Parties & Leaders

New Democratic Party Leader Brian Mason

Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood [ New Democratic Party ]

NDP Leader Brian Mason is a scrappy former bus driver whose soundbites frequently catch more attention than the Opposition Liberals who hold more seats. His challenge in this election is to turn those headline grabbers into lasting support to improve on the NDP's four seats.

Mason, who recently called the premier "as transparent as a slab of granite," is a fierce critic of the government's energy and affordable housing policies.

His dogged determination in getting his point across has won respect from conservative politicians, including former premier Ralph Klein, who praised his "quick wit and sharp tongue." Mason once so infuriated a fellow councillor that she dumped a jug of water on his head during a meeting.

Mason studied political science at the University of Alberta, but it was as a bus driver in the 1980s debating with his passengers that sparked his interest in public office.

In 1989, while still employed by the city, he openly questioned provincial rules forbidding municipal employees from running for city hall and challenged the law in court.

He lost the legal case, but in October of that year he was elected in Edmonton's Ward 3 and went on to serve four terms. Shortly after his political success, he won a moral victory when the provincial law was amended to allow active city workers to run for office. Mason was first elected as the MLA for Edmonton-Highlands in a 2000 byelection. He took over as party leader when Raj Pannu stepped down in 2004.

Mason's NDP doubled its seats to four in that year's election.

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