TORONTO – Following (and archiving) the disastrous leadership by Jagmeet Singh, who literally sank the party leading it to its worst result ever, the NDP is attempting to revive itself by formally launching the race to elect its next federal leader. 

The campaign website (https://leadership.ndp.ca) was officially launched yesterday: it announces that members of the New Democratic Party will elect the next federal leader between March 27 and 29, 2026, and that the results will be announced at the party convention in Winnipeg on March 29, 2026. To vote, new NDP members must register by January 28, 2026, while leadership candidates must register by January 31.

“This leadership race is an exciting opportunity for our members and for people across the country who share progressive values” said NDP Chair Mary Shortall, who, as Global News reports, added: “It will spark important conversations about the kind of future we want to build together, rooted in fairness, justice, and hope. I know our members are eager to take part in a contest that is democratic, inclusive, and inspiring for the entire movement…”.

The campaign comes several months after former leader Jagmeet Singh announced his resignation on April 28 following the party’s disastrous federal election results. The NDP ended up with just seven seats, its worst result ever. Only back in 1993, under the leadership of Audrey McLaughlin, the “left” party performed so poorly (and yet better), with nine seats. Moreover, Singh himself wasn’t elected in the last election: not only was he defeated in his own riding (Burnaby Central, British Columbia), but he actually came in third, behind Liberal outsider Wade Chang and Conservative candidate James Yan.

It was, by the way, a predictable result: the result of years of double-dealing that saw Jagmeet Singh externally support Justin Trudeau’s (Liberal, minority) government, pretending to attack it at the same time. After his resignation, Vancouver Kingsway MP Don Davies took over as interim NDP leader on May 5.

The party now claims there is “strong interest” in the leadership race: after the recent negative experience, now every Canadian NDP supporter dreams of finding a new Jack Layton, the leader who in 2011 led the NDP to over 100 seats. After him – and without him – in less than fifteen years NDP has collapsed to 7 seats: its all-time low.

Pic from NDP’s Twitter page – @NDP