| Rachel Notley MLA |
|
|---|---|
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Edmonton Strathcona | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2008 |
|
| Preceded by | Raj Pannu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1964/1965 (age 47–48)[1] |
| Political party | Alberta New Democratic Party |
Rachel Notley is a Canadian lawyer and politician, currently a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Notley's legal career has focused on labour law, with a specialty in workers' compensation advocacy and workplace health and safety issues. Notley was elected MLA for Edmonton Strathcona in the 2008 provincial election, succeeding former NDP leader Raj Pannu.
Notley grew up in the Town of Fairview, Alberta as the daughter of Sandy and (former Alberta NDP Leader) Grant Notley.[2] She is the sister of Paul Notley and Stephen Notley (author and illustrator of Bob the Angry Flower).
Notley earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Political Science at the University of Alberta, and a law degree at Osgoode Hall Law School.[3]
After law school, Notley articled for Edmonton labour lawyer Bob Blakely, and went on to work for the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees representing members with Workers' Compensation Board cases.
In 1994, Notley moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, where she worked for the Health Sciences Association of BC as their Occupational Health and Safety Officer.[4] During her time in BC, she worked for one year as a Ministerial Assistant to the provincial Attorney General.[5] In this role, she was part of the team that first expanded the application of BC's family relations laws to same sex couples - several years before the Government of Canada took similar initiatives.
Notley acted as a representative of the BC Labour movement in the negotiation and drafting of new workplace health and safety standards.[6]
During her time in Vancouver, Notley was active with “Moms on the Move”, an organization that advocated for the rights of special needs children. She is also a past Board member of the Vancouver Community College.[7]
In 2002, Notley returned to Edmonton. She worked for a short time for the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE),[8] worked at Athabasca University,[9] acted as volunteer co-ordinator for the Friends of Medicare "Romanow Now" campaign, and finally as a Labour Relations Officer for the United Nurses of Alberta.[10]
In 2006, Notley did volunteer work with the Strathcona Community League,[11] assisting with a drive to garner support for the installation of sidewalks in east Strathcona.
On October 4, 2006, Notley was nominated to represent the Alberta NDP in the provincial constituency of Edmonton Strathcona.
On March 3, 2008, Notley was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Edmonton-Strathcona.[12] She serves as the NDP house leader and critic for Education, Environment, Justice, and Children and Youth Services, among other ministries.[13]