Let the members decide! - NDP’s Federal Council's exclusion of Yves Engler's leadership campaign

Dear activist,

At a powerful press conference on Wednesday, we called on the NDP’s Federal Council to overturn the three-person vetting committee’s undemocratic exclusion of our campaign. I also announced a national tour in January, as well as plans to organize around the NDP convention in March.

The Canadian Press story on the NDP excluding my candidacy was published by dozens of outlets. CTV aired a news segment, and the National Post ran the story on its front page. The Sarnia Journal, Global Green News, Rabble, Juno News, Dissident Voice, Western Standard, Judy Haiven’s Substack, Marxist.ca, Reason to Resist, and others also reported on the NDP brass blocking members from deciding.

We’ve ensured the NDP could not suppress this attack on democracy quietly. Hopefully, we’ve dealt a serious blow to an odious backroom vetting process that has excluded dozens of candidates for criticizing Israeli crimes.

With the NDP Federal Council meeting on Monday, it is crucial that we continue applying pressure. Please email and share the three Action Network campaigns directed at Council members. They must overturn this outrageous decision.

Tell the NDP: Reject the Zionist lobby
Let the members decide!
Let Internationalism in the NDP leadership race!

Our campaign continues to shape the debate in the leadership race—even as we are excluded from it. Avi Lewis, while effectively promoting that exclusion, continues to follow our lead. He has now echoed our call to eliminate student debt and tuition and is planning an upcoming discussion on Mark Carney’s radical militarism.

Yesterday, we emailed the five other leadership candidates to ask them to speak out and pause their campaigns in support of members’ right to decide who leads the party. As part of challenging the odious exclusion of our campaign, we will be organizing information outreach at Avi’s event tomorrow in Toronto, as well as well as protests outside NDP offices across the country next week. These are important opportunities to share information and engage members. Stay tuned for more details.

In solidarity and struggle,

Yves

P.S We’ve received many requests for the full correspondence from the NDP vetting committee. In the interest of transparency, we have made all the documents public here.