NDP hopes tide is turning as Notley gets cheers in Calgary

Don Braid, Calgary Herald
More from Don Braid, Calgary Herald

Rachel Notley seemed to be bouncing on air as she walked along the hallway in the Telus Convention Centre, on her way to a news conference.

This was one happy premier.

She’d just been cheered heartily several times by a huge crowd at the annual meeting of the Albert Urban Municipalities Association. As she finished, the delegates gave her an almost unanimous standing O.

This is new. It may also be a lot bigger than applause from one audience. The New Democrats believe, and they may be right, that 2½ years after they won, civic decision-makers are finally warming to them.

That would be a huge change. Many Calgarians remember Notley’s frigid reception by the Calgary Chamber of Commerce in October 2015.

A hostile silence hung over that crowd for 40 minutes. It was painful, even insulting.

Notley shrugged it off — people were just listening hard, she said. The animosity was partly her fault. She’d got the tone wrong by failing to talk about the thousands in Calgary who were being laid off.

Notley gets another chance Friday when she speaks to the chamber. But whatever happens there, her friendly welcome by the AUMA crowd was significant.

These are politicians from urban municipalities all over the province. Forty-six per cent of them have just been elected for the first time, in last month’s civic elections.

From now until the next provincial election (and maybe after) their only experience will be with the NDP. They’re the incubator of a new power base, if the NDP can win them over.

One councillor from Hinton, Dewly Nelson, said, “People don’t like all the NDP policies, but, in general, I think they’re doing the right things, the things that had to be done.” That drew nods from his colleagues at the Hinton table.

full story at http://calgaryherald.com/news/politics/braid-ndp-hopes-tide-is-turning-as-notley-gets-cheers-in-calgary