This past Sunday, May 24, was a historic day for Alberta. After nearly 44 years under PC rule, we are now led by a majority NDP government.
I’m not going to get into what the prospect of this new government is… but I was fortunate enough to be in Edmonton and therefore attended the swearing-in ceremony.
By 2 pm on a HOT Sunday afternoon, the area north of the Alberta Legislature buildings was filled with orange t-shirts, kids playing in the pools, seniors, youth, and people of all cultures and ages. The number in attendance was in the thousands, made possible by Motley holding the event publicly rather than the usual stiff and formal suit-and-tie-only ceremony inside.
A million news sites are out there to tell you the details and give you a moment-by-moment account of the event. What I want to say is this: the new NDP government may be, well, new, but Sunday made a big statement. The ceremony was for the people. The ceremony was a celebration. The ceremony connected the government with the citizens (after the formal agenda, Notley and her fellows came down for a meet-and-greet with the public). The ceremony highlighted new ways of thinking, such as with the appointment of a significantly smaller cabinet.
I could go on and on saying this and that, but one thing that I want everyone to be aware of: Rachel Notley did something spectacular in her speeches. Instead of saying the traditional “men and women” when she was referring to the government and the people, she said “women and men”. How refreshing is that?
We all have our own opinions, our own apprehensions, and our own desires. However, one thing that stands true is this: our new NDP-led government is just that: ours. Maybe it won’t turn out to be that way, but we can at least have hope, right? The crowds seemed to believe so, as the noise was thunderous when Notley was officially sworn in, and even louder when the end of the PC reign was announced. Women’s rights, poverty, economy diversification: let’s have hope their plan becomes a reality.
Like it or not, our goodbye to PC leadership is now final, at least for now. From here on out, we’ll just have to see what happens!
