National Post (National Edition)
Notley’s rookie NDP MLAs get advice from their federal cousins
54 new legislators mirror 57 MPs gained in 2011
O T T AWA / MO N T R E A L • Some officials from the federal NDP who helped out their Alberta counterparts in the runup to Tuesday’s provincial election will stay a little longer in the West, providing logistical support and helping train dozens of rookie politicians.
The rout that saw the provincial NDP unseat the Progressive Conservatives after four decades included 50 rookies among 54 New Democrat MLAs. That’s almost as many as the 57 new MPs the federal NDP gained in the 2011 election, when the so-called orange wave swept Quebec.
Based on that experience, the federal NDP is providing advice to Rachel Notley’s party on what went well and what fell flat in preparing a large group of fresh-faced legislators for life in politics.
Notley’s win “was a real inspiration. It reminded us of the orange wave in Quebec,” said Hoang Mai, who was a rookie MP elected in the riding of Brossard-La Prairie in the 2011 federal election.
Many NDP newcomers in 2011 were young, four were McGill University students and several had virtually no political experience.
Mai’s advice for the MLAs elected in Alberta: “Work hard and be open to learning,” he said. “You have to learn how to deal with question period and how to deal with the media. There is a lot of hard work and the learning curve is amazing.”
He said the new MLAs need to keep their constituents aware of what they’re doing. “You can’t forget the voters and the people who didn’t vote for you,” Mai said. “People have to know that you’re there for them.”
The new MLAs should take their time in hiring staff, suggested Alexandre Boulerice, who was first elected for the NDP in Rosemont-La Petite Patrie in 2011.
“You want to get the right people who are competent, instead of just hiring anyone,” he said. “You need people with experience, not just yesmen. You want people who can challenge you and can say: ‘You might not be right,’ or, ‘ We can improve this.’”
Anne McGrath, who is overseeing the federal NDP election campaign but currently in Alberta, said, “This is a particularly large group of people coming in and, although they have a lot of experience in other fields, there’s a lot to learn.”
For instance, the provincial NDP will have to focus on building party structures in areas of the province where traditionally there has been little, if any, political infrastructure, McGrath said. The federal New Democrats have done just that over the past four years, trying to help their newest MPs fortify their election wins in anticipation of this year’s federal vote. Mai said that after the 2011 federal election, new NDP MPs were given a mentor who showed them the ropes and answered their numerous questions. Boulerice said federal NDP Leader Tom Mulcair was his mentor and provided great advice on how to operate in Ottawa.
The victory in Alberta means some regrouping for the federal party, too. For instance, some federal NDP staffers may stay in Alberta to help the party build, extending leaves from their jobs on Parliament Hill.
And three federal ridings in Alberta are now without NDP candidates for October’s election because they were elected as MLAs Tuesday.
Thirty ridings in the province still need federal NDP candidates.
“We’re actually working very hard across the country to have our candidates nominated and in place. We’re going to have to find new candidates to replace the ones that were elected here,” McGrath said.
McGrath said she expected those searches to become a little easier, as Tuesday’s victory may entice people to put forward their names.
Work hard and be open to learning …
the learning curve is amazing