In Blow to Tar Sands Industry, NDP Sweeps Alberta Elections

In what some say is a clear rebuke of Big Oil dominance in the region, voters in Alberta, Canada on Tuesday overwhelming backed the liberal New Democratic Party, ousting the tar sands industry-friendly Progressive Conservatives led by outgoing Premier Jim Prentice.

Alberta is frequently referred to as “Canada’s most conservative province,” and the Progressive Conservative Party, known as the Tories, have held power there for the past 44 years.

“I think we might have made a little bit of history tonight,” NDP leader Rachel Notley told supporters Tuesday night. “Friends, I believe, that change has finally come to Alberta. New people, new ideas and a fresh start for our great province.”

The NDP, which claimed over 41 percent of the popular vote, won 53 legislative seats, beating the right-win Wildrose Party, which took 21, while the PCs only landed 10 seats. According to CBC, “There was a tie in one Calgary riding—Calgary-Glenmore—between the PCs and NDP. A recount will take place in the next few days. The Liberals and the Alberta Party each claimed one seat.”

Notley had campaigned on promises to boost corporate taxes, scale back support for pipeline projects, and phase out coal power more quickly.

The shake-up comes amid scrutiny over the Alberta government’s failure to collect billions in resource revenue from oil and gas development, which has deprived province taxpayers from their fair share of profits from the region’s dominant industry. Notley has sworn to review the government’s current royalty policy over objections from the energy industry.

Following the NDP victory, Canadian author and activist Naomi Klein congratulated Notley on Twitter and offered hopeful advice for the province’s future energy policy: