(EDMONTON, AB) November 6, 2025:
Chantelle de Jonge, MLA for Chestermere-Strathmore, issued the following statement on NDP MLA Lori Sigurdson invoking the Holocaust and comparing United Conservatives to Nazis:
“Yesterday in Question Period, NDP MLA for Edmonton-Riverview Lori Sigurdson invoked the Holocaust while criticizing Alberta’s use of the notwithstanding clause. It was an appalling and deeply offensive comparison.
“During her remarks, Sigurdson referenced the poem First They Came, written by Pastor Martin Niemöller, reflecting on the Nazi regime’s systemic persecution of Jews and other groups during the Holocaust. She went so far as to compare a provincial labour dispute to genocide, stating, “first they came for the teachers, and I did not speak out because I was not a teacher”.
“This unhinged rhetoric is disgraceful and beneath the dignity of Alberta’s Legislature. Invoking the Holocaust and comparing United Conservatives to Nazis to score desperate political points trivializes one of the darkest chapters in human history. Every member of the Assembly has a duty to speak with respect for the six million Jews and five million other victims including people with disabilities and those of different ethnicities and religions. It is abhorrent to exploit their suffering for partisan attacks.
“There is a clear moral line that must never be crossed in politics, and yesterday the NDP crossed it. Alberta’s Legislature should be a place for respectful debate, not reckless comparisons to crimes against humanity.
“Albertans can hold differing views on the notwithstanding clause or any government decision. But there is no place for comparing policy debates to the Holocaust or the atrocities committed by the Nazis.
“Naheed Nenshi needs to condemn these comments and ensure his caucus understands the deep gravity of what was said. The Holocaust is not a political talking point. Lori Sigurdson must apologize.”
