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Former NDP cabinet minister Moe Sihota speaks to reporters after being elected British Columbia NDP president at their convention in Vancouver, B.C., on Sunday November 29, 2009.Darryl Dyck

Long-time B.C. New Democrat Moe Sihota is joining an Alberta lobbying firm that had close ties to that province's former Progressive Conservative political dynasty.

Mr. Sihota, who held a variety of cabinet posts in the 1990s and most recently served as B.C. NDP party president, has been hired by the Edmonton-based Canadian Strategy Group as "strategic counsel." Former Canadian Labour Congress president Ken Georgetti, who also once led the B.C. Federation of Labour, has been hired into the same role.

The group's co-founder, Hal Danchilla, says the two men will help the Edmonton-based company's existing clients and deal with social organizations, the not-for-profit-sector, environmental groups and unions.

"If you take a look at what Ken and Moe are bringing to the table, it is an area that we, frankly, are lacking in," Mr. Danchilla said Monday.

"We are looking forward to them helping educate me and everyone else in the firm as well and from time to time giving advice to clients."

Mr. Danchilla's ties to the Alberta PCs go back to the early 1990s when Ralph Klein became party leader and premier. He said Mr. Georgetti and Mr. Sihota were not hired specifically to help his strategy group interact with Alberta's new NDP government.

Premier Rachel Notley has shown throughout her political career that she is open to people, Mr. Danchilla said, and he is confident she will not run what he called a "closed shop."

The NDP under Ms. Notley won a majority in the May 5 provincial election to end almost 44 years of Tory government.

"We are not worried about access. We are worried about the nuances, and those people [Mr. Georgetti and Mr. Sihota] can teach me about how that works."

Mr. Sihota will find familiar faces within Alberta's new government. Ms. Notley's chief of staff, Brian Topp, oversaw the B.C. NDP's election campaign in 2013, when the party suffered a surprising loss to the incumbent Liberals under Premier Christy Clark. Mr. Sihota was also seen as one of the architects of the campaign and in the subsequent weeks announced he wouldn't seek re-election as party president.

In 1986, Mr. Sihota became the first Indo-Canadian to be elected to a Canadian legislature. He was appointed to cabinet after the NDP unseated the Social Credit party in the 1991 B.C. election.

During his time in office, he held a number of portfolios, including education, environment and labour.

Other people at Canadian Strategy Group with ties to former Alberta PC governments include Michael Lohner, who worked as chief of staff in three departments, and Ron Liepert, a former minister of finance, energy and health.

Last month, Sally Housser, who served as Ms. Notley's press secretary during the election campaign, was hired away from her job as deputy director of cabinet communications for Manitoba's NDP government.

With reports from Staff

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