Alberta NDP MLA Sarah Hoffman (Edmonton-Glenora) confirmed she is running to become the next leader. “I am so proud of what we achieved as New Democrats in government: building the Calgary Cancer Centre, a historic social housing program, and dramatic action on climate change,” said Hoffman in a Sunday press release. Hoffman grew up in Kinuso, AB, where her father was a school principal and her mother a teacher. When she told her parents she wanted to become a teacher, they told her not to. Since former Alberta premier Ralph Klein was in charge, her father said teachers were not valued. Like most times when people told her situations would be tough, she did it anyways. She earned bachelor’s degrees in mathematics, religion, and education and a master’s degree in education policy. While studying, she became involved with the NDP. In 2010, Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley encouraged her to run for the Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB). She earned 70% of the vote, defeating a well-known incumbent trustee. While the Alberta government wanted to shut down schools, she said she succeeded at stopping it. She added she is “very proud of my record over two terms as trustee and as chair of the Edmonton Public School Board, standing up for students, staff, and families.”In 2015, she defeated an Alberta Progressive Conservative cabinet minister and won Edmonton-Glenora for the NDP for the first time. Notley made her deputy premier and health minister. Hoffman touted her passing a law to stop harassment around abortion clinics and oversaw the Alberta government becoming the first in Canada to fund the abortion pill. She acknowledged she put harm reduction at the centre of her response to the opioid crisis, which saved lives. However, she said she is most proud of cutting child poverty in half in four years. She added every New Democrat “should be proud of that, and I’m so excited to pick that work up again.”“Let’s take action together and put our NDP values to work,” she said. “The time is now!”Other candidates who have entered the race are NDP MLA Kathleen Ganley (Calgary-Mountain View) and MLA Rakhi Pancholi (Edmonton-Whitemud). Hoffman was floated as a potential Alberta NDP leadership candidate when Notley resigned from her position on January 16. READ MORE: Potential contenders to replace Notley as Alberta NDP leaderShe has been in provincial politics since 2015. She was the deputy premier and health minister from 2015 to 2019. During this time, she expanded mental health and addictions supports, strengthened women’s healthcare, and built hospitals and continuing care centres.
Alberta NDP MLA Sarah Hoffman (Edmonton-Glenora) confirmed she is running to become the next leader. “I am so proud of what we achieved as New Democrats in government: building the Calgary Cancer Centre, a historic social housing program, and dramatic action on climate change,” said Hoffman in a Sunday press release. Hoffman grew up in Kinuso, AB, where her father was a school principal and her mother a teacher. When she told her parents she wanted to become a teacher, they told her not to. Since former Alberta premier Ralph Klein was in charge, her father said teachers were not valued. Like most times when people told her situations would be tough, she did it anyways. She earned bachelor’s degrees in mathematics, religion, and education and a master’s degree in education policy. While studying, she became involved with the NDP. In 2010, Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley encouraged her to run for the Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB). She earned 70% of the vote, defeating a well-known incumbent trustee. While the Alberta government wanted to shut down schools, she said she succeeded at stopping it. She added she is “very proud of my record over two terms as trustee and as chair of the Edmonton Public School Board, standing up for students, staff, and families.”In 2015, she defeated an Alberta Progressive Conservative cabinet minister and won Edmonton-Glenora for the NDP for the first time. Notley made her deputy premier and health minister. Hoffman touted her passing a law to stop harassment around abortion clinics and oversaw the Alberta government becoming the first in Canada to fund the abortion pill. She acknowledged she put harm reduction at the centre of her response to the opioid crisis, which saved lives. However, she said she is most proud of cutting child poverty in half in four years. She added every New Democrat “should be proud of that, and I’m so excited to pick that work up again.”“Let’s take action together and put our NDP values to work,” she said. “The time is now!”Other candidates who have entered the race are NDP MLA Kathleen Ganley (Calgary-Mountain View) and MLA Rakhi Pancholi (Edmonton-Whitemud). Hoffman was floated as a potential Alberta NDP leadership candidate when Notley resigned from her position on January 16. READ MORE: Potential contenders to replace Notley as Alberta NDP leaderShe has been in provincial politics since 2015. She was the deputy premier and health minister from 2015 to 2019. During this time, she expanded mental health and addictions supports, strengthened women’s healthcare, and built hospitals and continuing care centres.
