Alberta NDP mark 30th anniversary of Grant Notley's death
Former leader died in a plane crash 30 years ago
Just one day after she decidedly won the Alberta NDP leadership, Rachel Notley led a memorial in honour of her late father, the political legend who helped establish the party in Alberta.
Grant Notley helped take the party from a small movement in 1962 to one that captured 16 seats in the 1986 Alberta provincial election, two years after his death. He was killed in a plane crash at the age of 45. Sunday marked the 30th anniversary of his death.
Notley was 20 when her father died. On Sunday, before a small crowd of NDP supporters in a park named after her father, Notley recalled his sense of humour, his passion for civic duty and the tireless effort he put into his job.
As Notley reflected about her father, she urged others to look forward to what she said is a promising future for the Alberta NDP.
“We as a movement are not about one person,” Notley said. “We are not about the last leader, the current leader, the next leader.
“I'm very excited about what is to come," she continued. "I think there will be another breakthrough. And it will not be because of one person."