Calgary mayor congratulates Danielle Smith after election win

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek is sending along congratulations to Danielle Smith and her fellow United Conservatives after the party won a majority in the election Monday.

Gondek held an availability Tuesday at City Hall, where she noted a number of Calgary cabinet ministers are now out a job.

“We also committed to working with our new provincial government. In some cases, we’ll be able to pick up where we left off and in others, we’ll be forging new relationships with ministers who acquire new portfolios,” she said.

Those now out of the legislature include Tyler Shandro, Nicholas Milliken, Jeremy Nixon, Devinder Toor, Jason Luan, Prasad Panda, Inder Grewal, and Josephine Pon.

“That’s why I sent a note of congratulations to Premier Smith last night and my office will be seeking a meeting with the premier’s office as quickly as possible,” added Gondek.

Congratulations, @ABDanielleSmith. We’ll continue to work as partners in delivering quality of life & economic stability to Calgarians.

— Jyoti Gondek (@JyotiGondek) May 30, 2023

Alongside her Edmonton counterpart, Amarjeet Sohi, the municipal pair are hoping for a good relationship with the newly elected provincial government.

However, the NDP winning 14 of 26 seats in Calgary and Edmonton going completely orange may affect that.

Sohi wrote on social media Tuesday that despite the fact the capital city will have “no representation in the UCP government,” he hopes that “our new provincial government will govern for and represent all Albertans.”

The Calgary mayor also made a point of saying that all politicians have the duty to stand up against hate and divisiveness.

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“I remain concerned about a small but loud faction of Albertans who are espousing views that do not align in any way with broader society,” said Gondek. “The very values that hold us together and make places like Calgary welcoming and inclusive, those values are being compromised. There is no room for hate in a city or a province that is recovering from an economic recession that stood to cripple us.”

Gondek wouldn’t clarify exactly what she was speaking out against, only that polarization in politics that gets fired up during an election has to be “tampered.”