Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi has confirmed he will run for the Liberal Party of Canada in Edmonton Southeast in the upcoming federal election.
"President (Donald) Trump is attacking our sovereignty, jobs, economy and our way of life," Sohi said in a statement released on March 23, shortly after Liberal Leader Mark Carney called the election for April 28. "Given the threat of this disruption, it is imperative that strong and experienced leaders step up to defend our workers, working families, local businesses and our community."
In an interview on March 21, before confirming his intentions to run federally, Sohi said he would take an unpaid leave of absence if he sought a federal seat. If elected as a member of Parliament, he would be forced to resign as mayor. If unsuccessful, however, Sohi told Taproot he would return to city hall and serve out the remainder of his mayoral term, but refrain from running for mayor in the municipal election in October.
"If I do run federally, I will not be running for mayor at all. I think it's important to provide that clarity to Edmontonians," he said on Episode 300 of Speaking Municipally, Taproot's civic affairs podcast.
Sohi said he was considering such a move because Canada needs "serious, mature, determined, focused leadership" to face the political turbulence caused in part by the U.S. president's actions.
"I see this as an opportunity that I can play a role at the national stage, at a time when our country is going through some of the most unpredictable, unexpected, unprecedented times — the threat to our sovereignty, the threat to our jobs, to our economy, our way of life, from Trump and the impact that will have on the Edmonton region — (and) we need voices at the table," Sohi said. "What Trump is doing to our country is basically a wake-up call … that we need to reduce our dependency on a single customer who has become so volatile now and so unpredictable."
Sohi confirmed that Carney asked him during his visit to Edmonton on March 20 if he would consider running for the Liberal party in the next federal election.
This would not be the first time Sohi has switched between municipal and federal politics. He was first elected to city council in 2007 in Ward 6. In 2015, he left his Ward 12 city council seat (won in the 2013 election) when Justin Trudeau, then leader of the federal Liberal party, asked him to run in the Edmonton Mill Woods riding. Sohi won that race by fewer than 100 votes. Sohi served as a cabinet minister during Trudeau's first government. He lost his federal seat to Conservative Tim Uppal in the 2019 federal election. Sohi was elected mayor of Edmonton in 2021.
Asked if he was abandoning Edmontonians for a more prestigious position in Ottawa, Sohi told the podcast that wasn't part of his decision.
"I can tell you, I've been a cabinet minister before, and I've been in this role for three and a half years — being mayor is more fun than being a cabinet minister," he said.
Coun. Tim Cartmell, who is running for mayor in the Oct. 20 municipal election, criticized Sohi's decision, saying it puts Edmonton in an "odd state of limbo" while the federal election runs its course.
"Given that Mayor Sohi is no longer interested in City matters, the responsible decision would have been to resign," Cartmell said in a March 23 statement. "It would have allowed Edmonton City Council to take the necessary contingency actions and focus on the best needs of the City until the City election in October."
Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi during a year-end interview in 2024. (Mack Male/Flickr)
Sohi said he was considering re-entering federal politics because "we would be lacking strong voices from the region if the Liberals formed government," he said. "I also feel that my experience, my style of leadership, where I can remain calm, steadiness, and the temperament I have to deal with crises and the difficult situations could be helpful at a national level, when we are dealing with the most unpredictable times that we have never imagined before."
Sohi said he would not run in the federal election if Carney were not leading the Liberal party.
"I was watching the (Liberal leadership race) very closely, as much as I could, because I was feeling that who gets elected will be instrumental in what kind of leadership is required for us to navigate through these challenges," he said.
"I feel that the kind of maturity, temperament, and international experience that Mr. Carney has is required," he said, adding that "in normal circumstances, I would have said 'No' right away, because it's hard on the family."
The Liberals have made an astounding rebound in the polls since Trudeau resigned on Jan. 6, Trump launched attacks on Canada's sovereignty and economy, and Carney became prime minister.
Who will be mayor if Sohi becomes an MP?
Council is required to actively fill the mayor's position both during his leave of absence and in the event Sohi is elected federally, city clerk Aileen Giesbrecht told Taproot.
Edmonton councillors could adopt the deputy mayor list, which designates one councillor per month as deputy mayor in the event the mayor is unable to fulfill their duties. Council could also choose to appoint one or more councillors to the mayor's seat for the remainder of the term.
Hear Sohi's interview with Taproot in Episode 300 of Speaking Municipally, published on March 22.
This story was updated on March 23 to include Sohi's announcement of his decision to run, the federal election call for April 28, and mayoral candidate Tim Cartmell's remarks.