EDMONTON—Thousands of people gathered on the grounds of the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton for the swearing-in ceremony of the province’s new NDP Premier Rachel Notley and her cabinet on May 24.
“My friends, it is springtime in Alberta and a fresh wind is blowing,” Notley said in her speech to roaring applause, hinting at the end of 44 years of Progressive Conservative government in the province.
“To harvest its potential, the hard work begins today.”
Notley and her small cabinet, totalling 12 including herself, took the oath of office from Alberta Chief Justice Catherine Fraser, who presided over the ceremony.
Longtime former NDP leader Brian Mason, a former Edmonton city councillor and one of only four NDP MLAs before the early May election that granted the party a 54-seat majority, was given the infrastructure and transportation portfolio. He will also serve as the government house leader.
