Politics·PODCAST

The Pollcast: When will the NDP leadership race get going?

One year from now, the New Democrats will have a new leader. Who that might be, however, is anyone's guess — no candidates have yet stepped forward. To explain why, and to speculate on who could run, podcast host Éric Grenier is joined by NDP insiders Sally Housser and Robin MacLachlan.

Host Éric Grenier is joined by NDP insiders Sally Housser and Robin MacLachlan

NDP MP Peter Julian speaks to reporters as he announces that he will step down as NDP House leader, on Parliament Hill, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016 in Ottawa.
MP Peter Julian speaks to reporters as he announces that he will step down as NDP House leader last week to consider running for his party's leadership. So far, he is alone on that front, at least publicly. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)

The CBC Pollcast, hosted by CBC poll analyst Éric Grenier, explores the world of electoral politics, political polls and the trends they reveal.


When Peter Julian, an MP from British Columbia, stepped down as NDP House leader to explore a bid for the party's leadership, he immediately became the front runner.

That's because no one else has expressed any interest in the job.

Since Tom Mulcair's leadership was rejected at the NDP's convention earlier this spring, the race to replace him has yet to start. Even Julian has not officially thrown his hat into the ring yet.

But more names can be put forward as potential candidates, including current MPs Niki Ashton, Charlie Angus and Guy Caron. Jagmeet Singh, an Ontario MPP, has also been mentioned as a potential contender.

The campaign will be a long one, as votes will be cast throughout October, 2017.

Joining podcast host Éric Grenier to discuss the lack of candidates in the race and the list of names that could soon emerge are NDP insiders Sally Housser of Navigator and Robin MacLachlan of Summa Strategies.

Host Éric Grenier is joined by NDP insiders Sally Housser and Robin MacLachlan.

Listen to the full discussion above — or subscribe to the CBC Pollcast and listen to past episodes.

Follow Éric Grenier, Robin MacLachlan and Sally Housser on Twitter.