Mr. Prentice called an election about a year earlier than required. When he took power, the biggest threat to the Conservatives appeared to be the Wildrose Party, which is slightly to its right. At first, it appeared that Mr. Prentice had defused his political opposition by welcoming nine members of Wildrose, including its leader, into the Conservatives. 
 
 “They thought they would have a free ride,” said Jack Mintz, the director of the school of public policy at the University of Calgary. 
 
 But the move backfired. Because the Conservatives had stridently campaigned against Wildrose in 2012, Mr. Bratt said, many voters saw the move as cynical. Of the nine defectors, plus two earlier ones, only three ran in Tuesday’s election. The others retired or were unable to secure nominations. 
 
 The province’s budget woes were another blow to the Conservatives. Falling royalty payments because of low oil prices are expected to cut revenue this year by up to seven billion Canadian dollars, or $5.8 billion. Mr. Prentice responded with a budget that many conservatives saw as not cutting spending enough, while many on the left thought that the cuts were too deep and that corporations should have been taxed more. 
 
 The party was also hurt by Mr. Prentice’s political style and by campaign blunders. Having quit as vice chairman of a large Toronto-based bank to return to politics, Mr. Prentice sometimes acted like an executive lecturing employees. Asked in a radio interview about the source of the province’s budget problems, he replied, “We all need only look in the mirror.” And in a discussion of economics during the campaign’s sole televised debate, Mr. Prentice said to Ms. Notley of the New Democrats, “I know that math is difficult,” a comment that many found sexist and patronizing. 
 
 In contrast, Ms. Notley, a lawyer who has worked for unions and the government, came off as witty and articulate. And while Mr. Prentice toured the province in a large motor coach, Ms. Notley used a humble white minivan plastered with party stickers. 
 
 While Ms. Notley’s victory would not have been predicted a year ago, she has long been a prominent and politically active figure. Her father, Grant, was the leader of Alberta’s New Democrats when he was killed in a plane crash in 1984. ||||| (Bloomberg) -- Canadian energy stocks from Suncor Energy Inc. to Enbridge Inc. tumbled after the New Democratic Party swept to power in Alberta, pledging to raise corporate taxes in an industry already buffeted by low oil prices and stalled pipelines. 
 
 The NDP, led by Rachel Notley, ended a 44-year Progressive Conservative dynasty by winning a majority of districts in elections Tuesday, according to Elections Alberta. The NDP promises to boost corporate taxes, review the government’s take of energy revenue, scale back advocacy for pipelines and phase out coal power more quickly. 
 
 “It’s completely devastating,” for energy companies and investors, Rafi Tahmazian, who helps manage C$1 billion ($831 million) in energy funds at Canoe Financial LP in Calgary, said on Tuesday. “The perception from the market based on their comments is they’re extremely dangerous.” 
 
 Suncor, Canada’s biggest oil producer by market value, dropped 4.3 percent to $36.69 at 10:14 a.m. in Toronto, pipeline company Enbridge fell 2.7 percent to C$61 while Canadian Oil Sands Ltd. slid 5.4 percent to C$12.76. The Standard & Poor’s/TSX Energy Index of 64 companies fell 3.1 percent, its biggest drop since Feb. 10. 
 
 West Texas Intermediate, the North American crude benchmark, rose 2.7 percent to $62 per barrel in early trade while the S&P 500 index of U.S. energy stocks rose. 
 
 The election results may stall investment in the oil patch, which is counting on more than C$500 billion in spending over the next three decades in the oil sands alone. 
 
 Capital Mobile 
 
 “The NDP’s stance on pipelines is clearly to remove government support of pipelines and be less of a cheerleader,” John Stephenson, chief executive officer of Stephenson & Co. said in a phone interview from Toronto. His firm manages about C$50 million. 
 
 Energy producers in Alberta, the heart of the Canadian industry, are cutting jobs, reducing drilling and shelving billions of dollars of new investment because of the oil price collapse. While U.S. crude’s rise to around $60 a barrel from a six-year low in March has injected fresh optimism into the industry, executives are preparing for a slow recovery to levels that would make new projects profitable in the oil sands, the world’s third-largest reserves. 
 
 “We are in a time when investors want to see a quick return on capital and less long lead time mega-projects,” according a report Wednesday by Dundee Capital Markets Inc. led by Brian Kristjansen. “Capital is extremely mobile and can easily move out of Alberta at the first sign of uncertainty.” 
 
 Clear Negative 
 
 U.S. investor clients of Calgary-based investment bank AltaCorp Capital Inc. were pulling positions in Canadian stocks in the run up to the election, anticipating an NDP victory, said analyst Jeremy McCrea. 
 
 Suncor, Imperial Oil Ltd., Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. and Cenovus Energy Inc. are among Canada’s largest oil-sands operators. 
 
 “Now is not the time for a royalty review,” said Jeff Gaulin, vice president of communications at the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. “The uncertainty that that would create for investment would jeopardize jobs in Alberta.” 
 
 Good Partner 
 
 The energy lobby group is confident it can nonetheless work with Notley’s NDP, Gaulin said. 
 
 “Our government will be a good partner” for the energy industry, Notley, 51, said in her victory speech. 
 
 There’s a precedent for a stock sell-off based on Alberta energy policy. Canadian oil and gas stocks lost ground to their U.S. peers around October 2007 when the Progressive Conservative government raised royalty rates. The shares traded about 14 percent lower for more than a year, until early indications the government would consider reversing the hikes, according to an AltaCorp analysis. In 2010, the PCs led by Ed Stelmach retreated from most of the royalty boost. 
 
 “If you are invested in energy stocks, you should be concerned,” McCrea said. Drillers already face higher costs to extract oil and gas in Alberta than in many jurisdictions, so an increase in royalties would make the province even less competitive, he said. 
 
 The number of oil rigs deployed in Canada’s biggest energy-producing province is at its lowest since 2009 after oil lost half its value last year, according to Baker Hughes Inc. data. Already, Western Canada’s oil growth is poised to slow by 59 percent next year, according to the Canadian Energy Research Institute. 
 
 Keystone XL 
 
 Oil growth in the region will slow to 17,000 barrels a day by next year from 41,000 barrels a day in 2014 as conventional production from drilling declines and stays below last year’s levels through the rest of the decade, according to CERI. 
 
 While not in the party’s official platform, Notley has said she will not advocate for the Keystone XL and Northern Gateway pipelines, oil export projects that have come under fire from environmental opponents of the oil sands and communities fearful of spills along their paths. She has said that Kinder Morgan Inc.’s Trans Mountain line and TransCanada Corp.’s Energy East project are worth discussion. 
 
 The Alberta government has been a champion in Washington of Keystone XL, TransCanada’s $8 billion pipeline awaiting a decision by U.S. President Barack Obama. Previous provincial leaders have joined the Canadian government in raising awareness about oil-sands development and regulation to try to win U.S. support for Keystone, a line proposed in 2008 that would transport Canadian crude to the U.S. Gulf Coast.’’ 
 
 Minimum Wage 
 
 Under the NDP, the corporate tax rate will increase to 12 percent from 10 percent. Notley will form a committee to review royalties and has said she will support more refining of oil in the province, despite a commonly-held view by investors and companies that it isn’t profitable. 
 
 The new premier will also increase the minimum wage to C$15 an hour and impose stiffer environmental standards and monitoring, according to the party’s election platform. In addition, the NDP leader will ban gas drilling in urban areas. The NDP would phase out coal-fired power plants more quickly than federal regulations that limit them to a 50-year life. 
 
 Coal is the biggest contributor to the electricity supply in Alberta, where Westmoreland Coal Co., TransAlta Corp. and Teck Resources Ltd. are among producers. Teck dropped 2.6 percent to C$18.21 while TransAlta slide 4.3 percent to C$11.25. 
 
 Alberta and Saskatchewan lead the country in the use of coal for electricity, and both provinces have the highest per capita carbon emissions in Canada, at more than 60 metric tons, compared with 12.5 tons in Ontario, according to Environment Canada figures. 
 
 Still, Notley’s platform is a general guideline and the new premier will probably move carefully on economic policies, said Jim Lightbody, chair of the University of Alberta’s political science department in Edmonton. She wouldn’t be able to govern the province and make moves detrimental to the energy industry, he said. 
 
 “I would project that she moves carefully, cautiously, sensibly,” Lightbody said. 
 
 To contact the reporters on this story: Rebecca Penty in Calgary at rpenty@bloomberg.net; Robert Tuttle in Calgary at rtuttle@bloomberg.net 
 
 To contact the editors responsible for this story: David Scanlan at dscanlan@bloomberg.net Carlos Caminada, Jacqueline Thorpe ||||| It's a massive shock that turns Canadian politics on its head: the NDP has won a majority government in Alberta. 
 
 "I think we might have made a little bit of history tonight," leader Rachel Notley told her supporters Tuesday night. "Friends, I believe, that change has finally come to Alberta. New people, new ideas and a fresh start for our great province." 
 
 The NDP won 53 ridings. Wildrose took 21 seats, while the PCs took 10. There was a tie in one Calgary riding — Calgary-Glenmore — between the PCs and NDP. A recount will take place in the next few days. 
 
 The Liberals and the Alberta Party each claimed one seat. 
 
 Notley believes the election was record-setting in terms of the number of women elected. 
 
 The Wildrose Party will be the province's Official Opposition, and leader Brian Jean has been elected in his riding of Fort McMurray-Conklin. 
 
 The long-governing PC Party dropped to third place. The outgoing premier Jim Prentice told his supporters late Tuesday that he had resigned as party leader and had resigned his seat. 
 
 "My contribution to public life is now at an end," Prentice said. 
 
 The NDP won just over 41 per cent of the popular vote, the Wildrose got 24 per cent and the PCs were at about 28 per cent — roughly what was reported by many pollsters in the run-up to the election. 
 
 Voter turnout was 58.1 per cent, according to Elections Alberta. 
 
 A Canadian Press graphic showing the turnout for past provincial elections in Alberta. (Canadian Press) 
 
 Rachel Notley to be Alberta's new premier 
 
 Notley is Alberta's next premier. Her campaign was touted as having "shades of Jack Layton," referring to the late federal NDP leader. 
 
 The NDP's previous best showing in Alberta was in 1986 when the party took 16 seats, but by 1993, it was shut out of the legislature. 
 
 Prime Minister Stephen Harper congratulated Notley on her win. 
 
 "I look forward to working with future Premier Notley on issues of importance for Albertans and all Canadians, including creating jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity across the province and country," Harper said in a statement issued Wednesday. He also offered thanks to Prentice, a former minister in his cabinet. and wished him well in his future endeavours. 
 
 The Alberta election seat change shows big NDP gains and big PC losses. (Canadian Press) 
 
 Alberta is traditionally Canada's most conservative province, but anger at the long-governing Progressive Conservative Party seems to have spurred an orange wave that has swept over most parts of the province. 
 
 Prentice called the election in April with 70 out of the 87 seats in the legislature. It was touted as a coronation for Prentice, once a Conservative MP recruited to fix the party's woes following the resignation of Alison Redford. 
 
 He had asked Albertans to give him a mandate after bringing in a "bad-news" budget when the election was called. 
 
 But over the campaign, there was a shift in momentum. It became a three-way horse race between the PCs, Wildrose and NDP. 
 
 Notley a leader 50 years in the making 
 
 Follow our live blog as reporters tweet from the field​ 
 
 Notley was born with orange roots. 
 
 Her father, Grant Notley, was the provincial NDP leader from 1968 until he was killed in a plane crash in 1984. 
 
 After Brian Mason resigned as NDP leader last year, Notley easily defeated her opponents to win 70 per cent of the vote. 
 
 The NDP won the majority of Calgary's ridings — areas where the PCs were supposed to hold onto power. 
 
 The NDP also swept the provincial capital and made gains in rural northern Alberta. 
 
 Alberta 2015 election results, including the tie ("undecided") in Calgary-Glenmore. (Canadian Press) 
 
 Alberta Party wins seat 
 
 Greg Clark secured the Alberta Party's first seat in the provincial legislature. He led his party to more than two per cent of the popular vote. 
 
 Clark beat out former education minister Gordon Dirks in the riding of Calgary-Elbow. 
 
 Only three of Prentice's cabinet ministers won their seats: Wayne Drysdale, Manmeet Bhullar and Ric McIver. 
 
 Albertans also punished the Wildrose floor-crossers in tonight's vote. All of the MLAs who migrated to the PCs last year lost their seats. 
 
 Liberal Leader David Swann managed to hold onto his seat in Calgary-Mountain View, but the party only received roughly four per cent of the vote. Swann is now the only Liberal MLA in the Alberta Legislature. ||||| ▶ Tuesday's Alberta election saw the Progressive Conservatives toppled by the NDP. PC Leader Jim Prentice told subdued supporters in Calgary that he was stepping down as leader and was leaving politics. 
 
 EDMONTON — The NDP has won a majority in Alberta by toppling the Progressive Conservative colossus that has dominated the province for more than four decades. The party under leader Rachel Notley swept all 19 seats in Edmonton on Tuesday and made inroads in previously barren NDP territory in Calgary and Lethbridge. The Wildrose party appeared poised to take second place and form the official Opposition, while Premier Jim Prentice and his PCs were trailing in third. 
 
 Prentice later resigned as leader of the Alberta Progressive Conservatives. 
 
 Article Continued Below 
 
 He is also giving up the seat he retained in the provincial election in Calgary Foothills. 
 
 NDP supporters react as they watch the results at NDP leader Rachel Notley's headquarters in Edmonton. ( Nathan Denette / THE CANADIAN PRESS ) David Swann (Liberals), left, Rachel Notley (NDP), second left, Jim Prentice (PC), Brian Jean (Wildrose). Campaign polls have suggested the NDP will have a strong showing in Edmonton and the party hopes to have a breakthrough in the traditional Tory fortress of Calgary. ( Jeff McIntosh / THE CANADIAN PRESS ) Voters cast their ballots at the Olds United Church in Olds, Alberta. ( Mike Ridewood / THE CANADIAN PRESS ) 
 
 He says he takes responsibility for the decision that led to the party's resounding defeat. It’s a tectonic shift in Alberta politics, which has seen government change hands only four times since the Liberals won the first election when Alberta became a province in 1905. The Tories, first elected in 1971, had been the longest-serving government in Canadian history at 43 years and almost eight months. 
 
 For Notley, the victory is a vindication of the pioneering efforts of her father, Grant Notley. He helped found Alberta’s NDP and kept the movement alive as the sole NDP member of the legislature in the 1970s. He died in a plane crash in northern Alberta in 1984, two years before his party made its first big breakthrough in 1986 and became official Opposition. The NDP has never come close to power in Alberta since it began contesting votes in 1940. Its previous high-water mark was 16 seats and almost 30 per cent of the popular vote in 1986. Notley ran on a policy platform of social change, promising to invest more in schools and hospitals, while increasing taxes to corporations and the wealthy. His party had been seeking to stave off challenges from both the NDP and the Wildrose party to secure a 13th consecutive majority government. Prentice dropped the writ on April 7 — a year earlier than necessary under Alberta law — saying he needed a mandate to implement a tough budget that proposes sweeping increases in taxes and user fees and cuts in government spending. The goal was to stop Alberta’s heavy reliance on fluctuating oil prices for its revenue. It was supposed to be a victory lap for the premier, whose party held 70 of 87 seats at dissolution. The Wildrose and the Liberals were both coming off leadership changes. The campaign didn’t work out that way. The Opposition Wildrose criticized Prentice for not going far enough with spending cuts and said it would not raise any taxes. 
 
 Leader Brian Jean promised to balance the budget by 2017 through cuts to scores of management jobs, reprioritizing building projects and holding the line on taxes. The New Democrats criticized Prentice for going too far with cuts, while sparing corporations from tax increases. Notley said she could balance the books by 2018 through increased taxes on corporations and the wealthy, while still spending more on health and education. Notley has had momentum since the leaders debate that most pundits say she won. The Liberals, under interim leader David Swann, ran a low-key campaign that promised to fix long wait times for health care and improve social services for young and old. The NDP, under leader Rachel Notley, was on its way to taking every seat in the capital of Edmonton. The part was also making significant gains in the traditional Tory stronghold of Calgary. Notley, the daughter of popular former NDP leader Grant Notley, will be the province’s 17th premier. The Tories and the Wildrose were left to fight over who would finish second and form the official Opposition.Notley won her seat Tuesday as her party dominated Edmonton and Lethbridge and made inroads in Calgary in the provincial election. The NDP was looking to form government for the first time in the party’s 75-year-history in Alberta. The Tories and Premier Jim Prentice had been seeking to stave off challenges from both the NDP and the Wildrose party to secure a 13th consecutive majority government. The Tories have governed since they swept the Social Credit party out of office almost 44 years ago. The Socred dynasty lasted 36 years. Prentice dropped the writ on April 7 — a year earlier than necessary under Alberta law — saying he needed a mandate to implement a tough budget that proposes sweeping increases in taxes and user fees and cuts in government spending. The goal is to stop Alberta’s heavy reliance on fluctuating oil prices for its revenue. It was supposed to be a victory lap for the premier, whose party held 70 of 87 seats at dissolution. The Wildrose and the Liberals are both coming off leadership changes and the NDP has never won more than 16 seats in an election. The campaign didn’t work out that way. The Opposition Wildrose has criticized Prentice for not going far enough with spending cuts and has promised it would not raise any taxes. Leader Brian Jean has promised to balance the budget by 2017 through cuts to scores of management jobs, reprioritizing building projects and holding the line on taxes. The New Democrats have criticized Prentice for going too far with cuts, while sparing corporations from tax increases. Notley has said she could balance the books by 2018 through increased taxes on corporations and the wealthy, while still spending more on health and education. Prentice has ridiculed both plans as unrealistic. Campaign polls suggested the NDP would have a strong showing in Edmonton and the party hoped to have a breakthrough in Calgary. Wildrose support was concentrated in rural areas outside the two large cities. Notley has had momentum since the leaders debate that most pundits say she won. The Liberals, under interim leader David Swann, ran a low-key campaign that promised to fix long wait times for health care and improve social services for young and old. Swann has said his party may be able to work with the New Democrats in a minority government situation if it wins seats. MORE ON THESTAR.COM 8 things that make Alberta election exciting If Prentice falls in Alberta, he will have defeated himself: Tim Harper 
 
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– As a Canadian TV host put it, "Pigs do fly." That after last night's election in the western oil-rich province of Alberta, which saw a conservative-party dynasty come to an end after 43 years in power. Voters chose a New Democratic Party government for the province, which has garnered nicknames like the "Texas of Canada" and the "Texas of the North," per the New York Times and AP. It's an outcome that seemed unlikely a slim 28 days ago when the election was called, and initial results reported by the Times indicate huge gains: from NDP's previous four seats to 53, with the Progressive Conservative Party's hold sinking to 11. That puts it in third place, behind the right-of-center Wildrose party, which becomes the official opposition party. What the NDP promised: to hike corporate taxes and review oil and gas royalties. Incoming New Democratic Premier Rachel Notley also vowed to dump more money into schools and hospitals. How Canada is reporting it: "It's a massive shock that turns Canadian politics on its head," reports CBC News. "It's a tectonic shift in Alberta politics, which has seen government change hands only four times since ... Alberta became a province in 1905," per the Toronto Star. One Toronto political scientist's take: Though "Americans are freaked out by socialism ... The main message is a social democratic party isn't all that radical anymore." What the Times sees: "The unexpected rise of the NDP, which was partly founded by labor unions, may have implications for Alberta's oil sands, which, many critics say, enjoyed a light regulatory touch under Conservative governments." Two financial analysts' takes: "The perception from the market based on [the NDP's] comments is they're extremely dangerous," one tells Bloomberg. "If you are invested in energy stocks, you should be concerned," says another, explaining that Alberta drillers are currently saddled with higher extraction costs; bumping up royalties would further erode competitiveness.