Rachel Notley

Early Life and Family Background

Rachel Notley was born in Edmonton on April 17, 1964, the daughter of Sandra Mary Wilkinson and Grant Notley, who was the leader of the Alberta NDP. She was raised outside the town of Fairview, Alberta, and is the first Alberta premier to have been born in Edmonton. Her mother, an American-born devout Anglican who moved to Alberta as an adult, was an early influence, taking Notley to an anti-war demonstration before she was ten years old. Notley has two brothers, Paul Notley and Stephen Notley, the author of the comic Bob the Angry Flower. Her father's political career and his tragic death in a plane crash on October 19, 1984, when she was a twenty-year-old undergraduate at the University of Alberta, profoundly shaped her life. Notley has credited her high school social studies teacher, Jim Clevette, with fostering her lasting interest in politics, and she has cited former federal NDP leader Jack Layton as a personal hero. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Alberta and a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School, where she became active in the 1989 federal NDP leadership convention. In August 1997, she married Lou Arab, a communications representative for the Canadian Union of Public Employees and a campaign strategist, in a ceremony conducted by Tim Stevenson on Indian Arm. They live with their two children in the Old Strathcona district of Edmonton.

Career in Labour Law and Activism

After law school, Notley articled for Edmonton labour lawyer Bob Blakely and began a career deeply focused on workers' rights and health and safety. She worked for the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, representing members in Workers' Compensation cases. In 1994, she moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, where she served as the occupational health and safety officer for the Health Sciences Association of BC. During this period, she also worked for one year as a ministerial assistant to British Columbia Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh. In that role, she was part of the team that worked to expand the application of BC's family relations laws to same sex couples, an initiative that preceded similar federal action by several years. Notley also acted as a representative of the provincial labour movement in negotiating new workplace health and safety standards. She was active with the advocacy group Moms on the Move, which advocated for the rights of special needs children, and served on the board of Vancouver Community College. She returned to Edmonton in 2002, working briefly for the National Union of Public and General Employees and at Athabasca University before becoming a labour relations officer for the United Nurses of Alberta. In 2006, she did volunteer work with the Strathcona Community League, assisting a campaign to install sidewalks in east Strathcona.

Entry into Politics and Rise to Leadership

Notley's formal political involvement began early, leading the Alberta NDP's election-planning subcommittee in 1991. After the party was shut out of the legislature in the 1993 election, she re-entered provincial politics in 2000 following the resignation of MLA Pam Barrett, travelling to Edmonton to assist Brian Mason in a by-election campaign. In October 2006, she was nominated by acclamation as the Alberta NDP candidate for Edmonton-Strathcona, succeeding former leader Raj Pannu at an event attended by federal NDP leader Jack Layton. She was elected as an MLA in the 2008 provincial election and re-elected in 2012. On October 18, 2014, Notley won the leadership of the Alberta NDP with 70 percent support on the first ballot, defeating fellow MLA David Eggen and union leader Rod Loyola, and succeeding Brian Mason. As party leader, she served as critic for several portfolios including Health, International and Intergovernmental Relations, Status of Women, Justice, and the Executive Council. Her leadership was immediately tested by the 2015 provincial election called by Premier Jim Prentice after a budget that cut social spending and raised taxes.

The 2015 Election and Historic Victory

The 2015 Alberta election campaign evolved from a presumed Progressive Conservative advantage into a three-way race with the Wildrose Party and the Alberta NDP. Notley capitalized on public dissatisfaction with the PC budget, promising to raise corporate taxes and roll back fees and cuts. The sole televised leaders' debate proved consequential, with Notley largely viewed as having the best performance. Premier Jim Prentice faced significant criticism for telling Notley 'I know math is difficult,' a remark widely seen as sexist and patronizing, in reference to a miscalculation in a proposed NDP budget. By the final week, polls showed the NDP as the frontrunner. On election night, May 5, 2015, the NDP won 54 seats, forming a majority government and ending 44 years of Progressive Conservative rule, the longest unbroken run in government at the provincial level in Canada. The party swept all seats in Edmonton and won 15 in Calgary due to significant vote splitting. Notley later recounted that upon seeing a credible poll predicting the majority, she dropped her whirlwind campaign schedule to prepare for the transition to government. The victory re-elected the party's four incumbents and brought 50 new members to the Legislative Assembly.

Premiership and Key Policies (2015 to 2019)

Rachel Notley was sworn in as premier on May 24, 2015, with a twelve-member cabinet, the smallest in the country at the time, at a public ceremony on the legislature steps. Her government's first throne speech on June 15, 2015, outlined bills to ban corporate and union political donations and to increase taxes on large corporations and high income earners, ending the flat tax from the Ralph Klein era. That same day, she announced a seventeen-member all-party committee to improve government accountability and reached out to opposition leaders on a mental health policy review. On June 22, 2015, Notley apologized to Alberta's Aboriginal community for a long history of government neglect, particularly regarding residential schools. She later supported the national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's recommendations. Her 2017 budget included $100 million to upgrade water facilities for First Nations communities, and in 2018 her government sold 150 hectares of land to the Fort McKay Métis for $1.6 million in a precedent-setting deal.

In November 2015, Notley unveiled Alberta's climate change strategy ahead of the COP 21 conference, featuring an economy-wide carbon price starting in 2017, a cap on oil sands emissions, a coal phase-out by 2030, and a goal to halve methane emissions. In 2016, $1.4 billion from the carbon tax was allocated to compensate power producers for accelerating coal plant closures. Her government also budgeted $235 million in 2017 for the Orphan Well Association to reclaim thousands of abandoned wells. A major conservation achievement was the creation of the 3,330 square kilometre Birch River Wildland Provincial Park, the largest protected boreal forest territory in the world, through a partnership with the Tallcree First Nation and the Nature Conservatory of Canada, with a $2.3 million contribution from Syncrude.

Social, Labour, and Economic Policies

The Notley government enacted a suite of social and labour reforms. Alberta's minimum wage was raised incrementally from $10.20 an hour in 2015 to $15.00 an hour in 2018. The Fair and Family-friendly Workplace Act (Bill 17), the first major overhaul of Alberta's labour laws in three decades, came into effect in 2018. In public health, the government proposed Bill 9 to create 50-metre buffer zones around abortion clinics to prevent harassment, and made coverage for the abortion drug Mifegymiso public in 2018. A successful pilot project for $25 per day child care was expanded in 2018 to add capacity for 6,000 more children across 100 new centres, funded by federal and provincial investments totalling over $150 million. The government enacted Bill 24 to protect the anonymity of students in gay-straight alliances and ban conversion therapy, and Bill 26 in 2019 to combat poverty by indexing benefits for seniors and AISH recipients to the consumer price index. Coverage for the anti-HIV drug PrEP was also provided for high-risk Albertans.

On economic matters, the government enacted Bill 31, the Better Deal for Consumers and Businesses Act, to enhance consumer protections. In early 2018, a trade dispute with British Columbia over the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion led Notley's government to halt imports of BC wine, a $72 million annual trade, as retaliation for BC's limits on bitumen exports. In December 2018, facing a severe oil price differential due to transportation bottlenecks, her government announced oil production curtailments under the Oil and Gas Conservation Act, a power not used since the National Energy Program. The curtailments took effect in January 2019. In 2019, the government also agreed to lease 4,400 oil rail cars from Canadian Pacific and Canadian National Railway. In education, the government froze tuition fees for post-secondary institutions in 2015.

Later Political Career and Leadership Transition

Following the 2019 election defeat to Jason Kenney's United Conservative Party, Notley became the Leader of the Official Opposition. Notley continued as Opposition leader until January 16, 2024, when she announced her plans to step down as leader of the Alberta NDP, though she remained in the role until a successor was elected. She was succeeded by Naheed Nenshi on June 22, 2024, and as Leader of the Opposition by Christina Gray on June 24. Notley announced her resignation as the MLA for Edmonton-Strathcona on December 12, 2024, effective December 30, concluding her 16-year legislative career. She returned to practising labour law following her resignation from politics.

Post-Political Advocacy and the 2026 Unity Campaign

After leaving elected office, Notley remained a prominent public figure and advocate. In a remarkable display of cross-partisan unity, she partnered with her former rival, former Premier Jason Kenney, in October 2026 to campaign for Alberta to remain part of Canada. The two former premiers headlined an Edmonton Chamber of Commerce luncheon on October 13, 2026, urging Albertans to vote 'Option One' on the tenth question of an upcoming provincial referendum, which asked if the province should start the process for a legally binding referendum on secession. Notley expressed deep skepticism about Premier Danielle Smith's commitment to Canadian unity, stating she was one of the most skeptical Albertans on the matter. She encouraged voters to reject the nine other questions on constitutional and immigration reform on the same ballot, arguing they should not give Smith the strong mandate she sought. Notley and Kenney both argued that secession would make Alberta an unreliable place for investment and business. Kenney noted that loyalty to a united Canada was a foundational element of the UCP's merger agreement. Notley explained the alliance by stating the stakes for the nation were huge and that their shared patriotism transcended political differences. This collaboration between two ideologically opposed former premiers became a defining moment in the referendum campaign.

Questions about Rachel Notley

When was Rachel Notley premier of Alberta?

Rachel Notley served as the 17th premier of Alberta from May 24, 2015, to April 30, 2019. Her New Democratic Party government ended 44 consecutive years of Progressive Conservative rule in the province after winning a majority in the 2015 election. She was defeated in the 2019 election by Jason Kenney's United Conservative Party. Her swearing-in ceremony was a public event held on the steps of the Alberta Legislature Building.

What did Rachel Notley do before becoming premier?

Before entering politics, Rachel Notley was a lawyer specializing in labour law, with a focus on workers' compensation advocacy and workplace health and safety issues. She articled for labour lawyer Bob Blakely and worked for the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees. She later worked in Vancouver as an occupational health and safety officer and as a ministerial assistant to BC Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh. She also served on the board of Vancouver Community College and was active with the advocacy group Moms on the Move.

What were some key policies of the Notley government?

The Notley government implemented a wide range of policies. Its climate strategy introduced a carbon price and a coal phase-out by 2030. It raised the minimum wage to $15 per hour and passed major labour law reforms. Social policies included a $25 per day child care program, buffer zones around abortion clinics, and protections for LGBTQ students. The government also banned corporate and union political donations, increased taxes on high income earners, invested in orphan well cleanup, and created the large Birch River Wildland Provincial Park. It also initiated oil production curtailments in 2018 to address a price crisis.

When and why did Rachel Notley leave politics?

Rachel Notley stepped down as leader of the Alberta NDP in June 2024, succeeded by Naheed Nenshi. She announced her resignation as the MLA for Edmonton-Strathcona on December 12, 2024, effective December 30, 2024, ending her 16-year tenure in the legislature. She had announced her intention to leave the leadership in January 2024. After her resignation, she returned to her previous career, practising labour law.

What is Rachel Notley's connection to the 2026 Alberta referendum?

In October 2026, after leaving politics, Rachel Notley partnered with former Premier Jason Kenney to campaign for Alberta to remain in Canada ahead of a provincial referendum. They appeared together at an Edmonton Chamber of Commerce event, urging a vote against starting a secession process. Notley expressed skepticism about Premier Danielle Smith's commitment to unity and advised rejecting other constitutional questions on the ballot. This collaboration highlighted a shared commitment to national unity that transcended their deep political differences.

How did Rachel Notley's family background influence her career?

His political career and tragic death were profound influences. Her mother, Sandy, involved her in activism from a young age. Notley has also cited her high school teacher Jim Clevette and federal NDP leader Jack Layton as important influences. Her early professional focus on labour law and workers' rights aligned with the values of her father's political tradition.

Sources: Wikipedia and current public reporting, checked by the Nosy Mag desk. Last updated 2026-10-22.