Four Alberta NDP legislators, including two from Calgary, will not seek re-election, the opposition party announced Saturday.
Departing MLAs Thanked by Nenshi
Calgary-Buffalo MLA Joe Ceci and Dr. Luanne Metz, who represents Calgary-Varsity, will serve out their current terms but will not run again, according to NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi. Edmonton-Goldbar's Marlin Schmidt and Edmonton-Riverview's Lori Sigurdson will also conclude their time in the legislature.
“I want to thank Joe Ceci, Dr. Luanne Metz, Marlin Schmidt, and Lori Sigurdson for the tangible and immeasurable ways they have made Alberta better,” Nenshi said in a press release Saturday. “Before their time in elected office, each of them demonstrated a deep commitment to community service and improving the lives of others, and they carried that same dedication into public life.”
Ceci's Long Political Career
Joe Ceci was first elected as an MLA in 2015 and served as finance minister in the NDP government led by Rachel Notley. Prior to that, he spent 15 years as a Calgary city councillor.
Metz, Sigurdson, and Schmidt
Dr. Luanne Metz won her seat in 2023 and served as shadow minister for health. Lori Sigurdson, a social worker, was first elected in 2015 and held several cabinet portfolios in the NDP government, including minister of innovation, advanced education, job skills training and labour, as well as minister of seniors and housing. Marlin Schmidt also entered the legislature in 2015 and served as advanced education minister.
Party's Electoral Landscape
These four MLAs are among the 38 NDP members elected in 2023, when the United Conservative Party again formed government. Ceci and Metz hold two of the party's 14 seats in Calgary, a city the NDP narrowly won three years ago. Nenshi noted the party has nominated 21 candidates so far for the next election, expected in 2025. The NDP has consistently trailed the UCP in opinion polls, though the gap has narrowed amid controversy over Alberta independence. Nomination dates for the four vacant ridings will be announced in the coming weeks.
