Alberta NDP leadership candidate Gil McGowan might soon be giving the membership a metaphorical middle finger. This is because McGowan has decided to drop out of the Alberta NDP leadership race. “Paying the final instalment of the $60,000 entry fee — which was due last night at midnight — has proven too much for me,” said McGowan in a Monday statement. “As the candidate who has been a party member for the longest time (38 years!), you can rest assured that I will continue to fight the UCP’s (United Conservative Party) unacceptable agenda both now and in the next election.”.However, he said he would not be doing that as NDP leader. He added his central message in this campaign has been the NDP has to reach out to people outside of its tent. In particular, this means Albertans with high school, college, and trades educations, who polls show are supporting the Alberta UCP over the NDP. In other words, he said the traditional workers party “needs to find a way to shore up its support among workers.” He called workers “the missing piece in the coalition we need to build in order to defeat the UCP.” McGowan concluded by saying people can join him on Monday at 7 p.m. for a Zoom webinar, where he will share his perspectives on the campaign and the opportunities ahead for the NDP. As always, he will take any and all questions people have from him. “In particular, I want to talk about one moment from the debate in Calgary that I think we need to learn most from if we want to defeat the UCP in 2027,” he said. McGowan confirmed in February he would be joining the NDP leadership race. READ MORE: Alberta union boss says he will run for NDP leadershipHe made his intentions clear in a series of direct social media messages to potential supporters. “I haven’t officially announced yet, but I’m going to join the NDP leadership race,” he said.
Alberta NDP leadership candidate Gil McGowan might soon be giving the membership a metaphorical middle finger. This is because McGowan has decided to drop out of the Alberta NDP leadership race. “Paying the final instalment of the $60,000 entry fee — which was due last night at midnight — has proven too much for me,” said McGowan in a Monday statement. “As the candidate who has been a party member for the longest time (38 years!), you can rest assured that I will continue to fight the UCP’s (United Conservative Party) unacceptable agenda both now and in the next election.”.However, he said he would not be doing that as NDP leader. He added his central message in this campaign has been the NDP has to reach out to people outside of its tent. In particular, this means Albertans with high school, college, and trades educations, who polls show are supporting the Alberta UCP over the NDP. In other words, he said the traditional workers party “needs to find a way to shore up its support among workers.” He called workers “the missing piece in the coalition we need to build in order to defeat the UCP.” McGowan concluded by saying people can join him on Monday at 7 p.m. for a Zoom webinar, where he will share his perspectives on the campaign and the opportunities ahead for the NDP. As always, he will take any and all questions people have from him. “In particular, I want to talk about one moment from the debate in Calgary that I think we need to learn most from if we want to defeat the UCP in 2027,” he said. McGowan confirmed in February he would be joining the NDP leadership race. READ MORE: Alberta union boss says he will run for NDP leadershipHe made his intentions clear in a series of direct social media messages to potential supporters. “I haven’t officially announced yet, but I’m going to join the NDP leadership race,” he said.
