NDP has yet to nominate candidates for 2019 election

OTTAWA — Federal political parties are gearing up for the final parliamentary session before the next election, but while the Conservatives and the Liberals tout having many candidates nominated and money in the bank, the NDP has yet to nominate a single candidate.

NDP president Mathieu Vick said the party revamped its nomination process over the summer and the new rules came into effect about two weeks ago. Those rules were approved and distributed to ridings at the beginning of the month and nomination meetings are now being scheduled.

“We’re just now starting to have all of our nomination dates up, so we’re hoping to have all of our incumbents at the very least nominated by the end of 2018 and then hopefully in the new year we can get a bunch more,” he said.

The NDP caucus meeting in Surrey last week was an opportunity for members to talk strategy and Vick said the party is “feeling pretty good.”

He said he’s hoping the retreat was a launching pad to intensify the party’s efforts, rally troops and get the ground game going, saying that the NDP has success “at the doorstep.”

He said the NDP has launched a volunteer recruitment campaign and he’s feeling “energized” about 2019.

Vick acknowledged that the party has had some financial challenges but insisted things are looking up.

The NDP’s annual fundraising returns show the party pulled in $4.86 million from 39,053 donors last year. The Tories raised $18.84 million from 94,786 contributors in 2017, outflanking the Liberals by nearly $5 million.

Twenty-five Liberal incumbents, including Leader Justin Trudeau, have been nominated as candidates for the next election. The Conservatives have nominated 133 candidates, including 46 non-incumbent candidates.