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Manitoba’s NDP Premier Wab Kinew welcomes delegates to the party’s 2026 National Convention in Winnipeg on Friday.Photography by Shannon VanRaes/The Globe and Mail
Federal New Democrats are convening in Winnipeg this weekend to pick a new leader as they seek a path to recovery from years of declining support that culminated in the party losing official status in the House of Commons.
The NDP holds just six seats after a record low share of the popular vote in the 2025 election and Nunavut MP Lori Idlout’s high-profile crossover to the Liberals earlier this month.
While the party has never formed government at the federal level, it has been faced with an existential crisis over the past few months.
Not only did the NDP receive the worst seat count in its history last year, but after the resignation of former leader Jagmeet Singh, who also lost his own riding in British Columbia, a few of the party’s remaining MPs have openly mused about morale issues and a possible jump to provincial politics.
Now, five candidates are running for leadership: Documentary filmmaker Avi Lewis; social worker Tanille Johnston; union leader Rob Ashton; organic farmer Tony McQuail; and Alberta MP Heather McPherson. Each will get a chance to provide a final pitch to party members on Saturday, with voting already under way.
The winner will be announced Sunday morning.
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A convention attendee wears a shirt in support of NDP leadership candidate Avi Lewis.
But a poll released earlier this week by Angus Reid suggests the next leader will not only have to find a way to broaden the party’s nationwide support, they must also work to make themselves relevant among voters on a personal level.
The poll of 1,164 Canadians who voted for the NDP at least once in any of the past four federal elections found that 44 per cent of respondents don’t recognize the names of any of the leadership candidates. It also found that 24 per cent believe the party is “irrelevant,” while 40 per cent say its best days are in the past.
(The Angus Reid Institute survey, conducted online from March 11 to 17 among a randomized sample of 4,005 Canadian adults, has a margin error of plus or minus 1.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.)
“It would be one thing if these people we polled were people who don’t know the NDP very well or don’t have an awareness of the party and might be committed to the Conservatives or Liberals,” Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute, said in an interview Friday.
“But that is not the case,” she said. “We’re talking about people who are, or rather should be, very much part of the NDP universe. This isn’t the hardcore base that will be at the conventions no matter what. But these are possible NDP voters, and it should be very scary for the party to see that they don’t know their possible leader very well at all.”
On Friday, the first day of the convention, New Democrats relied on familiar faces to rally the crowd of around 2,000 supporters converged in Winnipeg.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, who has consistently held the highest approval rating among Canada’s premiers since his election in late 2023, quarterbacked the welcome addresses.
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A delegate approaches a microphone during the convention.
During his nearly 20-minute speech, in which he received at least eight standing ovations to roaring applause, Mr. Kinew offered his support to “whoever is elected,” without giving an endorsement to a specific candidate.
Winnipeg-area MP Leah Gazan, meanwhile, has endorsed Mr. Lewis, who has emerged as a front-runner, just ahead of Ms. McPherson and Mr. Ashton.
With Mr. Lewis reportedly raising nearly twice as much money as the next candidate, and around three times as many people contributing to his campaign, he hosted a packed event at a Winnipeg church Thursday. The rally was emceed by Ms. Gazan, with some members of Mr. Kinew’s staff in attendance without him, including Manitoba MLA Tyler Blashko.
“A lot of people out there want to tell a story about, you know, what is the future of the federal NDP,” Mr. Kinew told the crowd, which was largely dressed in the party’s signature orange, at Winnipeg’s RBC Convention Centre Friday.
“We’re in a time where people are asking about how do we defend Canada; how do we make Canada strong? And I’ll tell you what, in order for us to have a strong Canada, we need a strong federal NDP.”
Friday’s event also included a video tribute to Mr. Singh, thanking him for his leadership since 2017, as he watched from the crowd.
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Former federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh watches a tribute video during the convention.
Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles is expected to speak at the convention Saturday, shortly after the leadership candidates’ final presentations.
New Democrats are planning to debate around 70 policy proposals at the convention, including on issues such as a response to U.S. President Donald Trump, health care, green energy initiatives, labour issues, affordability and foreign policy amid war in the Gulf and several other parts of the world.
Ahead of the weekend, the NDP said in a news release that more than 100,000 people have registered as members nationwide, which the party says is a growth of 67 per cent since the beginning of its leadership race last year.
The release also suggested that New Democrats have set new records for leadership fundraising, though did not provide those figures to reporters.
