Four Alberta NDP MLAs to leave legislature, Nenshi says
Four Alberta NDP MLAs — Joe Ceci, Luanne Metz, Marlin Schmidt and Lori Sigurdson — will not seek re-election, reshaping the party’s Calgary and Edmonton representation.
Announcement and immediate effect
Nenshi announced on Saturday that four Alberta NDP MLAs will finish their current terms but will not run in the next provincial election.
The leader thanked Joe Ceci, Dr. Luanne Metz, Marlin Schmidt and Lori Sigurdson for their public service and said nomination dates for their ridings will be set in the coming weeks.
Joe Ceci and Luanne Metz will complete terms in Calgary
Joe Ceci, the Calgary-Buffalo MLA first elected in 2015, will serve out his present mandate but will not seek another term.
Ceci served as finance minister in the NDP government that governed Alberta from 2015 to 2019 and previously spent 15 years on Calgary city council.
Dr. Luanne Metz, elected in 2023 to represent Calgary-Varsity, also confirmed she will not contest the next election.
Metz has been the party’s shadow minister for health and brought a medical perspective to NDP health policy debates during her tenure.
Lori Sigurdson and Marlin Schmidt to depart Edmonton seats
Lori Sigurdson, first elected in 2015 for Edmonton-Riverview, will step away after the current legislative session.
Sigurdson served in the Notley government as minister of innovation, advanced education, job skills and labour, and later as minister of seniors and housing.
Marlin Schmidt, the MLA for Edmonton-Gold Bar, said he will finish his term and not stand again.
Schmidt, who entered the legislature 11 years ago, previously held the advanced education portfolio and has been active on education and post-secondary issues.
Impact on NDP’s urban caucus and seat count
The four departures remove experienced voices from the NDP’s 14-seat caucus, including two of the party’s Calgary seats.
Those vacancies come after the 2023 election in which the NDP won 38 nominations across the province and held urban pockets while the United Conservative Party returned to government.
Losing incumbents in Calgary and Edmonton could complicate the NDP’s efforts to defend tight urban ridings, party strategists say.
The party has already nominated 21 candidates for the next election, and local nomination contests in the four ridings will determine who will carry the NDP banner.
Nomination process and timeline ahead of expected election
The NDP indicated that nomination dates for Calgary-Buffalo, Calgary-Varsity, Edmonton-Gold Bar and Edmonton-Riverview will be announced in the coming weeks.
With an election expected next year, local associations face a compressed schedule to recruit candidates, approve campaign teams and build outreach plans.
Nenshi’s statement framed the retirements as voluntary transitions after long careers in public service and community work.
The party will need to balance choosing fresh faces with maintaining continuity in areas such as health, education and seniors’ supports where the outgoing MLAs held portfolios.
Polling context and political risks for the opposition
Public opinion has consistently shown the NDP trailing the governing UCP, though recent polls have indicated a tightening in some measurements.
That narrowing has occurred amid broader controversy in the province, including discussions that have focused on Alberta’s political future and provincial autonomy.
Party officials will argue that open nomination contests create opportunities to renew the bench and refocus messaging to voters in Calgary and Edmonton.
Opponents will likely emphasize the loss of veteran legislators as evidence of turnover, making nomination battles and candidate selections politically consequential.
The retirements remove experienced legislators from the NDP’s roster but also create space for new candidates to contest priority urban ridings.
With nomination dates pending and an election anticipated next year, the coming months will test the party’s ability to replace institutional knowledge while competing in closely watched Calgary and Edmonton constituencies.
