New Democrats can begin casting their vote online and by mail on Monday for a new federal leader, with five candidates vying for the job.
The NDP says its membership increased to approximately 100,000 people, up from 60,000 in September 2025, when the leadership race began.
“That gives me hope that despite the election result, the NDP is here to stay,” said Mélanie Richer, the NDP’s former director of communications.
“This is an opportunity for the membership to decide not only who the next leader is going to be, but what the future of the party is going to look like,” she said.
Interim fundraising numbers published by Elections Canada on Monday show candidate Avi Lewis has a significant lead on his opponents when it comes to bringing in money for the cash-strapped New Democrats.
Lewis is racking up more than $1.2 million in donations from over 10,400 contributors.
Heather McPherson gathered just over $560,000 in donations from more than 3,800 contributors. Rob Ashton brought in just under $357,000 from slightly more than 2,000 contributors.
Fundraising numbers from candidates Tanille Johnston and Tony McQuail have yet to be published.
‘Monumental’ task to be ‘relevant again’: analyst
The NDP is trying to rebuild following a devastating loss in the federal election last spring that saw the party lose official party status in the House of Commons. Only seven MPs maintained their seats, with then leader Jagmeet Singh failing to win his own riding and stepping down.
Nearly a year later, the New Democrats continue to poll between five and 10 per cent, which is near the same level they did on election night, according to Éric Grenier, a polls analyst with TheWrit.ca.
Rebuilding the party will be a “monumental” task for a new leader, since members have so far to come back from, Grenier said.
“The biggest challenge for the NDP is simply to get relevant again,” Grenier said.
Richer said to do that, the next leader will need to appeal to more than just current party members.
“If you’re not able to speak to people who don’t hold a membership card, you’re not going to get us any further ahead,” she said.
While Richer said while she’s yet to back a candidate, she said McPherson does have the advantage of being able to point to her track record as the only member of Parliament in the race.
Experience pitch vs. election-readiness
Speaking to CBC News at an International Women’s Day march in Vancouver on Sunday, McPherson said she’s “the only one that has beat Conservatives three times.”
“I understand the reality that people are facing right now,” said the Edmonton MP. “I don’t come from a political family.
“We don’t need a show right now. We need a serious party that can get to work and that can do the job of holding this government accountable on day one.”
WATCH | Last NDP debate before leadership vote:
NDP leadership hopefuls hold final debate before members vote
NDP leadership hopefuls are squared off for a final debate in New Westminster, B.C., before party members vote to choose their new leader at the end of March.
Last week, Lewis told reporters that he wasn’t focused on winning a seat in the House of Commons if he becomes leader, particularly since the New Democrats have such a small footprint in Ottawa right now.
“The new leader has to get in there, actually look at the books, find out what the debt is, figure out how to be election ready as quickly as possible,” Lewis said.
“There’s a transition that is more important.”
Lewis ran twice unsuccessfully for a seat with the federal NDP and has never held public office. His grandfather, David Lewis, was the federal NDP leader in the 1970s, while his father, Stephen Lewis, led the Ontario NDP.
Richer said she saw the pitfalls firsthand of not having a leader who had a seat in the House of Commons when Singh didn’t have a seat for well over a year.
“Not being completely plugged in to the day-to-day stuff makes it really hard, because you’re taking too long to respond. And then you’re no longer in the news cycle and no longer relevant as it relates to people,” Richer said.
Voting continues until convention in Winnipeg
Other candidates include Ashton, a dockworker and union leader. He has pitched himself as the person to help the NDP bring back more labour and working class voters. He’s racked up a considerable number of endorsements from unions, including United Steelworkers and United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), along with the president of the Canadian Labour Congress, Bea Bruske.
Johnston, a social worker, city councillor and member of the We Wai Kai First Nation, is the youngest in the race, pitching herself as a fresh and new voice for the future of the NDP. She’s the first Indigenous woman to seek the top job with the federal New Democrats.
McQuail, known for the distinct straw hat he wore during the debates, is an organic farmer from southwestern Ontario who says the party needs to take a holistic approach to policies, including tackling the climate crisis.
Voting continues until the NDP’s convention in Winnipeg and the end of March, when the five candidates will have a final chance to pitch themselves to supporters. (Voting will also occur in person at the venue.)
The new leader will be announced March 29.
Yves Engler says NDP membership terminated
Over the weekend, former leadership hopeful Yves Engler announced on social media the NDP terminated his membership. Engler had attempted to enter the race but his application was rejected.
“This is just the latest in the party brass’s opposition, repressive opposition, to our campaign which is putting forward internationalist anti-imperialist perspectives that the NDP wants nothing to do with,” the Montreal-based activist said in a video he posted online.
Yves Engler and others attempt to storm the final NDP leadership debate held at Anvil Centre, New Westminster, B.C., last month. (Nav Rahi/CBC)
He added he wasn’t allowed to challenge the decision.
“You have engaged in conduct fundamentally inconsistent with the obligations of membership and contrary to the constitution and principles of the party,” says a letter Engler shared with CBC News which he says was sent to him by the party’s national director on Friday.
CBC News reached out to the party for comment but did not hear back.
During the final official NDP leadership debate in Vancouver last month, Engler and a group of people unsuccessfully attempted to storm the stage.
