Naomi Rankin (born 1951 or 1952) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

politician who has served as the leader of the Communist Party – Alberta since 1992. She is the longest-serving party leader in Alberta, and has been a

perennial candidate A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for elected office and rarely, if ever, wins. Perennial candidates are most common where there is no limit on the number of times that a person can run for office and little cost ...

in the province's federal and provincial elections since 1982.

Political career

Rankin became leader of the Communist Party in Alberta in 1992, after the collapse of the Soviet Union sent the party into crisis. Since 1982, she has run in every provincial and federal election for the Communist Party – Alberta and the Communist Party of Canada respectively. Rankin herself usually fields around 100 votes. In a typical election campaign, Rankin goes door-to-door and distributes pamphlets, as she tries to engage voters in discussions about the party's main platforms. In the 1980s, these included the nationalization of transnational oil and gas companies, and making Alberta a nuclear weapons-free zone. Since then, issues on the Communist Party agenda have included opposing privatization, doubling the corporate tax rate, and making drastic cuts to military spending. She also appears in forums, debates, and media interviews, in which she tries to debunk popular myths about the Communist Party and socialism. As a candidate, Rankin has aimed to spread her message beyond the party's traditional targets such as trade unions, environmental groups, women's organizations, and farmers.

Personal life

Rankin is widowed with two children, and is retired from her career as a computer programmer. She has lived in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

since 1963. A social activist since her teens, she has been active in peace and women's organizations. Rankin sings in the "Notre Dame des Bananes” choir, which performs songs about social justice, and has also sung as a tenor with the Richard Eaton Singers.

Electoral record

Federal

''Note: Canadian Alliance vote is compared to the Reform vote in 1997.''

Provincial

References

External links

Communist Party of Alberta homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rankin, Naomi Communist Party – Alberta candidates in Alberta provincial elections 1952 births Living people Communist Party of Canada candidates in the 1984 Canadian federal election Communist Party of Canada candidates in the 1988 Canadian federal election Independent candidates in the 1993 Canadian federal election Independent candidates in the 1997 Canadian federal election Communist Party of Canada candidates in the 2000 Canadian federal election Communist Party of Canada candidates in the 2004 Canadian federal election Communist Party of Canada candidates in the 2006 Canadian federal election Female Canadian political party leaders Canadian women in federal politics Women in Alberta politics 21st-century Canadian women politicians 20th-century Canadian women politicians