Amarjeet Sohi launches federal campaign after taking leave of absence as Edmonton mayor

Amarjeet Sohi’s campaign has begun as he’s taken a leave of absence as mayor of Edmonton to run as a federal MP for Edmonton Southeast.

Sohi shifted into full campaign mode Saturday afternoon, with more than 100 Edmonton residents showing support.

Sohi did not directly answer whether the Prime Minister persuaded him to return to federal politics, only stating that Edmonton needs a voice in these unprecedented times and, in his words, someone to step up and address issues in Edmonton on a national level.

“And I think I can take Edmonton’s experience in housing leadership and bring that to the national stage to figure out how we can continue building more homes,” said Sohi.

With Edmonton currently being run by Deputy Mayor and Councillor Karen Principe on a rotating mayoral shift, Councillor Andrew Knack says that if Sohi succeeds in winning the election, councillors will have to decide whether to appoint an interim mayor or continue with their rotating shifts.

“I think that’s quite messy; it’s probably a non-ideal situation,” said Knack. “What if there were to be an emergency scenario? We’ve seen wildfires every summer, but what if there’s a situation requiring continuity? If you’re rotating on a consistent basis, I think that creates instability.”

However, Knack confirmed that Sohi would serve the remainder of his term as mayor if his federal bid fails. Regardless of the results, Sohi says he will not seek re-election as Edmonton’s mayor this October.

Sohi wasn’t the only candidate launching a campaign in a newly drawn riding on Saturday. Rod Loyola decided to run for the Liberals in Edmonton Gateway and is facing off against Conservative Tim Uppal. However, Loyola had to resign as an Alberta NDP MLA on Monday.

“Mr. Nenshi was understanding; it’s a very big decision that I needed to make. But, of course, after talking it over with my family, we decided to give it a go,” said Loyola.