NDP sweep of Edmonton confirmed; Madu out as minister with fall to Ip in southwest
The Alberta NDP swept the province's capital city for a second time during Monday's provincial election.
Danielle Smith's United Conservative Party won a majority government in Alberta with 49 seats, losing 14 to the NDP.
That party, led by Rachel Notley, was elected in all 20 of Edmonton's ridings.
When the NDP won the 2015 election under Notley's helm, the party swept Edmonton then, too.
The latest sweep wasn't evident until Tuesday morning, as results trickled in throughout the night.
Among the highest-profile contests was Edmonton-South West, where Nathan Ip defeated UCP deputy premier Kaycee Madu by earning 56.5 per cent of the vote. Madu earned 42.2 while Green Party candidate Jeff Cullihall earned 1.3 per cent.
"It's still sinking in, but I'm elated. I'm deeply honoured," Ip, an Edmonton Public School Board vice-chair and trustee, told CTV News Edmonton late Monday evening.
Describing the 28-day campaign as gruelling, he added, "I'm excited to get to work for the people of Edmonton-South West. Tomorrow, I'm going to pack up my campaign office and start thinking about what the transition will look like. But maybe after that I'll take a break."
Edmonton-South West was the lone Edmonton riding the United Conservatives won in 2019, with Madu receiving just under 45 per cent of the vote and the NDP's candidate, John Archer, trailing behind at less than 42 per cent.
Madu did not speak to media on Monday but in a statement posted to social media the next morning, he thanked constituents for the opportunity to serve them and congratulated both Ip and the United Conservative Party.
Madu was a member of cabinet in both former premier Jason Kenney's and Danielle Smith's governments. He last served as the minister of skilled trades and professions. In February 2022, he lost his job as justice minister for calling Edmonton's police chief after receiving a distracted driving ticket.
SOHI REACTS TO NDP SWEEP
Overall in Edmonton, the NDP received almost 62 per cent of the popular vote and the UCP 35 per cent.
The last seat to finish reporting Tuesday morning was Edmonton-City Centre, which David Shepherd won with a 50.7-per cent lead over UCP candidate Richard Wong.
Notley handily won her Edmonton-Strathcona riding with 79.7 per cent of the vote. The UCP's Emad El-Zein won 17.3 per cent and the Green Party's Robert Gooding-Townsend 1.9 per cent.
Former city councillor Jon Dziadyk, running for the UCP, lost Edmonton-Castle Downs to the NDP's Nicole Goehring. They received 41.1 and 50 per cent of the vote, respectively.
"Calgary still has representation in the provincial government. We don't," Edmonton's mayor, Amarjeet Sohi, noted on Tuesday.
"I hope that provincial government would keep that in mind. That a million people in our city will not have a voice, a direct voice, in the cabinet. So how do we create opportunities for those voices to be included?"
Sohi said Alberta's capital city has been treated unfairly by past governments but that he was hopeful Smith and her government could give the city more attention now that the election was over.
"This is a opportunity for [the] premier to reset that relationship and really look at why many Edmontonians remain dissatisfied with the provincial government. And the results are quite evident that a UCP government, a UCP party, has been completely shut out of Edmonton, not having a single seat. That speaks to many Edmontonians' dissatisfaction. But we want to work with government to help them overcome and understand why that is the case."
He also acknowledged the city has good relationships with some of the UCP candidates who were elected around the city.
The NDP also held its seat in St. Albert.
In addition to Edmonton-South West, the NDP flipped several seats in the province's 87-seat legislature, including in Sherwood Park and Calgary.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.