Federal NDP plans to have a new leader by end of March

Hamilton Spectator

11-07-2025

OTTAWA—The New Democratic Party will have a new leader by the end of March next year, the Star has learned, setting up a contest to decide the future of the left-wing political force that was crippled in April's federal election.
In a closed-door meeting Thursday, the NDP's federal council agreed on a six-month race starting in September with a $100,000 entry fee, said sources familiar with the discussions. It's seen as a compromise between opposing factions of the party following
tense debates
and
internal discord
in the weeks ahead of the decision. Not all rules for the race were decided Thursday.
Some had called for a
lengthy race with a low-entry fee
in an effort to allow more candidates to enter the race and vigorously debate the direction of the party. Others had called for a
short race with a higher fee
, citing the instability of minority Parliaments and a need to replenish the party's coffers after it had its worst-ever election result.
Tensions are expected to remain as the left wing of the party and the center-left battle over the direction of the NDP during the leadership race. Earlier this week, a grassroots group dubbed 'Reclaim Canada's NDP,' supported by former MPs Matthew Green and Rachel Blaney, called on party donors to redirect funds to local riding associations instead of the central party, a significant act of protest in the face of
mounting disillusionment with the party's leadership
.
The party was reduced to just seven seats in Parliament in the April 28 election, losing out on critical rebates from Elections Canada and funding for House of Commons staff and operations and leading to former leader Jagmeet Singh's resignation. It announced this week it was launching a review of the election campaign, led by lawyer and former candidate Emilie Taman.
Edmonton-Strathcona MP Heather McPherson, who is notable for her criticism of the Canadian government's response to the war in Gaza and her past support for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, is widely expected to launch a leadership bid, but has yet to confirm her intention despite signalling an openness to enter the race.
Over the last few weeks, she marched with Ontario New Democrats at the Toronto Pride Parade, mingled with labour unions at the Calgary Stampede, and shared a
video to social media
describing the party's recent election campaign as a 'wake-up call,' that failed to provide leadership and solutions and lost voters' trust.
Other potential candidates, include several influential figures on the left-wing of the party, including Green, climate activist Avi Lewis and Winnipeg Centre MP Leah Gazan.
So far, the only people to announce an intention to run are farmer and former Huron-Bruce candidate Tony McQuail and Yves Engler — a Montreal-based activist known for aggressive confrontations with elected officials of all stripes over the war in Gaza.