How many NDP and Liberal MPs should Alberta have

In Heather McPherson’s campaign launch she said Blake Desjarlais should be a Member of Parliament today, and Trisha Estabrooks, and so many others should be Members of Parliament.

Of course, strategic voting to stop Trump took many votes from the NDP. But even if the NDP had gotten the votes it got in 2021, in Alberta First Past The Post would have elected only Heather and Blake. We need to talk about the Mixed Member Proportional system the NDP promises to introduce.

On the votes cast in 2021, transposed to the 2025 ridings, in the 12 ridings of Metropolitan Edmonton the NDP got 28.6% of the vote, and the Liberals 18.9%. With a regional MMP model the NDP would indeed have elected Heather, Blake, and Trisha, and maybe even Dot Anderson. The Liberals would have elected Eleanor Olszewski and Amarjeet Sohi.

But that’s not all. In the 12 ridings of Metropolitan Calgary the NDP’s 16.6% would have elected candidates like Keira Gunn and Becki Zimmerman, while the Liberals would have elected Corey Hogan, George Chahal and Lindsay Luhnau.

In the 8 ridings of South-Central Alberta the NDP’s 15.5% would have elected Nathan Svoboda, while the Liberals would have elected Chris Spearman.

And in the 5 ridings of Northern Alberta, the NDP’s 14.9% would have elected someone like Landen Tischer. Total out of 37: 7 or 8 NDP, 6 Liberals.

(As an officer of Fair Vote Canada, I am refraining from publicly endorsing any NDP leadership candidate.)