Brian Mason stepping down as NDP leader in the fall

CTV Edmonton: Brian Mason stepping down as leader A familiar face in Alberta politics is stepping down as leader of the NDP.

The leader of the New Democratic Party in Alberta announced Tuesday that he will be stepping down from his post as head of the party in the fall.

NDP Leader and MLA for Edmonton Highlands-Norwood Brian Mason announced Tuesday morning that he was planning to step down from his position as party leader, effective October 19.

Mason will step down from his position just over a decade after he was voted in as leader by the party – voted in in the fall of 2004.

Back in October, 1989, Mason was first elected as a City Councillor for Ward 3 in Edmonton, before making the jump to provincial politics when he was elected in Edmonton Highlands in a by-election in 2000.

As for his decision to step down as leader, Mason said the NDP needed to rebrand, and attract more support.

“There are hundreds of thousands of Albertans who can see through this deception and they are looking for a new political home,” Mason said.

With files from Serena Mah