Prime Minister Mark Carney announces funding for houses as Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi listens during a visit to Edmonton, on March 20.JASON FRANSON/The Canadian Press
Edmonton’s mayor says he hopes to return to federal politics by winning a seat for the Liberals in a new riding in the city’s southeast.
Amarjeet Sohi, who said last week the party had asked him to run, announced Sunday he will represent the Liberals in the Edmonton-Southeast constituency.
Sohi was a Liberal MP from 2015 to 2019 in Edmonton Mill Woods and served as a cabinet minister during former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s first term.
He became mayor in 2021, two years after losing his seat in 2019 to Conservative candidate Tim Uppal.
City spokesperson Justin Draper says that while Sohi will officially remain mayor, he will take an unpaid leave of absence during the federal campaign and will resign if he wins the April 28 vote.
Sohi says in his announcement that Canada is facing “unprecedented times” with U.S. President Donald Trump attacking our sovereignty, jobs, economy and way of life.
“While we can’t control President Trump we can control how we respond – that is why I have decided to join Mark Carney in the fight for our community, for our province and for our country,” Sohi said in his statement.
Carney triggered the campaign midday Sunday by visiting Gov. Gen. Mary Simon and asking her to dissolve Parliament.
Sohi appeared Thursday at a news conference with the Liberal leader in Edmonton, where Carney said he held great respect for Sohi when asked for his thoughts about the mayor being a possible candidate.
Sohi has also served as an Edmonton city councillor and once worked as a bus driver.
His former federal riding, Edmonton Mill Woods, was replaced by Edmonton Southeast and Edmonton Gateway in a redistribution. Sohi will face lawyer Jagsharan Singh Mahal, who is representing the Conservatives in Edmonton Southeast, while Uppal is running for the Conservatives in Edmonton Gateway.
Draper said the mayor’s official duties will be carried out by the deputy mayor during the campaign. If Sohi wins, Draper said council will meet to decide the next steps which may include appointing a temporary mayor who would serve until the municipal election in October. He said the mayor’s position cannot remain vacant.
If Sohi loses, Draper said he would return to his position as mayor.
Tim Cartmell, an Edmonton city councillor who is seeking the mayor’s job in October, said in a statement that Sohi should have resigned. He said that would have allowed council to take necessary contingency measures and focus on the best needs of city during the months leading up to the municipal vote.
“Instead, we are in an odd state of limbo, waiting for the drama of federal politics to run its course,” Cartmell said in his statement.
Edmonton has nine federal ridings and one of those seats was occupied at dissolution by Liberal MP Randy Boissonnault. But Boissonnault, who had been confirmed as a Liberal Party candidate in Edmonton Centre, announced Friday that he wouldn’t be running.
Canada's 45th general election is underway, with federal leaders vying to become the next prime minister each positioning themselves as best to strengthen the country's economy
The Canadian Press