Not seen since Monday’s election loss, but Mulcair ‘is sticking around’

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair’s public absence since his party was humbled in Monday’s federal election has left party officials scrambling to clear up speculation about his future. Mulcair has not made any public appearances or spoken with the media since he delivered a short concession speech after the election, in which the NDP finished third with 44 seats. Party officials say he’s staying on as leader. Mulcair was absent from Thursday’s service at the National War Memorial in Ottawa to mark the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attack on Parliament Hill, leaving it to his deputy, David Christopherson, to represent the party. “He is in Montreal. And yes, he is sticking around,” Mulcair’s press secretary George Smith said Thursday in an email.