Who's in the NDP race — and why do they want to lead the party?

On Wednesday, the NDP race takes another step as the party hosts its first official leadership candidate forum, with five candidates.

Organizers aren't promising what political nerds crave — a back-and-forth debate. Instead, organizers are offering "a worker-first forum" hosted by the country's largest umbrella labour organization, the Canadian Labour Congress, and moderated by its president, Bea Bruske.

Still, the forum could give the first clues about who has the edge in the NDP leadership race.

So far, five candidates have been sanctioned by the party and will appear on stage. Here's a look at who they are.

Rob Ashton

Ashton has been described as a dark horse whose performance might surprise some when the ranked ballot votes are counted on March 29, 2026.

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