OTTAWA — A new poll suggests most Canadians are unfamiliar with nine possible NDP leadership contenders.
A majority of respondents to the Research Co. poll said they "don't know who the person is" when asked about possible candidates like current New Democrat MPs Leah Gazan, Gord Johns, Jenny Kwan and Heather McPherson.
The same goes for other high-profile New Democrats like former House leader Ruth Ellen Brosseau, former Vancouver mayor Kennedy Stewart and filmmaker Avi Lewis. The poll also asked about former MP Nathan Cullen and Tony McQuail, an Ontario farmer who plans to enter the leadership race.
Pollster Mario Canseco said this creates an "interesting dilemma" for the NDP. Unlike the most recent Liberal and Conservative leadership contests, he said, this one has a wide-open field.
"There's really no front-runner at this particular stage," he said. "These numbers might move, of course, as we keep going, but it's not as if you have a person right now you could point to and say, 'This is the candidate to watch.'"
Brosseau got the most positive response in the poll, with 18 per cent of respondents saying they have a favourable view of her. Kwan, meanwhile, had the largest number of poll respondents saying they "definitely" or "probably" want to see her run for the leadership — a combined 22 per cent.
The poll is an online survey of 1,001 people conducted between June 30 and July 2.
The polling industry's professional body, the Canadian Research Insights Council, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.
On Tuesday, the party announced the formal launch of its postelection "review and renewal" process.
The process will be led by human rights lawyer and former Ottawa NDP candidate Emilie Taman.
The NDP lost official party status in the April 28 election after being reduced to just seven seats in the House of Commons, five shy of the 12-seat threshold for recognition. Jagmeet Singh lost his own seat and stepped down as party leader.
The party says the consultation stage of the review will include discussions hosted by local campaign teams, listening sessions with party leaders and one-on-one meetings with current and former MPs, plus key campaign staff.
Taman said the riding association for Ottawa—Centre recently went through its own post-mortem discussion. She said that while local New Democrats agreed the riding campaign was well-run and adequately funded, they said broader issues got in the way of turning the district for the NDP.
"People had views, of course, about … the factors external to campaign, like (U.S. President) Donald Trump and issues that were driving some of our traditional supporters to other parties," Taman said.
Increasing grassroots influence in the party is likely to come up during the renewal process, with a group calling itself Reclaim Canada's NDP launching last week. It's encouraging party members to divert their donations away from the central party and toward local riding associations.
The group's website says the NDP needs to rebuild "from the ground up" and that work begins with ensuring there is strong, local representation. The group says the NDP "lost touch with its working-class and grassroots base."
Ji Won Jung, a former NDP candidate and electoral staffer, is one of the main organizers with Reclaim Canada's NDP. They said there was a lack of adaptability among campaign leadership during the election.
"People weren't taking feedback that was the writing on the wall for most of us on ground, and I think a lot of better decision-making could have happened," Jung said.
Jung said Reclaim Canada's NDP is also working to share fundraising and organizing tips with local riding associations to prepare for the next election.
Taman said she's not surprised to see a group like this emerge as the party looks to rebuild.
"These are the types of views that I'm looking forward to hearing and considering and sharing through the report," she said.
Taman said she's looking to have her report complete by the end of the year.
B.C. MP Don Davies is currently serving as interim NDP leader.
The party's national council has not yet announced rules for the leadership contest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2025.
David Baxter, The Canadian Press
