The federal NDP’s 19-day vote for a new leader is underway, with activist and journalist Avi Lewis holding a commanding fundraising lead over the four other candidates as the party tries to claw back from its worst-ever federal election result.
Voting opened on March 9 for approximately 100,000 eligible members — up from 60,000 when the race began in September 2025, but still below the 125,000 who voted in the 2017 race that Jagmeet Singh won on the first ballot.
The new leader will be announced March 29 at the party’s convention in Winnipeg.
Lewis has raised more than $1.2 million from more than 10,000 contributors, according to interim Elections Canada filings — more than double what any other candidate has reported. Alberta MP Heather McPherson, the only sitting member of Parliament in the race, is his closest rival. The other three candidates are union leader Rob Ashton, social worker and city councillor Tanille Johnston, and organic farmer Tony McQuail.
Johnston, a member of the We Wai Kai First Nation, is the first Indigenous woman to seek the federal NDP leadership and the youngest candidate in the field. McQuail, known for the straw hat he wore during debates, twice temporarily suspended his own fundraising to steer grassroots donations toward Johnston.
The NDP holds just six seats in the House of Commons — down from seven after last spring’s election, in which Singh lost his own riding and resigned.
On March 10, one day after voting opened, Nunavut MP Lori Idlout crossed the floor to the Liberals, pushing the Carney government within two seats of a majority. Idlout had endorsed Avi Lewis for the leadership the previous week.
The party has polled between 5% and 10% since election night. Members vote by ranked ballot; voting closes March 28.
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