Ellected by Madame Premier Madame Premier

Episode 69 is the last episode in the series of conversations with all of the candidates running to be the next leader of the Alberta NDP and this conversation with Gil McGowan is full of surprises.

McGowan is wearing multiple hats during the podcast and campaign as the president of the Alberta Federation of Labour and workers are front and centre during the podcast but it's how he positions them that gets some push back from Ellected's host Sarah Elder. Aren't all Albertans workers? She thinks so but McGowan has a different take on it.

McGowan also makes a bold statement on the Alberta NDP and oil and gas. What is it? You'll have to listen to find out!

Learn more about Gil McGowan:

Gil’s prairie pragmatism and progressive values are rooted in his rural Alberta upbringing. He grew up on a farm north of Edmonton. He attended elementary and junior high school in Clyde (population 430) and high school in Westlock (population 5,100).


Gil is a long-time New Democrat, having joined the party as a teenager to help in the breakthrough election of 1986 that saw the NDP form the Official Opposition for the first time, with 16 seats. Gil also served on the executive boards of the NDYA and the U of A campus NDP and interned at the Legislature. He worked as a voter contact organizer in the 1993 election and as the central campaign’s Director of Communications in the 1997 election.


Before being hired as a campaign organizer and communication officer by the labour movement in the ’90s, Gil was a journalist.


He holds a Master of Journalism from Carleton University in Ottawa and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alberta. Throughout his working life, Gil has been a proud and active member of several unions.


He has also done extensive work with the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA), the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 401 and the Amalgamated Transit Workers Union (ATU).


Gil is the proud father of three amazing young adults – who continue to bring him joy as they make their way in the world.

To learn more about Gil McGowan's campaign, click here.

It's live episode #5 with each of the candidates running to be the next leader of the Alberta NDP and this week MLA Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse joined Sarah Elder in-store at Madame Premier to talk about her campaign.

Jodi shares why her campaign is focused on water and climate change and contextualizes it in how it relates to Alberta's economy. Hear her thoughts on what the rural strategy should be for the party going into the next election, oil and gas and renewables, attracting investment to Alberta and how she thinks Danielle Smith and the UCP can be beaten in 2027.

More about Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse:
Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Edmonton-Rutherford and a proud member of Michel First Nation – Treaty 6, seeks to lead the Alberta NDP and become the next Premier, emphasizing unity in facing challenges like climate change and economic security.
Her leadership approach is grounded in hard work, collaboration, and community connection, demonstrating a commitment to listen and provide decisive leadership. Jodi’s journey involves learning from elders, earning an undergraduate degree in Native Studies, and pursuing a Master’s Degree with a focus on water security.
To find out more about Jodi's campaign, click here.

The latest and most in-demand podcast yet in Ellected's series of sitting down with all of the candidates in the leadership race to replace Rachel Notley as leader of Alberta's NDP, this conversation with Naheed Nenshi goes in a lot of directions.

From joining the race, his "outsider" status, why he isn't making policy announcements, having a seat in the legislature if he wins and so much, much more.

More about Naheed Nenshi:
Naheed served as Calgary’s mayor for three terms between 2010 and 2021. During his time as mayor, Calgary was named the third best city to live in globally.
Naheed was recognized as “the best mayor in the world” in 2014 by The City Mayors Foundation. He also received the President’s Award from the Canadian Institute of Planners and the Humanitarian Award from the Canadian Psychological Association for his contribution to community mental health.
Prior to his election, Naheed served as Canada’s first tenured professor of nonprofit management at the Bissett School of Business at Mount Royal University. He was also a management consultant for McKinsey & Company. Headquartered in Alberta, Naheed ran his own firm: Ascend Group. His clients included the United Nations and he advised on how corporations can help the world’s poorest people.
Naheed is a graduate of the University of Calgary where he served as President of the Students’ Union. He also earned a Master of Public Policy Degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University where he studied as a Kennedy Fellow.

The third in Ellected's series of live podcasts with the candidates running to replace Rachel Notley as the leader of the Alberta NDP. This episode features MLA Sarah Hoffman in her unabashed quest to win the race to take on Danielle Smith and the UCP in the 2027 provincial election.

Listen to Sarah Hoffman share her very transparent to run on a campaign of being authentically herself to get a mandate to lead the Alberta NDP. Sarah shares her three campaign policy priorities of healthcare, climate and housing and why each is important.

We talk about who will have her phone number (it won't be David Parker of Take Back Alberta), her record of winning elections against incumbents, where she is on the political spectrum and more in this episode.

More about MLA Sarah Hoffman:

Sarah Hoffman grew up in Kinuso, a small rural community, where her dad was the school principal and her mom was a teacher.
Sarah earned bachelor degrees in Mathematics, Religion and Education, and a master’s degree in Education Policy. While studying, Sarah got involved in the NDP. In 2010, Rachel Notley encouraged her to run for the Edmonton Public School Board. Sarah earned 70 per cent of the vote, defeating a well-known incumbent trustee. This was the first of Sarah’s five consecutive election victories.
In 2015, Sarah defeated a Conservative cabinet minister, and won Edmonton-Glenora for the Alberta NDP for the first time. Premier Rachel Notley named her Deputy Premier and Minister of Health.
Sarah was re-elected in 2019 and 2023, and served as Deputy Leader of the Alberta NDP throughout that time.

To learn more about Sarah Hoffman and her campaign, click here.

In the second live episode of Ellected in this special series of conversations with the Alberta NDP leadership candidates, host Sarah Elder-Chamanara sits down with MLA Kathleen Ganley. 

*Please note that due to a very unfortunate internet issue when recording, the recording cuts off abruptly.*

Hear Kathleen discuss the entry of Nenshi into the race, her focus on the economy and how that the economy is what will win the Alberta NDP the next election in 2027, what the membership tent would like under her leadership, caucus management and much, much more.

More about Kathleen Ganley:

Kathleen Ganley is the MLA for Calgary-Mountain View. She served as Alberta's Minister of Justice and Solicitor General from 2015 to 2019, where she focused on progressive reforms. Before her political career, she worked in law, specializing in labour, employment and human rights.
Kathleen holds a doctor of law (JD) from the University of Calgary and degrees in Philosophy and Psychology. Kathleen lives in Calgary with her daughter.

To learn more about Kathleen's campaign, click here.

More about Sarah Elder-Chamanara:

Sarah Elder-Chamanara is the founder, creative director, designer and owner of Madame Premier, a feminist, political and activist clothing company and community based in Calgary, Alberta. With the underlying principle of seeing more women and diversity in politics, elected and in backrooms, at every level, Sarah and Madame Premier create opportunities for conversations about how politics works, why it needs to change, who it needs to change for and how the time for that is now.

In the first ever episode of Ellected recorded in-front of a live  audience,  host Sarah Elder-Chamanara sits down with NDP MLA and leadership candidate Rakhi Pancholi for the first in a series of podcasts with all of the candidates running to be the next leader of the Alberta NDP.

Hear from Rakhi about why she's running, her thoughts on "lending" votes to the Alberta NDP in the 2023 provincial election campaign, the return of hope and optimism in Alberta politics, her plans for all day kindergarten, the upcoming launch of her climate policies and so much more. 

This episode was recorded in-front of a live audience at Madame Premier in Calgary on Sunday, March 3, 2024.

More about Rakhi Pancholi:
Rakhi Pancholi is a two-term MLA, lawyer and mom who’s committed to building a future full of opportunity for Alberta.
She began her legal career at a prestigious Bay Street firm, leading to almost a decade of experience in senior advisory roles for the Government of Alberta in the ministries of Education and Justice. Before running for office she also worked in private practice as a senior lawyer at a major Alberta law firm, where she specialized in labour and employment law.
Her passion for building a brighter future and better world led her to the University of Alberta, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and a law degree from the University of Toronto.
Rakhi lives in South Edmonton with her husband, Owen, her two school-aged children, and her rescue dog Duke.

To learn more about Rakhi's campaign, visit https://www.voterakhi.ca/

More about Sarah Elder-Chamanara:
Sarah Elder-Chamanara is the founder, creative director, designer and owner of Madame Premier, a feminist, political and activist clothing company and community based in Calgary, Alberta. With the underlying principle of seeing more women and diversity in politics, elected and in backrooms, at every level, Sarah and Madame Premier create opportunities for conversations about how politics works, why it needs to change, who it needs to change for and how the time for that is now.