Alberta New Democratic Party, Calgary, AB

Rachel Notley was elected as the leader of the Alberta New Democrats on October 18, 2014. Since 2008, Rachel has served as the MLA for Edmonton-Strathcona, and is known as a strong, effective voice in the Legislature. She was re-elected in 2012, with the highest share of the vote of any MLA in the province. Raised in Fairview Alberta, Rachel is the oldest child of Grant and Sandra Notley. Her father, Grant, led the Alberta New Democrats from 1968 to 1984. Rachel has said that her father’s tireless effort to build the party taught her the importance of hard work, and she shares his vision of building a better, fairer province for all Albertans. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Alberta, and a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. Before entering politics, she worked for a variety of labour unions in Alberta and British Columbia and served as a ministerial advisor to British Columbia’s Attorney General in the 1990s. Rachel has distinguished herself as a powerful voice for fairness, for better public health care and education for Alberta families, and for protecting vulnerable Albertans. She currently lives in Edmonton’s Old Strathcona neighbourhood with her husband and two teenage children.