New Democratic Party leadership elections, more commonly known as leadership conventions, are the process by which the Canadian New Democratic Party elects its leader.
Before 2003, when a modified one member, one vote (OMOV) system was adopted, every biennial New Democratic Party convention, since 1961, was a leadership convention. However, in practice, contested elections were held only when there was a declared leadership race. The earliest example of an incumbent leader being challenged from the convention floor happened in 1973 when Douglas Campbell unsuccessfully opposed David Lewis' leadership. [1] In 2001, NDP Socialist Caucus member Marcel Hatch challenged Alexa McDonough from the floor of the convention; however, McDonough easily retained the leadership in the resulting vote. [2]
When the NDP was created by the merger of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), trade unions were allowed to directly affiliate to the party, and a system was unofficially arranged so that up to one-third of all delegates to NDP conventions were selected by labour and the other two-thirds by NDP riding associations. [3] This was also the case at leadership conventions, giving the labour movement a significant say in determining the party's leadership. Under the current system, each biennial federal convention includes a vote at which the delegates decide whether a leadership convention should be held. [3] Then-leader Thomas Mulcair lost such a vote at the 2016 convention, resulting in the 2017 leadership election being called. [4]
In practice, all three CCF leaders had been chosen by their parliamentary caucus and then elected unanimously at a subsequent national convention.
Held in Ottawa, Ontario on August 3, 1961. [5]
Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage | |
---|---|---|---|
DOUGLAS, Thomas Clement (Tommy) | 1,391 | 78.5% | |
ARGUE, Hazen Robert | 380 | 21.5% | |
Total | 1,771 | 100% |
Held in Ottawa, Ontario on April 24, 1971.
Candidate | 1st ballot | 2nd ballot | 3rd ballot | 4th ballot | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes cast | % | Votes cast | % | Votes cast | % | Votes cast | % | ||
LEWIS, David | 661 | 38.9% | 715 | 42.5% | 742 | 44.1% | 1,046 | 63.1% | |
LAXER, James | 378 | 22.3% | 407 | 24.1% | 508 | 30.2% | 612 | 36.9% | |
HARNEY, John Paul | 299 | 17.6% | 347 | 20.5% | 431 | 25.6% | Eliminated | ||
BROADBENT, John Edward (Ed) | 236 | 13.9% | 223 | 13.1% | Eliminated | ||||
HOWARD, Frank | 124 | 7.3% | Eliminated | ||||||
Total | 1,698 | 100.0% | 1,692 | 100.0% | 1,681 | 100.0% | 1,658 | 100.0% |
Held in Vancouver, British Columbia on Friday, July 20, 1973. [1]
Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage | |
---|---|---|---|
LEWIS, David | 719 | 90.4% | |
CAMPBELL, Douglas Kay | 76 | 9.6% | |
Total | 795 | 100% |
Held in Winnipeg, Manitoba on July 7, 1975.
Candidate | 1st ballot | 2nd ballot | 3rd ballot | 4th ballot | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes cast | % | Votes cast | % | Votes cast | % | Votes cast | % | ||
BROADBENT, John Edward (Ed) | 536 | 33.1% | 586 | 36.1% | 694 | 43.4% | 984 | 61.5% | |
BROWN, Rosemary | 413 | 23.5% | 397 | 24.5% | 494 | 30.9% | 658 | 41.1% | |
NYSTROM, Lorne Edmund | 345 | 21.3% | 342 | 21.1% | 413 | 25.8% | Eliminated | ||
HARNEY, John Paul | 313 | 19.4% | 299 | 18.4% | Eliminated | ||||
CAMPBELL, Douglas Kay | 11 | 0.6% | Eliminated | ||||||
Total | 1,618 | 100.0% | 1,624 | 100.0% | 1,601 | 100.0% | 1,642 | 100.0% |
Held in Winnipeg, Manitoba on December 2, 1989.
Candidate | 1st ballot | 2nd ballot | 3rd ballot | 4th ballot | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes cast | % | Votes cast | % | Votes cast | % | Votes cast | % | ||
MCLAUGHLIN, Audrey Marlene | 646 | 26.9% | 829 | 34.3% | 1,072 | 44.4% | 1,316 | 55.1% | |
BARRETT, David (Dave) | 566 | 23.6% | 780 | 32.3% | 947 | 39.3% | 1,072 | 44.9% | |
LANGDON, Steven W. | 351 | 14.6% | 519 | 21.5% | 393 | 16.3% | Eliminated | ||
DE JONG, Simon Leendert | 315 | 13.1% | 289 | 12.0% | Endorsed McLaughlin | ||||
MCCURDY, Howard Douglas | 256 | 10.7% | Withdrew | ||||||
WADDELL, Ian Gardiner | 213 | 8.9% | Withdrew | ||||||
LAGASSÉ, Roger | 53 | 2.2% | Eliminated | ||||||
Total | 2,400 | 100.0% | 2,417 | 100.0% | 2,412 | 100.0% | 2,388 | 100.0% |
Held in Ottawa, Ontario on October 14, 1995.
Candidate | Primaries | 1st ballot | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Votes cast | % | |||
NYSTROM, Lorne Edmund | 44.69% | 545 | 31.5% | |
ROBINSON, Svend | 32.06% | 655 | 37.8% | |
MCDONOUGH, Alexa Ann | 18.47% | 566 | 32.6% | |
HARDIN, Herschel | 12.8% | Did not endorse | ||
Total | 100.0% | 1,735 | 100.0% |
The NDP held a series of regional and labour "caucus votes" prior to the national convention. A fourth candidate, Herschel Hardin, participated in the regional caucuses but did not win sufficient delegate support to qualify for the convention. These "primaries" were OMOV.
As the last place finisher on the first ballot, Nystrom was dropped. However, Robinson determined that he could not win on the second ballot if Nystrom's supporters moved to McDonough, as they were expected to, thus he withdrew and McDonough was declared the winner.
Held in Winnipeg, Manitoba on Sunday, November 25, 2001.
Marcel Hatch, a leader of the NDP's Socialist Caucus, stood for leader as a challenge to Alexa McDonough's leadership. [6]
Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage | |
---|---|---|---|
MCDONOUGH, Alexa Ann | 645 | 84.31% | |
HATCH, Marcel | 120 | 15.69% | |
Total | 765 | 100% |
There were 42 spoiled ballots. If these are factored in McDonough's level of support was 78% overall. [7]
Held in Toronto, Ontario on January 25, 2003.
Candidate | Votes (Adjusted) | Percentage | |
---|---|---|---|
LAYTON, John Gilbert (Jack) | 31,150 | 53.5% | |
BLAIKIE, William Alexander (Bill) | 14,365 | 24.7% | |
NYSTROM, Lorne Edmund | 5,397 | 9.3% | |
COMARTIN, Joseph John (Joe) | 4,490 | 7.7% | |
DUCASSE, Pierre | 2,155 | 3.7% | |
MESLO, Beverley (Bev) | 645 | 1.1% | |
Total | 58,202 | 100% |
For this election, the NDP instituted a modified one member one vote system. Votes by labour delegates accounted for 25% of the total result, while votes cast by party members accounted for 75%. The carve out for labour was eliminated prior to the 2012 election.
The leadership convention was held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on March 24, 2012. [8] [9] There were 128,351 eligible voters, most voting from home and not delegates at the convention. [10]
The party chose Thomas Mulcair as their new leader following the death of Jack Layton on August 22, 2011. A One member, one vote process was used. [11]
Candidate | 1st ballot | 2nd ballot | 3rd ballot | 4th ballot | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes cast | % | Votes cast | % | Votes cast | % | Votes cast | % | ||
MULCAIR, Thomas Joseph (Tom) | 19,728 | 30.3% | 23,902 | 38.3% | 27,488 | 43.8% | 33,881 | 57.2% | |
TOPP, Brian | 13,915 | 21.4% | 15,624 | 25.0% | 19,822 | 31.6% | 25,329 | 42.8% | |
CULLEN, Nathan | 10,671 | 16.4% | 12,449 | 19.9% | 15,426 | 24.6% | Did not endorse | ||
NASH, Peggy A. | 8,353 | 12.8% | 10,519 | 16.8% | Did not endorse | ||||
DEWAR, Paul W. | 4,883 | 7.5% | Did not endorse | ||||||
SINGH, Jarnail Martin John | 3,821 | 5.9% | Endorsed Mulcair | ||||||
ASHTON, Niki Christina | 3,737 | 5.7% | Did not endorse | ||||||
SAGANASH, Diom Roméo | Endorsed Mulcair | ||||||||
CHISHOLM, Robert Lawrence | Endorsed Mulcair | ||||||||
Total | 65,108 | 100.0% | 62,494 | 100.0% | 62,736 | 100.0% | 59,210 | 100.0% |
Voting was held between September 18 to October 1, 2017. The results were announced on October 1 in Toronto, Ontario at the Westin Harbour Castle.
Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
---|---|---|---|
SINGH, Jagmeet Jimmy Dhaliwal | 35,266 | 53.8% | |
ANGUS, Charles Joseph (Charlie) | 12,705 | 19.4% | |
ASHTON, Niki Christina | 11,374 | 17.4% | |
CARON, Guy | 6,164 | 9.4% | |
Total | 65,782 | 100% |
The Ontario New Democratic Party is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. The party sits on the centre-left of the political spectrum and currently forms the Official Opposition in Ontario following the 2018 general election. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party.
Alexa Ann McDonough was a Canadian politician who became the first woman to lead a major, recognized political party in Nova Scotia, when she was elected the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party's (NSNDP) leader in 1980.
David Lewis was a Canadian labour lawyer and social democratic politician. He was national secretary of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) from 1936 to 1950 and one of the key architects of the New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1961. In 1962, he was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP), in the House of Commons of Canada, for the York South electoral district. While an MP, he was elected the NDP's national leader and served from 1971 until 1975. After his defeat in the 1974 federal election, he stepped down as leader and retired from politics. He spent his last years as a university professor at Carleton University, and as a travel correspondent for the Toronto Star. In retirement, he was named to the Order of Canada for his political service. After suffering from cancer for a long time, he died in Ottawa in 1981.
In Canadian politics, a leadership convention is held by a political party when the party needs to choose a leader due to a vacancy or a challenge to the incumbent leader.
The 2003 New Democratic Party leadership election was a leadership election held in Canada to replace New Democratic Party leader Alexa McDonough, after her retirement. It ended on January 25, 2003, with the first ballot victory of popular Toronto city councillor Jack Layton.
The Waffle was a radical wing of Canada's New Democratic Party (NDP) in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It later transformed into an independent political party, with little electoral success before it permanently disbanded in the mid-1970s. It was generally a New Left youth movement that espoused both Canadian nationalism and solidarity with the Quebec sovereignty movement.
The New Democratic Party of Manitoba, also branded as Manitoba's NDP, is a social democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation. It is currently the governing party in Manitoba.
The Nova Scotia New Democratic Party is a social democratic political party in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party.
The NDP Socialist Caucus is an unofficial left-wing faction within Canada's New Democratic Party.
The New Democratic Party of Manitoba has held seven leadership conventions to select a party leader since its founding in 1961. In each instance, the leader was chosen by secret-ballot voting among delegates. The results of these votes are listed below. The leaders of the party's predecessors, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and the Independent Labour Party (Manitoba) had all been elected unopposed.
The Ontario New Democratic Party elects its leaders by secret ballot of the party members and/or their delegates at leadership elections, as did its predecessor, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation. The party leader can be challenged for the leadership at the party's biennial convention. The Ontario New Democratic Party is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada.
The New Democratic Party is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic, the party sits at the centre-left to left-wing of the Canadian political spectrum, with the party generally sitting to the left of the Liberal Party. The party was founded in 1961 by the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC).
This article covers the history of the New Democratic Party of Canada.
The 1971 New Democratic Party leadership election was a leadership convention held in Ottawa from April 21 to 24 to elect a leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada. Tommy Douglas retired as federal leader, and David Lewis was elected as his successor. At this convention the Waffle faction was at the zenith of its popularity and power. Donald C. MacDonald, the former Ontario NDP leader, was elected as the party's president. The major non-leadership issues were what stance would the party take in terms of Quebec sovereignty and whether policy initiatives calling for the nationalization of the oil, gas, and mining industries would pass.
The 1961 New Democratic Party founding convention was held in Ottawa from July 31 to August 4 to elect a leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) of Canada. This convention formally closed down the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) party, the New Party clubs, and merged them with the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) to form the NDP. It is also known for the divisive leadership vote in which Saskatchewan Premier Tommy Douglas was elected over national CCF leader Hazen Argue. Over 2000 delegates attended the five-day convention held at the Ottawa Coliseum.
The 1995 New Democratic Party leadership election, was held in Ottawa, from October 12–15 to elect a leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada. This convention was held because Audrey McLaughlin retired as federal leader. Although Svend Robinson led on the first ballot, he conceded the leadership to Alexa McDonough, who was appointed by a motion put forward by Robinson. This was the last NDP leadership convention that was decided solely by delegates attending and voting at the convention.
The 1989 New Democratic Party leadership election was held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, from November 30 to December 3 to elect a leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada. Ed Broadbent retired as federal leader, and Audrey McLaughlin was elected as his replacement. McLaughlin's victory was the first time a woman won the leadership of a major federal Canadian political party. This convention was followed by six years of decline for the party, culminating in the worst electoral performance of a 20th-century federal democratic socialist party, when the party received only seven percent of the popular vote in the 1993 federal election.
The 2012 New Democratic Party leadership election (NDP), was held March 24, 2012, to elect a permanent successor to Jack Layton, who had died the previous summer.
The 2017 New Democratic Party leadership election was won by Jagmeet Singh. The election was triggered by Tom Mulcair having lost a vote on leadership review at the party's federal convention held in Edmonton, Alberta, on April 10, 2016, which resulted in a majority of delegates voting in favor of holding a new leadership election. Mulcair declined to partake in the subsequent leadership election and stated that he would remain leader until the party chose a replacement.
The New Democratic Party of Manitoba leadership election of 2015 was called at the request of Premier Greg Selinger following the resignation of five members of his cabinet in protest of his leadership of the New Democratic Party of Manitoba. Selinger ran in the election, facing two challengers, but prevailed on the second ballot.