their seat.
00:02:29.960A party in power can offer all sorts of appointments to ensure an MLA taking one for the team has a soft landing.
00:02:34.560A party in opposition is kind of limited when it comes to such political horse trading.
00:02:38.980The safest seats for the NDP are in Edmonton.
00:02:41.460There may be an MLA or two up there willing to step aside and make room for Nenshi, but it wouldn't be ideal for him.
00:02:46.160If the NDP can't make gains in Calgary, they don't have a chance of winning the next election.
00:02:50.180They want to keep Nenshi in Calgary where they hope to build a more solid base of support.
00:02:54.200In Calgary, there are a few seats that would be considered safe, but the MLA sitting in them aren't going to move over for Nenshi.
00:02:59.500This indicates Nenshi isn't as popular within the party ranks as some people might think.
00:03:03.280I mean, sure, he won the leadership with an astounding level of support, but to get a seat, he needs some love coming from the old NDP stalwarts, and it doesn't appear to be there.
00:03:11.040While Lethbridge West is open and will be holding a by-election soon, it's far from a safe seat for Nenshi.
00:03:15.480He could possibly run and lose down there, but that would cause some pretty deep embarrassment.
00:03:20.160He's better off to bide his time than take such a risk.
00:03:22.680It's still going to be more than three years until the next general election, and Nenshi's surely going to find his way into the legislature before then.
00:03:27.600But he isn't riding the wave of popularity that the legacy media implies, though, and he needs every advantage he can get.
00:03:34.000With every month, he sits forlornly outside the legislature begging for attention, while another MLA serves as opposition leader.
00:03:41.300Nenshi's just going to look weaker and weaker.
00:03:42.980Being seatless right now is an inconvenience for Nenshi, but the quest for his seat is going to turn into desperation pretty soon if he doesn't get a chance to pursue it soon.