This week saw two significant names issue endorsements for candidates in the federal NDP leadership race.
First was Charlie Angus, a former NDP MP for Timmins-James Bay and himself a one-time candidate for the leadership, issued an endorsement on Wednesday, January 14 for Heather McPherson.
“I’ve been getting questions from across the country about what I think about the NDP leadership race and I’ve been thinking about it a lot,” Angus said in a video announcing his endorsement. “Canada needs a strong social-democratic party in parliament. They need that social democratic voice to be one of the guardrails securing our democracy and securing accountability, but we also need a party that can have a vision of democracy on the global stage at a time of unprecedented threat and that’s why I’m here supporting Heather McPherson.”
Angus said that while he respected all of the candidates and had friends on all of the campaign teams, he recognized that the party was in dire straits after losing official party status at the last election and argued that now was the time for someone with a proven track record.
:”I’m sorry, but that’s not an entry level position,” he said of the challenge facing the party’s next leader. “We need a leader who understands how to win. Who has a track record of winning. Who can withstand the head winds that come against us, and heck, if you can win a riding in Alberta and turn it into one of the safest NDP seats, then you have that track record that shows that we can do this.”
Heather McPherson is the only candidate in the leadership race who is a currently serving MP in the House of Commons.
The full video of Angus’ endorsement can be viewed here.
Leah Gazan endorses Avi Lewis
Hot on the heels of Angus’ endorsement of McPherson, another sitting NDP MP, Leah Gazan, MP for Winnipeg-Centre, issued her endorsement of Avi Lewis for the leadership.
“This is a critical moment for our country. The cost of everything is out of control. The climate crisis is a direct threat to our wellbeing and our economy. And the far-right is growing, feeding off people’s despair,” Gazan said in a video announcement where she appeared alongside Lewis. “The stakes are high, and its why this NDP leadership race really matters.”
“We need someone who can rebuild our party. We need someone who can offer hope in tough times. And that person I believe is Avi Lewis,” Gazan went on to say. “I’m supporting Avi because he can blow open the doors of our movement. He can make home for everyone who believes in economic, social, and environmental justice. He can unify progressives and he can bring back those who have left our party by offering bold solutions to the crisis we face.”
Both Gazan and Angus said that it was their candidate who if elected leader would take the party back to the grassroots and bring control back to the party’s membership.
“I like the idea of putting the organizers back on the ground, of restoring the grassroots democracy at its base,” said Angus of McPherson.
“We can become that party again. A party that speaks out for human rights without exception or qualification. And a party that puts power back into the hands of its members,” Gazan said.
Gazan had clashed previously with McPherson after the latter launched her leadership campaign with a promise to end so-called “purity tests” within the party.
When I hear a leadership candidate suggest that you have to pass a “purity test” to fit into the NDP, I am appalled and deeply disappointed. That framing is frequently used to dismiss calls for justice from marginalized communities — especially Black, Indigenous, racialized,…— Leah ProudLakota (she/her) (@LeahGazan) October 1, 2025
Lewis welcomed Gazan’s endorsement, saying: “You’re one of our movement’s most principled, strongest leaders. Your work to advance human rights has made Canada a better place.”
Gazan’s full endorsement can be viewed here.
Lewis has already received the endorsement of a few sitting and former Ontario NDP MPPs, a party that his father once led. Lewis also received the endorsement of former federal NDP deputy leader Libby Davies, and environmentalist David Suzuki.
Campaign entering new phase
The leadership campaign is entering a new phase as the deadline for the public to sign up as NDP members. Only members may vote for the next leader at the party’s convention in Winnipeg in March. The deadline for new members to sign up is January 28.
The party has also announced that there will be another debate, this time focused on global affairs and hosted by CBC journalist Hannah Thibodeau.
That debate will be taking place in BC on February 19 at 5 p.m. Pacific time.
“New Democrats are proud of the role we have played in building a stronger and more just Canada, and we are optimistic about our future,” said NDP Interim-leader Don Davies. “This is an exciting time for our members to help shape the future of our party and of our country.”
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