Nate Pike

The next provincial election will, by many measures, be the NDP’s to lose.

One of the quickest ways they will lose it is by nominating candidates beneath their party and beneath the communities they are working to represent.

After the 2019 election, I was profoundly disappointed in the , but I was extremely concerned about the future of the province under Jason Kenney and the UCP.

So after some consultation with my wife, we decided to buy memberships in the NDP.

In November of 2020, I was approached by the nephew of a candidate that I ran against and asked for a conversation.

He told me that he would be running himself in the election in 2023.

He also asked me for a favor.

He requested that I locate someone who might be willing to set up a WIPA constituency to split the conservative vote against UCP MLA Rajan Sawhney and help ensure his own victory.

I was, quite frankly, shocked.

I took this to my wife and she was equally horrified.

I live in the constituency in question. The next MLA will have a tremendous impact on my life, my wife’s life and the lives of our children.

I sent this person a reply via text. It’s attached to this post.

He replied back and very much downplayed his motivations for making that request. He’s learned the language of obfuscation very well it seems.

The thing is, I was there and I remember that conversation because I made notes. There was no mention of a “friend”. He didn’t ask what I thought about the idea, he specifically asked me to help him accomplish this goal.

Anyone who knows me, knows I have tremendous contempt for the UCP. Their policies have caused tremendous harm and are responsible for the loss of life of countless Albertans.

But I received word tonight the NDP is nominating this person as their candidate on the 17th. I did invite him to come on the show prior to his nomination and he said he would only do it after. He knows.

I let my NDP membership lapse two months after that, and I haven’t been a member of a political party since.

This election is the NDP’s to lose.

This election is where the NDP can show Albertans real leadership, with real integrity, but they have to chose to do so.

I am deeply alarmed at the near certainty that this person will be the nominated candidate for the NDP in my constituency, and it will prohibit me to vote for them.

Not only because of the character that I was shown, but because the NDP will have embraced that character.

So to everyone in the province who is politically active or engaged, I beg of you to demand better from the people who claim to want to represent you, otherwise I am very worried we will see the UCP retain power.

We can do better.

We have to.

And before anyone tries to represent this as something that it’s not, I’m not running for anything anytime soon. is my home now, and I’m happy there with no intentions of leaving.