Some former members of Edmonton city council are speaking out about the mayor of Alberta’s capital taking a leave of absence to attempt a political comeback at the federal level.
Amarjeet Sohi’s term as mayor does not end until municipal elections are held in the fall, but he is temporarily stepping away from that job to run federally for the Liberal Party of Canada in the Edmonton-Southeast riding.
In 2015, Sohi stepped away from his role as an Edmonton city councillor to make a successful run at getting elected as a Liberal MP, eventually being named to former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet. However, he lost his seat in 2019 and then ran a successful campaign to become mayor in 2021.
Stephen Mandel, who from 2004 to 2013 served three terms as mayor of Edmonton before becoming a provincial politician, said he was not surprised by Sohi’s decision to try to return to the House of Commons.
“This isn’t the most publicly popular council or mayor, and this gives him an opportunity to maybe go gracefully and run in the southeast,” Mandel told Global News on Monday. “If he wins, great. And if he doesn’t, great — he’s out, he’s gone and he does what he wants to do.
“It’s a bit disappointing that as a mayor, not as a councillor so much, to step down. You make a decision to stay for four years and then with some time to go you leave to move on.”
Mandel said he believes municipal issues relating to policing, fire departments and transit are equally as important as issues that federal lawmakers deal with.
“To leave that to go on to federal politics, to go off into Ottawa and to some distant place which I don’t know how effective that is for the city sometimes, well the mayor is effective for our city and is supposed to be our leader, but things change,” he said.
Sohi has said if he wins a seat for the Liberals he will resign as mayor. However, if he loses in the April 28 election he will resume his duties as mayor until his term ends and not seek a second.
Mandel noted he does not question Sohi’s loyalty and passion for Alberta’s capital city.
“Amarjeet is definitely committed to Edmonton and I don’t think that’s in question,” he said. “But it’s about the job. You take on the job and you commit to doing it or not commit to doing it and he made decisions both times to step away because he saw an opportunity that in his mind was better. And this time he did it again.
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
“So the voters will have to make a decision as to what that actually means.”
Kim Krushell served on city council with Sohi when he was a city councillor and said she thinks Sohi has shown interest in politics at different levels because “he cares about Edmonton.”
“I think all of us were a bit surprised, but I think I’m not totally surprised because he’s always cared about the federal government,” she said. “I mean he was in the government — he was a minister and actually negotiated a pipeline.
“I think that some Edmontonians would question, ‘Well, why would he do that?’ And I think it’s because he really cares about Canada. I think we’re in unprecedented times. I think all of us are recognizing that south of us, things have changed dramatically. And I believe that’s probably why Sohi decided to step up. … Because he has name recognition and he’s got a good shot of winning in a riding because of that. And he could be a voice for Edmonton, federally.”
Sohi said his decision to run for the Liberals “happened very quickly” and that members of Liberal Leader Mark Carney’s team asked him to run because they wanted local leaders to seek election in “one of the most consequential federal elections that we have ever seen in our history.”
“Our sovereignty is under attack,” Sohi said, referring to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods and his desire to make Canada the 51st state. “Working families and local businesses, our way of life is under attack because of tariffs and the threat of annexation.
“(Edmontonians) need to have a voice at the table if Liberals are going to form government.”
Krushell said she believes the Conservative Party of Canada will continue to do well in Alberta this election but added that if the Liberals form government, she would like to see Albertans play a role.
“Let’s be real, the only way you get elected usually is through name recognition,” she said. “And having someone who has a lot of name recognition running in a riding where the party isn’t as popular in this particular province, does potentially give you the opportunity to get a seat and to have a voice in Ottawa. And I think for all of Alberta that would be important.
“I actually think that federal (politics) is a fit for him.”
City council discusses Sohi’s request for leave of absence
Edmonton city councillors held a special meeting on Monday to discuss Sohi’s desire to take an unpaid leave of absence and unanimously approved it. Coun. Tim Cartmell did not vote because he is campaigning to become the city’s next mayor.
In a statement issued over the weekend, Cartmell said he believes Sohi should have simply resigned outright if he wanted to run for the Liberals, rather than leaving city council in “a state of limbo.”
Coun. Andrew Knack said there has been an informal practice at Edmonton City Hall that members of council take an unpaid leave of absence if running for office at a level other than the municipal one.
“It’s something that we’ve now seen four times since I’ve been on council — twice with Amarjeet Sohi,” he said, adding that he believes taking an unpaid leave of absence is the right approach.
Knack said if Sohi is elected at the federal level, city council will need to discuss how to fill the mayor’s role for the remainder of his term. He noted that Coun. Karen Principe, who is currently deputy mayor, will help fill the void while Sohi is away. He noted that the deputy mayor role rotates among council members every four weeks.
“I don’t have any concern,” Knack said, noting that the deputy mayor will help fill in during a mayor’s absence when they are away on vacation or for out-of-town business.
Knack, who last year said he would not be seeking re-election as city councillor, was asked Monday if he is now considering running for mayor in light of Sohi’s decision.
“I am going to seriously consider it,” he said, adding that when rumours began swirling that Sohi would try to run for the Liberals, people started calling him and asking him if he might run for mayor.
“It’s fairly humbling to have people reach out and ask that question.”
Mandel said he fears city council will “flounder” while Sohi is away.
“The mayor is the figure that coalesces council, brings them together, tries to move an agenda forward, tries to manage challenges within and amongst councillors,” he said. “If they’re not there, there’s a vacuum.
“Losing the mayor will make a big difference.”
–With files from Sarah Komadina, Global News
