NDP leadership candidates are racing to meet the January 28 deadline for signing up members and raising the last of four $25,000 payments required to be on the ballot. This final push is crucial, as it will determine which candidates will be eligible to participate in the leadership election. The Avi Lewis campaign claims to have raised nearly $783,000 by the end of December, with an average of almost $8,000 in daily donations and over 5,500 contributions from 4,400 individual donors in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The other candidates have not shared their preliminary fundraising data, but both Heather McPherson and Rob Ashton's campaigns express confidence in meeting their targets. Meanwhile, Tanille Johnston and Tony McQuail's campaigns, which describe themselves as underdogs, have had to launch fundraising blitzes to stay in the race. According to Karl Belanger, a former NDP strategist, raising over $700,000 is a notable achievement, but it's unclear whether this is an indicator of future fundraising performance.
The party will release individual candidate fundraising data in a financial report through Elections Canada later this winter, providing a clearer picture of the candidates' financial standings. Until then, the candidates will continue to focus on signing up members and raising funds to secure their spot on the ballot.