New Democratic Party leadership elections explained

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, 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.

1961 leadership convention results

See main article: New Democratic Party leadership election, 1961. Held in Ottawa, Ontario on August 3, 1961.[5]

First Ballot
CandidateDelegate SupportPercentage
DOUGLAS, Thomas Clement (Tommy)1,39178.5%
ARGUE, Hazen Robert38021.5%
Total1,771100%

1971 leadership convention results

See main article: New Democratic Party leadership election, 1971. Held in Ottawa, Ontario on April 24, 1971.

Delegate Support by Ballot
Candidate1st ballot2nd ballot3rd ballot4th ballot
Votes cast%Votes cast %Votes cast%Votes cast %
LEWIS, David66138.9%71542.5%74244.1%1,04663.1%
LAXER, James37822.3%40724.1%50830.2%61236.9%
HARNEY, John Paul29917.6%34720.5%43125.6%Eliminated
BROADBENT, John Edward (Ed)23613.9%22313.1%Eliminated
HOWARD, Frank1247.3%Eliminated
Total1,698100.0%1,692100.0%1,681100.0%1,658100.0%

1973 leadership challenge results

Held in Vancouver, British Columbia on Friday, July 20, 1973.[1]

First Ballot
CandidateDelegate SupportPercentage
LEWIS, David71990.4%
CAMPBELL, Douglas Kay769.6%
Total795100%

1975 leadership convention results

See main article: New Democratic Party leadership election, 1975. Held in Winnipeg, Manitoba on July 7, 1975.

Delegate Support by Ballot
Candidate1st ballot2nd ballot3rd ballot4th ballot
Votes cast%Votes cast %Votes cast%Votes cast %
BROADBENT, John Edward (Ed)53633.1%58636.1%69443.4%98461.5%
BROWN, Rosemary41323.5%39724.5%49430.9%65841.1%
NYSTROM, Lorne Edmund34521.3%34221.1%41325.8%Eliminated
HARNEY, John Paul31319.4%29918.4%Eliminated
CAMPBELL, Douglas Kay110.6%Eliminated
Total1,618100.0%1,624100.0%1,601100.0%1,642100.0%

1989 leadership convention results

See main article: New Democratic Party leadership election, 1989. Held in Winnipeg, Manitoba on December 2, 1989.

Delegate Support by Ballot
Candidate1st ballot2nd ballot3rd ballot4th ballot
Votes cast%Votes cast %Votes cast%Votes cast %
MCLAUGHLIN, Audrey Marlene64626.9%82934.3%1,07244.4%1,31655.1%
BARRETT, David (Dave)56623.6%78032.3%94739.3%1,07244.9%
LANGDON, Steven W.35114.6%51921.5%39316.3%Eliminated
DE JONG, Simon Leendert31513.1%28912.0%Endorsed McLaughlin
MCCURDY, Howard Douglas25610.7%Withdrew
WADDELL, Ian Gardiner2138.9%Withdrew
LAGASSÉ, Roger532.2%Eliminated
Total2,400100.0%2,417100.0%2,412100.0%2,388100.0%

1995 leadership convention results

See main article: New Democratic Party leadership election, 1995. Held in Ottawa, Ontario on October 14, 1995.

Support by Round
CandidatePrimaries1st ballot
Votes cast %
NYSTROM, Lorne Edmund44.69%54531.5%
ROBINSON, Svend32.06%65537.8%
MCDONOUGH, Alexa Ann18.47%56632.6%
HARDIN, Herschel12.8%Did not endorse
Total100.0%1,735100.0%

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.

2001 leadership challenge results

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]

First Ballot
CandidateDelegate SupportPercentage
MCDONOUGH, Alexa Ann64584.31%
HATCH, Marcel12015.69%
Total765100%

There were 42 spoiled ballots. If these are factored in McDonough's level of support was 78% overall.[7]

2003 leadership election results

See main article: New Democratic Party leadership election, 2003. Held in Toronto, Ontario on January 25, 2003.

First Ballot
CandidateVotes
(Adjusted)
Percentage
LAYTON, John Gilbert (Jack)31,15053.5%
BLAIKIE, William Alexander (Bill)14,36524.7%
NYSTROM, Lorne Edmund5,3979.3%
COMARTIN, Joseph John (Joe)4,4907.7%
DUCASSE, Pierre2,1553.7%
MESLO, Beverley (Bev)6451.1%
Total58,202100%

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.

2012 leadership election

See main article: New Democratic Party leadership election, 2012. 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]

= Eliminated from next round

= Withdrew nomination

= Winner

Support by Ballot
Candidate1st ballot2nd ballot3rd ballot4th ballot
Votes cast%Votes cast %Votes cast%Votes cast %
MULCAIR, Thomas Joseph (Tom)19,72830.3%23,90238.3%27,48843.8%33,88157.2%
TOPP, Brian13,91521.4%15,62425.0%19,82231.6%25,32942.8%
CULLEN, Nathan10,67116.4%12,44919.9%15,42624.6%Did not endorse
NASH, Peggy A.8,35312.8%10,51916.8%Did not endorse
DEWAR, Paul W.4,8837.5%Did not endorse
SINGH, Jarnail Martin John3,8215.9%Endorsed Mulcair
ASHTON, Niki Christina3,7375.7%Did not endorse
SAGANASH, Diom RoméoEndorsed Mulcair
CHISHOLM, Robert LawrenceEndorsed Mulcair
Total65,108100.0%62,494100.0%62,736100.0%59,210100.0%

2017 leadership election

See main article: New Democratic Party leadership election, 2017. 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.

First Ballot
CandidateVotesPercentage
SINGH, Jagmeet Jimmy Dhaliwal style='text-align:center'35,266 style='text-align:center'53.8%
style='text-align:center'12,705 style='text-align:center'19.4%
style='text-align:center'11,374 style='text-align:center'17.4%
style='text-align:center'6,164 style='text-align:center'9.4%
Total style='text-align:center'65,782 style='text-align:center'100%

Notes and References

  1. News: Special to The Star . David Lewis keeps leadership of NDP . A9 . The Toronto Star . Torstar . July 21, 1973 .
  2. News: Lawton. Valerie. McDonough still rules NDP's house divided. The Toronto Star. November 26, 2001. Toronto. A1, A18.
  3. Book: Morton, Desmond. The New Democrats 1961–86. 1986. Copp Clark Pitman Ltd.. Toronto. 0-7730-4618-6. 229–235.
  4. Web site: Tom Mulcair's biggest weakness also his greatest strength: bringing NDP to the centre CBC News.
  5. News: Sears. Val. New Democratic Party Hails Douglas as Leader. The Toronto Star. August 4, 1961. Toronto. 1.
  6. News: Canadian Press with Globe and Mail Update . McDonough fends off leadership challenge . Online Edition . The Globe and Mail Newspaper . November 25, 2001 . May 11, 2007.
  7. "NDP agrees on McDonough, little else", Torstar News Service, The Cambridge Reporter, November 26, 2001
  8. Web site: We're going bigger: NDP Leadership 2012 venue change . New Democratic Party . February 19, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120207112414/http://leadership2012.ndp.ca/home . February 7, 2012 . mdy-all .
  9. News: Canadian Press. NDP Convention: Record Turnout Prompts Venue Change To Metro Toronto Convention Centre. February 10, 2012. Huffington Post. February 9, 2012.
  10. News: McLeod. Paul. Mulcair wins NDP leadership. March 24, 2012. Chronicle Herald. March 24, 2012.
  11. News: Federal NDP rejects special role for unions in selecting leader . Globe and Mail . Canada . September 8, 2011 . September 8, 2011 . LeBlanc . Daniel.
  12. News: Ballingball. Alex. Jagmeet Singh wins the NDP leadership race. 1 October 2017. The Toronto Star. 1 October 2017.