The NDP has released the official rules for its leadership race to replace NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, including requirements to gather specific numbers of signatures from supporters in various regional, racial, and LGBT groups.
At least 50 percent of a candidate’s total signatures must come from members “who do not identify as a cis man,” the report says. Cis refers to a person who identifies as their biological gender at birth.
A minimum of 100 signatures must be from members of “equity-seeking groups,” which the NDP says could include “racialized” members, members of the LGBT community, and people living with disabilities.
Candidates must also collect at least 50 signatures from each of five specified regions in Canada: the Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies, and B.C./North.
The party says the rules are based on principles, such as representing diversity and being democratic, open, and fair. Leadership contestants must exemplify “integrity, honesty, professionalism, and respect for human rights, diversity, and equity,” the NDP says.
The new permanent leader who will replace Singh will be chosen through a ranked ballot vote that will allow party members to rank leadership candidates in order of preference.
The NDP announced earlier this month that candidates would be required to pay a $100,000 entry fee, saying the financial commitment demonstrates candidates’ organizational and fundraising capacity.
The report indicates a fee schedule with the total $100,000 broken up into four $25,000 payments, including the first payment due with the submission of nomination signatures, the second due two weeks prior to the first debate, the third due 90 days before the leadership election date, and the fourth due on the membership cut off date.
The official leadership race will begin in September, with the final vote taking place in March at the 2026 NDP Convention in Winnipeg. The party said earlier this month that a new leader would be elected “no later than March 29, 2026.”
“I invite all NDP members—and future members—to take part in this pivotal moment in our party’s history,” NDP President Mary Shortall said in a July 10 statement. “Together, we can rebuild a stronger NDP focused on delivering real relief for working Canadians and standing up to corporate greed.”
Jagmeet Singh
The NDP’s significant seat losses in the April 28 election this year prompted Singh to announce he would step down once an interim party leader was selected. Singh also lost his own seat in the election.MP Don Davies has been serving as the interim NDP leader since May 5.
Singh expressed disappointment in the NDP losing seats but said he was hopeful for the party, adding that New Democrats “built this country” and “aren’t going anywhere.”
The NDP won just seven seats in the House of Commons, marking a significant drop compared to the 25 seats the party had won in the 2021 election.
Singh served as an Ontario NDP MPP from 2011 until 2017, before becoming the leader of the federal NDP in 2017 and the federal MPP for the former Burnaby South riding in 2019.
Singh formed a supply-and-confidence agreement between the NDP and the minority Liberal government following the 2021 election. The agreement meant the NDP supported the Liberals on confidence votes, while the Liberals supported legislation important to the NDP including national dental care and pharmacare programs.
