NDP leadership candidates sprint to final fundraising, membership deadlines

NDP leadership candidates are entering the final sprint to sign up members and raise the last of four $25,000 payments required to be on the ballot.

The membership cutoff for voting eligibility and the final fundraising deadline both land on Jan. 28.

A spokesperson for the Avi Lewis campaign claims he has raised over $751,000 since the campaign began in the fall, while other candidates declined to share preliminary fundraising data.

Individual candidate fundraising data will be revealed when the party announces the sums raised up to the end of December in a financial report through Elections Canada later this winter.

Political observers say they expect the candidates to increase their efforts to differentiate themselves and begin get-out-the-vote efforts as the membership deadline and the February English debate approach.

The new NDP leader will be announced during the party's annual convention in Winnipeg on March 29.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov