Local NDP MP drops from NDP leadership race

Peter Julian’s campaign fails due to low funds

By Mercedes Deutscher, News Editor

As the battle for the federal NDP leadership continues, a local candidate has officially withdrawn.

On July 6, Peter Julian announced at Parliament Hill that he would be dropping out of the leadership race due to the low level of donations to his leadership campaign.

“We were not at the level that we needed to be to move forward for a national campaign that is entering the most critical phase,” Julian told the National Post. “You have to be honest with yourself.”

Julian’s campaign funds trailed behind those of other leadership candidates. Julian’s campaign held $19,143— a very low total compared to Guy Caron’s (Quebec) $57,235, Niki Ashton’s (Manitoba) $65,521, or Charlie Angus’ (Ontario) $110,765. Jagmeet Singh, an MP in Ontario, entered the leadership race in May, and his campaign funds have yet to be announced.

“One of the ways that members express their appreciation, express their support, is by giving financial donations,” Julian said to CBC.

“In this semester that just finished, we were far below where we needed to be in terms of financial donations. I accept the verdict of the membership.”

Still, all money that Julian had raised was from his supporters.

“I’ve seen the graveyard of politicians who have invested a lot of their personal money because they thought they could change the dynamic financially, and many of those people […] are still paying off huge debts,” Julian said to CTV.

In spite of his unsuccessful fundraising campaign, Julian had received more endorsements than any other NDP leadership candidate. This included six caucus endorsements.

Julian added that he would be endorsing one of the remaining leadership candidates, but would announce his endorsement at a later and undetermined date. He noted that he had tremendous respect for the remaining candidates, a sentiment that was returned to Julian.

Julian, who has been the Member of Parliament for New Westminster since 2004, was the first to announce his candidacy for leadership of the federal NDP back in February. He planned on running on a platform of eliminating post-secondary tuition fees, opposing pipelines, finding sustainable answers to climate change, protecting Indigenous rights, and reducing economic inequality. Despite Julian’s personal leadership run coming to a close, his policies have been adopted and modified by other leadership candidates, notably by Singh.

Members of the NDP will vote via preferential ballot starting on September 18 through to October 29. The successful candidate will succeed incumbent leader Tom Mulcair.