Overview
- The five contenders — Heather McPherson, Avi Lewis, Rob Ashton, Tanille Johnston and Tony McQuail — met in New Westminster, B.C., for the second and final party‑organized debate.
- The 90‑minute event, held mostly in English with a French section, enforced 45‑second statements and tackled seven member‑selected themes spanning the economy to public services.
- Candidates outlined divergent paths to renewal after the party’s collapse to seven seats, proposing measures such as a wealth tax, publicly run services, a guaranteed basic income, green infrastructure and a return to labour‑rooted organizing.
- Lewis leads the fundraising race, while McPherson stresses electoral readiness as the only sitting MP; some party strategists now describe a three‑way contest that includes union leader Ashton.
- Members will vote by ranked ballot, with voting opening March 9 and the new leader to be announced March 29 at the NDP convention in Winnipeg.