Leadership Contestants
Below are officially approved candidates seeking the leadership of Canada’s NDP. Each has been approved by the Leadership Vote Committee and is authorized to receive tax-receiptable donations via the NDP.
Rob Ashton
I’m Rob, a dockworker and a union member for over 30 years. I’m also a father, stepfather, and grandfather. I know what it means to put in a hard day’s work, to worry if the paycheque will stretch far enough, and to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with others to take on the boss and win.
Today, I’m the President of the International Longshore Workers Union Canada. I’ve fought for workers and my community. I’ve built coalitions across movements for fairness and equity. I’ve tried to listen carefully, to be a problem-solver, and back up words with action. I’ve kept 12 autonomous locals united for over a decade, so I know how to build consensus even when it’s tough. I’ve worked hard to make our union one where everybody belongs.
For me, solidarity isn’t a slogan – it’s how I’ve lived my life. My union taught me that “division is the weapon of the boss,” and I’ve seen first-hand that if we stand together, we win.
Canadians want to be able to afford to put a roof over their heads and food on the table, look forward to a comfortable retirement, and still have enough left over to enjoy life with their loved ones. Instead, we face an affordability crisis and growing inequality, as the gap between ordinary people and the ultra-rich widens every year.
The NDP must once again become the party of workers and everyday people. I’m running to unite this party and make workers’ voices and the voices of everyday people the driving force of Canadian politics. I commit to having difficult conversations, rebuilding trust, and building a movement that people across Canada can see themselves in.
I’m ready to fight back against the loopholes that let the ultra-rich and big corporations call the shots, and a system that treats housing like a casino for investors instead of homes for people.
It’s time to put people before profits, every single time.
I hope you will join me.
Tanille Johnston
Tanille Johnston (she/her) is a proud Liǧʷiłdax̌ʷ woman from the WeWaiKai First Nation, a social worker, a mother, and a bold new voice for the future of the NDP.
Born and raised in Campbell River, B.C., Tanille has spent her life fighting for equity, justice, and community well-being. With over 14 years of experience as a registered social worker, she currently serves as Director of Community Programs and Services with the First Nations Health Authority, and as a City Councillor in her hometown.
Tanille’s leadership has always been grounded in action, whether delivering frontline services, building healthier communities, or advancing change within institutions. She’s served on the University of Victoria Senate, the Native Student Union, the Equity Advisory Council, and the UVic Student Society Board. She served on her Nation’s Lands Committee for nearly a decade before launching into a successful municipal election campaign in 2022 and, in 2025, running as the federal NDP candidate for North Island—Powell River.
Now, she's running to lead the NDP into a new era, one where the party leads with courage, centers equity, and organizes from the ground up. Her vision is clear: Diverse and affordable housing; Equitable access to healthcare; Protecting the environment; Meaningful and proportional electoral reform; Free and accessible post-secondary education; Increasing childcare spaces across the board; Building transportation methods that don’t alienate rural & remote communities; and Increasing the representation and participation of Indigenous persons in local, regional, provincial and federal decision making.
Tanille knows that a stronger NDP starts with and will be upheld by listening, driving forward action through grassroots organizing, and stepping up in the House to fight for what’s right. She's not here to play it safe; she’s here to build a movement.
Join Tanille in shaping a party—and a country—that works for everyone.
Avi Lewis
Avi Lewis is a veteran journalist, educator and activist who brings 35 years of movement-building experience to his campaign for NDP leadership, combining grassroots organizing with national media reach to advance working-class politics across Canada.
As a two-time federal NDP candidate (West Vancouver–Sunshine Coast–Sea-to-Sky 2021, Vancouver Centre 2025), Avi understands the challenges facing our party and the communities we serve. Between campaigns, he teaches Climate Justice and Documentary Film at UBC, preparing the next generation of organizers and storytellers.
His commitment to workers' rights runs deep. In 2004, his documentary The Take chronicled Argentina's movement of democratic, worker-controlled businesses—shown in occupied factories from Chicago to Cairo. This dedication continues through decades of collaboration with unions and social movements, always centering those fighting for economic democracy.
In 2017, Avi co-founded The Leap, mobilizing thousands of Canadians to confront the intersecting crises of climate, inequality, and racism through grassroots action. His 2019 collaboration with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Message from the Future, reached millions worldwide, demonstrating how bold ideas can capture public imagination. His 2015 documentary This Changes Everything, based on his wife Naomi Klein's bestselling book, connected climate action to economic justice for audiences globally.
Throughout his media career—reporting for TV networks worldwide, hosting CBC's CounterSpin and On The Map, and co-creating Al Jazeera's Fault Lines—Avi has consistently challenged power and amplified voices of resistance. A passionate voice on the left, he pioneered political coverage for youth audiences at MuchMusic and conducted landmark interviews from David Bowie to Leonard Cohen at CityTV's The New Music.
This unique combination of electoral experience, movement leadership, media expertise, and educational commitment positions Avi to unite our party's diverse coalition while expanding our reach to new supporters.
Avi lives in Vancouver with his wife Naomi Klein, their son Toma, and their dog Smoke.
Heather McPherson
Heather McPherson knows how to build and win. Elected in 2019, Heather and her team have made Edmonton Strathcona the strongest NDP seat in the country. They earned the highest percentage of the vote of any New Democrat in both 2021 and 2025, even while raising money and canvassing for other ridings in her area and across the country.
Heather grew up in a busy, working-class family. Her father was a truck driver with his own company, and her mother stayed home. Their lives were full of swimming lessons, hockey practices, and camping trips.
They hosted large extended-family dinners – loud, chaotic, and always welcoming. To make room for everyone, doors were taken off their hinges and laid across makeshift legs, creating tables that snaked through the house and a place for everyone.
That sense of inclusion has guided her career – from the non-profit sector to Parliament – and shaped a leadership style that makes room, rather than shutting people out.
Before politics, Heather spent nearly 20 years working for human rights, sustainable development, and global justice. With a Master’s degree in education focused on Indigenous knowledge and sustainability, she has always been grounded in service and fairness.
In Parliament, Heather has taken on the toughest files – from foreign affairs, human rights, and international trade to health care, seniors, and culture. Her commitment to building a more peaceful and just world has included visits to Ukraine and the Middle East, and she has advanced legislation to protect pensions, defend public health care, strengthen environmental reviews, and support people living with ADHD.
Heather is committed to making sure everyone has a place at the table – and to the idea that Canadians want to believe again: in each other, in fairness, and in good people making a difference.
Tony McQuail
Tony McQuail was born in 1952 in Pennsylvania, USA. As a 16-year-old he did draft counselling at the local Quaker Meeting House. His draft counseling convinced him he could not cooperate with that corrupt system. He initially planned to go to prison but realized he would have to be a tax resister when released. He emigrated to Canada in 1971.
He worked as a hired hand on a dairy farm and on a barn construction crew. In 1973 he purchased a run down 100-acre farm in Huron County, Ontario. While farming, he went to university and graduated with a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo in 1976. He became a Canadian citizen in 1977. As a young farmer he realized that decisions made in Ottawa could have a serious impact on his community and farm. He ran as the NDP candidate in the 1980 Federal election.
He has run 5 times federally and twice provincially for the NDP. He served three terms as an elected trustee on the Huron County Board of Education during the 1980’s. In the early 90’s he served as the Executive Assistant to the Hon. Elmer Buchanan, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
McQuail has been extensively involved in community and volunteer organizations, including the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario, the Huron Farmers Union and the Huron Federation of Agriculture.
McQuail and his wife, Fran, ran Meeting Place Organic Farm, a 100-acre regenerative farm, for over 40 years before selling it to their daughter. In the 1970’s they built a passive solar home and put up the first modern grid connected wind generator in Ontario. They currently have 10 kW microfit solar array and solar water heater. They live on the farm, helping with the farm and their grandchildren.