In October 2017, the New Democratic Party (NDP) will be electing a new leader.

Why should you care?

The NDP is one of the three major political parties in Canada. This leadership race will ultimately determine who will be the new leader of the NDP. The candidate elected as leader of the party this Fall will be the candidate representing the NDP for Prime Minister in the next federal election, which is in 2019.

How to vote?

In order to vote for the NDP leadership race, you must hold active membership in the NDP before August 17, 2017. Here is a link to register. A nominal membership fee is required. Note: you can only be a member of one federal party at any given time.

The Details

We have prepared a quick reference guide outlining each candidate’s platform and background. However, we are still in the early stages of the campaign. Full policy platforms have not been released by all candidates, and we will update the website accordingly once they are available. Here is what we know so far:

Charlie Angus

Biography

• Political: Federal MP (Riding of Timmins-James Bay, ON). Elected as federal MP in 2004. Roles held include Parliamentary Critic for Canadian Heritage, Public Works, and Treasury Board, Indigenous and Northern Affairs.
• Extracurricular: Cofounded rock bands with influence in Catholic social justice movements; best known for anti-apartheid song “One People”. Established homeless shelter for men and authored seven published books.

Policy Direction

• Environment: Development has consent of the people it will impact, particularly indigenous land.
• First Nation Reconciliation: End chronic underfunding of First Nations services, particularly for children.
• Economy: Reassert our political choices to help the middle class, and working class to protect pensions, benefits, and jobs.

Niki Ashton

Biography

• Political: Federal MP (Churchill—Keewatinook Aski). Niki was first elected MP for the Churchill riding in 2008.
• Education: B.A in Global Political Economy from the University of Manitoba, an M.A in International Affairs from Carleton University; currently in the process of completing her PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies at the Art Mauro Centre at the University of Manitoba. She has studied human rights in Canada, and was awarded the Ahmed Ali Hashi Human Rights Scholarship for her work.
• Languages: Greek, French, English and Spanish.
• Extracurricular: Coordinator and promoter of volunteering at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

Policy Direction

• Indigenous Rights: Better living conditions for Northern and Indigenous people.
• Economy: Launched a national consultation tour on the emerging crisis of the development of precarious work, particularly amongst the millennial generation.
• Women’s Rights: Tabled a motion to create a National Action Plan to Address Violence Against Women, including the establishment of a national public inquiry into Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women and Girls.
• Education: Tabled the Canada Post-Secondary Education Act, modelled after the principals of Canada Health Act, which would guarantee accountable, stable federal transfers for post-secondary education and would enshrine the principles of accessibility and equality for all Canadian students.

Guy Caron

Biography

• Political: Federal MP (Riding of Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC). Elected as federal MP in 2011. Roles held include Chairperson-NDP Quebec Caucus, Parliamentary Critic for Finance, Industry and Natural Resources.
• Extracurricular: Redistribution of social programs, and fighting for green energy and environmental crises.
• Languages: English and French.
• Education: Masters in Economics, University of Ottawa.

Policy Direction

• Provide Basic Income for all Canadians: Establish a taxable basic income supplement that will serve as a top-up aimed at helping low-income Canadians to reach a “low-income cut-off” line.
• Activist vision for Canadian growth and job creation: Promote an aggressive innovation agenda based on sustainable development.
• Overhauling Canada's Tax System: Crack down on white collar criminals and tax havens. A progressive tax code that promotes productivity while ensuring that everybody pays their fair share.

Jagmeet Singh

Biography

• Political: Provincial MPP (Brampton-Gore-Malton). Elected as an MPP in 2011. Previously Deputy Leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, and Vice-Chair on the Standing Committee on Social Policy.
• Education: BA from University of Western Ontario and LL.B from Osgoode Law School.
• Languages: English, French, Hindi, Tamil and Punjabi.
• Extracurricular: During his time as a lawyer he offered free legal rights seminars across Ontario and provided pro bono legal counsel for people and community organizations in need. Provided pro bono consulting to an activist group that protested the visit to Canada of Kamal Nath, the Indian trade minister who had persecuted Sikhs and had allegedly led armed mobs during the 1984 Delhi pogrom.

Policy Direction

• Job security: Living wages, fair standards, equal rights, all work should be paid work, and economic inclusion.
• Federal Procurement: Reinstating the Fair Wages and Hours of Labour Act repealed by the Harper government in 2014. This Act ensured that workers employed on federal construction contracts received fair wages according to an established scale based on their specific trade and the province of employment. It also required employers to put in place non-discriminatory hiring practices.
• Community Benefit Agreements: Create a national framework for enshrining Community Benefits Agreements (CBA) in federally-funded infrastructure projects. Through partnerships between community, labour, governments, and employers, a CBA framework will help to create local economic opportunities and build support from local communities for projects.