Notley resignation: Alberta NDP leader says ‘no intention’ of running for the party federally

Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley, who announced Tuesday she plans to step down from the job she’s held for nearly a decade, says running for the federal NDP or “any other party” is “not going to happen.”

Notley told CTV News Channel’s Power Play host Vassy Kapelos in an interview Tuesday that while there’s “no question” she considers herself a federal New Democrat, she has “no intention” of running for any party at the federal level.

“I could answer the question in French, at which point you would realize that it could never happen,” Notley joked. “But either way, yeah, no, it’s not a thing that I plan to do, although I’m proud to be a federal New Democrat.”

But Notley also said she’s “a little young for retirement,” and hasn’t ruled out staying on as the MLA for Edmonton—Strathcona after the party has selected her replacement as leader.

Notley in her interview also discussed the federal carbon price and whether she supports the program, saying there is “no simple solution,” and adding the “war of words” around the issue “has interfered with real progress” on fighting climate change while also supporting Alberta’s economy.

“I’ve said before, and I’ll say again: not only Alberta, but Canada, benefits a lot from the export of non-renewable resources in this country,” she said. “And if we are going to confront the issue of climate change, we need to find a way to do so in a way that we’re able to position our energy industry to continue to contribute to our economy, while at the same time significantly reducing emissions.”

You can watch Notley’s full interview in the video player at the top of this article.