Almost half of former NDP voters don’t recognize names of leadership candidates: poll

By Canadian Press on March 25, 2026.

OTTAWA — Nearly half of those who voted for the federal NDP at least once over the past four elections don’t recognize the names of the current leadership candidates, a new poll suggests.

The Angus Reid Institute surveyed 1,100 Canadians who voted for the NDP at least once between 2015 and 2025 and found that 44 per cent of respondents said they could not name any of the candidates when asked who would be the best leader.

Name recognition is higher among poll respondents who have consistently voted for the NDP over the past decade, but even in that cohort 31 per cent said they aren’t familiar with the leadership candidates.

The poll suggests filmmaker Avi Lewis is the favourite among respondents, with 13 per cent saying he would make the best leader, followed by Alberta MP Heather McPherson at nine per cent.

The survey was conducted online between March 11 and 17 and the polling industry’s professional body, the Canadian Research Insights Council, says online surveys can’t be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.

Voting in the six-month leadership campaign wraps on March 28 and the new leader will be announced on March 29.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 25, 2026.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press