In 2017, the New Democratic Party held a leadership election to choose a successor to Tom Mulcair. The election was triggered by Mulcair having lost a leadership review at the party's federal convention held in Edmonton, Alberta, on April 10, 2016, which resulted in a majority of delegates voting in favour of holding a new leadership election. Mulcair declined to partake in the subsequent leadership election and stated that he would remain leader until the party chose a replacement.
Four candidates were on the leadership ballot: Charlie Angus, Niki Ashton, Guy Caron, and Jagmeet Singh. The voting process occurred on Sunday, October 1, 2017. Every party member was entitled to cast a secret vote in the leadership election using either a ranked ballot and Instant-runoff voting, or potentially repeated rounds of voting under exhaustive voting, with each member being able to choose one format or the other for their vote. Had no candidate received a majority of votes in the first round of voting, the least-popular candidate would have been dropped and an additional vote count held once a week until October 15, 2017, or until a candidate received a majority of votes.
Singh, the only non-MP in the race, formally announced his candidacy for the leadership on May 15, 2017. Singh received the support of 11 MPs, the most of any candidate, including former leadership candidates Nathan Cullen and Peter Julian, in addition to the support of major labour unions such as the United Food and Commercial Workers. Media attention surrounding his campaign noted the fact that, if elected, Singh would be the first visible minority person to lead a major federal party, as well as the first of the Sikh faith.
Singh was elected in the first round, with 53.8% of the votes, thus rendering the need for subsequent rounds of voting unnecessary. Following his election as leader, Singh appointed former leadership rival Guy Caron to serve as the New Democratic Party's Parliamentary Leader.
Background The result at the 2016 convention was the first time a leader of any Canadian federal political party has failed to receive at least 50% in a leadership review vote. In the months since the 2015 federal election, Mulcair's leadership had been a point of conflict within the party because of the election campaign, in which the NDP fell to third place from the Official Opposition status it gained in the 2011 election. The New Democrats had led public opinion polls since May 2015 and appeared to be poised to win their first federal election in history. However, they fell back behind the Liberals and Conservatives in the last month. The election thus resulted in a Liberal majority government.
The party lost more than half of its seats and fell to third place. Mulcair's leadership faced criticism following the election, particularly due to his moderate platform that the party was running on. In contrast, Liberal leader Justin Trudeau had promised to run a budget deficit to fund stimulus programs and higher social spending, a position which was perceived as the Liberals outflanking the NDP on the left.
Election rules Under rules set out in the party's constitution, every member was entitled to cast a secret ballot for the selection of the Leader. The new leader was chosen on October 1, 2017, on the first round of voting through a combination of preferential ballots and X voting. Had a leader not been chosen in the first round, additional vote counts would have taken place once a week until a candidate hit the 50 per cent plus one mark, to be declared leader (with eligible voters that chose to vote with an internet ballot being allowed to change their vote at any time before the closure of the polls, including between each round of balloting).
Candidates were required to pay an entry fee of $30,000 and spend no more than $1.5 million. 25% of all donations to candidates were paid to the party. To be nominated, candidates required at least 500 signatures from party members, at least half of which must be from female-identified members and at least 100 from "other equity-seeking groups" including indigenous people, LGBT people, persons with disabilities and visible minorities. At least 50 signatures were required from each of five regions: the Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies and B.C., and the North.
Timeline
2015 October 19 – In the 2015 general election, the NDP under Tom Mulcair wins 44 seats and falls to third place in the House of Commons, down from the 95 seats and Official Opposition status held prior to the election.
2016 April 10 – At the NDP convention in Edmonton, a leadership review resolution passes with the support of 52% of delegates, requiring a new leadership election to be held. Mulcair announces that he will not be a candidate, but will remain as leader until his successor is chosen. Delegates pass an emergency motion extending the deadline for a leadership election to two years from one year. May 15 – NDP Federal Council meets to discuss a schedule and logistics for the leadership election. The federal council decides to hold the election between September 17, 2017, and October 31, 2017, with a precise date to be set later. June 7 – Cheri DiNovo launches her campaign as an "unofficial candidate", in protest of the party's $30,000 entry fee. June 13 – Cheri DiNovo announces that her campaign will become official. June 14 – Party executive convenes to propose finalized election details, including the dates of the election and the nomination period closing. July 2 – Nomination period opens. August 2 – Cheri DiNovo withdraws her candidacy.
2017 February 12 – Peter Julian launches his campaign. February 26 – Charlie Angus launches his campaign. February 27 – Guy Caron launches his campaign. March 7 – Niki Ashton launches her campaign. March 12 – Leadership debate held in Ottawa in English and French. March 26 – Leadership debate held in Montreal in English and French. April 20 – Pat Stogran launches his campaign. May 15 – Jagmeet Singh launches his campaign. May 28 – Leadership debate held in Sudbury in English and French. June 3 – Pat Stogran withdraws his candidacy. June 11 – Leadership debate held in St. John's. June 22 – Leadership debate on labour issues hosted by the United Steelworkers held in Toronto. July 3 – Nomination period closes. July 6 – Peter Julian withdraws his candidacy. July 11 – Leadership debate held in Saskatoon. August 2 – Leadership debate held in Victoria. August 17 – Deadline to become an NDP member and be eligible to vote. August 27 – Leadership debate held in Montreal in French. September 10 – Leadership debate held in Vancouver. September 17 – All-candidate "showcase" held in Hamilton featuring final speeches.Hamilton Showcase, 2017. NDP.ca. Accessed Monday, August 28, 2017. September 18 – Voting for first ballot begins by mail and online. September 27 – HuffPost debate held online. October 1 – Voting for first ballot ended at 2 p.m. EDT. Results were announced in Toronto, shortly after 3 p.m. EDT, in the Metropolitan Ball Room of the Westin Harbour Castle. Jagmeet Singh won a majority of the votes cast in the first ballot.
Debates + Debates among candidates for the 2017 New Democratic Party of Canada leadership election No. Date Time Place Host Participants Participant. Invitee. Non-invitee. Absent invitee. Out of race (exploring or withdrawn).AngusAshtonCaronJulianSinghStogran Debates 1 March 12, 2017 2 p.m. EDT Delta Ottawa City Centre HotelOttawa, ONNew Democratic Party2 March 26, 2017 2 p.m. EDT Palais des congrès de MontréalMontreal, QCNew Democratic Party 3 May 28, 2017 2 p.m. EDTCambrian CollegeSudbury, ONNew Democratic Party 4 June 11, 2017 3 p.m. NDTSt. John's Convention CentreSt. John's, NLNew Democratic Party 5 June 22, 2017 7 p.m. EDTIsabel Bader TheatreToronto, ONUnited Steelworkers 6 July 11, 2017 6 p.m. CSTTCU PlaceSaskatoon, SKNew Democratic Party 7 August 2, 2017 6 p.m. PDTVictoria Conference CentreVictoria, BCNew Democratic Party 8 August 27, 2017 2 p.m. EDTClub SodaMontreal, QCNew Democratic Party 9 September 10, 2017 11:30 a.m. PDTYork TheatreVancouver, BCNew Democratic Party 10 September 27, 2017 7 p.m. EDT (English),8 p.m. EDT (French) onlineHuffPost Showcase - September 17, 2017 1:30 p.m. EDT Hamilton Convention CentreHamilton, ONNew Democratic Party
Official candidates Charlie Angus
Charlie Angus, , has been the MP for Timmins-James Bay since 2004 and was elected NDP Caucus Chair in January 2016. He is the author of eight books and worked as a journalist, a roofer, and a dishwasher earlier in life. Before entering politics, Angus was a member of the Toronto punk band L'Étranger with Andrew Cash and Peter Duffin, from 1980 to circa 1984, and subsequently formed the country band Grievous Angels in 1986. From 1985 to 1990, Angus and his wife Brit Griffin lived in Angelus House, a Catholic Worker house they founded, where they invited the homeless to live with them. They also established a separate homeless shelter in 1986. In 1990, they moved to northern Ontario, where Angus owned and ran a magazine and eventually entered politics. Angus stepped down as Caucus Chair and Indigenous Affairs Critic on November 23, 2016, to consider a leadership bid. He formally registered his campaign with Elections Canada on February 20, 2017, and publicly launched it on February 26. Date candidacy registered: February 20, 2017 Date campaign launched: February 26, 2017 Campaign website: Other information: Has emphasized job security, the high cost of post-secondary education and Indigenous issues. Angus is not as fluent in French as some of the other candidates but is said to have a good basis in the language.
Niki Ashton
Niki Ashton, , has been the MP for Churchill—Keewatinook Aski under its current name since 2015 and was previously the MP for Churchill beginning in 2008. She served as NDP Critic for Jobs, Employment & Workforce Development Critic (2015–2017), Shadow Minister for Status of Women (2012–2015) and Aboriginal Affairs (2015). She placed seventh in the 2012 leadership race. She is the daughter of former Manitoba NDP MLA Steve Ashton, who served as a minister in the cabinets of Gary Doer and Greg Selinger. Date candidacy registered: March 2, 2017 Date campaign launched: March 7, 2017 Campaign website: Other information: Planned to create and maintain good-paying jobs for young people and working Canadians, and tackling the threat of climate change. Committed to providing tuition-free post-secondary education.Who’s running for the NDP leadership? Read the list of candidates so far . The Globe and Mail. Last updated July 6, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017. Advocates combatting the unequal distribution of wealth, the loss of value-added jobs, the "foreign ownership and trade deals that are selling us out".
Guy Caron Guy Caron, , has been the MP for Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques since 2011, NDP Finance Critic (2015–2017), Quebec caucus chair (2011–2017), Shadow Minister for Natural Resources, and Shadow Minister for Industry (2011–2012). Caron resigned as NDP Finance Critic and Quebec caucus chair on February 12, 2017, to prepare to enter the leadership contest. He announced his candidacy on February 27, 2017. Date candidacy registered: February 27, 2017 Date campaign launched: February 27, 2017 Campaign website: Other information: Promised to address income inequity by introducing a guaranteed basic income for Canadians. Campaigned on climate change as his second major plank.
Jagmeet Singh
Jagmeet Singh, , was the Ontario MPP for Bramalea—Gore—Malton (2011–2017) and was Deputy Leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party from 2015 until entering the federal leadership contest on May 15, 2017. He was previously the federal NDP candidate in Bramalea—Gore—Malton in 2011. Date candidacy registered: May 18, 2017 Date campaign launched: May 15, 2017 Campaign website: jagmeetsingh.ca