Rachel Notley

Rachel Notley, born on April 17, 1964, is a prominent Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 17th premier of Alberta from 2015 to 2019. She is also known for her role as the leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2014 until 2024. Notley represented the Edmonton-Strathcona constituency in the Legislative Assembly from 2008 to 2024, marking a significant tenure in Alberta's political landscape.

The daughter of former Alberta NDP leader Grant Notley, Rachel Notley pursued a career in law before entering the political arena. Her legal expertise focused on labour law, particularly in workers' compensation advocacy and workplace health and safety issues. This background provided her with a strong foundation for her political career.

Notley first entered the Legislative Assembly after winning the 2008 provincial election, succeeding former NDP leader Raj Pannu. Her leadership journey took a significant turn on October 18, 2014, when she won the Alberta NDP leadership election with an impressive seventy percent of the vote. Under her guidance, the party achieved a historic majority victory in the 2015 provincial election, ending a forty-four-year reign by the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta.

Despite the NDP's defeat in the 2019 provincial election by the United Conservative Party, Notley continued to play a vital role as the Opposition leader. In the 2023 provincial election, the NDP made substantial gains but did not secure government, with Notley remaining at the helm of the Opposition.

On January 16, 2024, Notley announced her intention to step down as leader of the Alberta NDP, with plans to remain in the position until a successor was elected on June 22. Following her leadership transition to Naheed Nenshi, she also stepped down as Leader of the Opposition on June 24. Ultimately, on December 12, Notley declared her resignation as an MLA, effective December 30, and returned to her roots in labour law.