With five weeks to go until the federal NDP convention, where the party will choose a new leader, it’s crunch-time for the five leadership hopefuls as they drum up support in the final lap of the race. This will be the first time in three years that the party will be voting for a new leader. After the NDP suffered a stunning defeat in last year’s federal election, and then leader Jagmeet Singh stepped down on election night, the candidates vying for the top spot will have their work cut out for them if they want to successfully rebuild the party, win back official party status and regain seats in the House of Commons.
There is no official policy on LGBTQ2S+ issues on the party’s website, and there was no mention of LGBTQ2S+ issues in last year’s campaign commitments despite the NDP’s claim to fight for ordinary Canadians. In the past, the party has called for greater protections for LGBTQ2S+ people facing discrimination and put forth a petition to advance the rights and security of trans and gender-diverse people in Canada. Singh made statements during Pride Month in 2024 and on the International Transgender Day of Visibility in 2025 to acknowledge the rise in hate toward the queer community and increasing attacks on the rights of trans youth. He pledged to protect trans lives and defend Canadians’ rights to gender-affirming care, emphasizing that “trans rights are human rights.”
The five leadership contenders are B.C. dockworker and longshoreman Rob Ashton; social worker and member of the We Wai Kai First Nation on the east coast of Vancouver Island Tanille Johnston; filmmaker, activist and third-generation New Democrat Avi Lewis, who lives in Vancouver; Edmonton-Strathona MP Heather McPherson; and Ontario-based farmer and educator Tony McQuail.
McPherson is the candidate with the most political experience and she is laser-focused on rebuilding the party. Experts say she appeals to the NDP’s university-educated, higher-income and urban voters, compared to Ashton, who resonates more with blue-collar rural voters and those who may have moved toward the Conservatives in recent elections. The party’s activist and socialist base tends to be drawn to Lewis, who is the grandson of former federal NDP leader David Lewis and the son of former Ontario NDP leader Stephen Lewis, and is married to author Naomi Klein. McQuail, whose platform focuses on a holistic grassroots approach, and Johnston, the youngest of the group and the only Indigenous person running, are commonly seen as the underdogs. Instead of focusing only on urban centres, Johnston has been meeting with rural communities and nations as well on her tours across the country.
Ahead of the final leadership debate in B.C. on Feb. 19 and the party convention in Winnipeg on March 27-29, Xtra asked the candidates about five contentious topics. Ashton did not respond to requests for comment. McPherson did not provide comment by deadline.
Access to healthcare and gender-affirming medical care
Healthcare in Canada is a hot topic, especially as some provinces entertain introducing a for-profit healthcare system. The Canada Health Act ensures that Canadians have access to publicly funded healthcare, but each province and territory decides how the budget is spent, and services can vary greatly across the country. Alberta recently made a move to bring in a two-tier healthcare system, and Ontario increased its funding for for-profit healthcare providers.
Although all provinces and territories offer some form of gender-affirming medical care, it is not equally accessible across the country. The level of care and resources available depends on where you live, what services your province or territory offers and covers and whether you have a primary healthcare provider, which is challenging in provinces such as British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Nova Scotia, which are facing family physician shortages.
We asked the candidates how for-profit healthcare affects Canadians, and how they plan to ensure that provinces and territories will provide adequate gender-affirming care for people facing barriers to access.
In an email to Xtra, a spokesperson for Lewis wrote in an email that fighting back against provincial governments that are pushing anti-trans policies and misinformation is essential. Under him, the NDP would “establish a National Standard of Care for transgender and gender-diverse patients [that] would spotlight the need to confront gender-based discrimination in healthcare and implement a baseline for gender-affirming healthcare that is rooted in science and evidence.”
If provincial governments can sufficiently meet explicit conditions of the National Standard of Care for trans and gender-affirming care, then there would be an increase in the Canada Health Transfer (federal funding for provinces to support the principles of the Canada Health Act).
McQuail also cited the principles of the Canada Health Act as necessary. He stressed that what is happening in Canada is not privatization, rather, “We’re talking about changing from a public healthcare system to a corporate healthcare system.” He suggested reforming the tax system to collect money from the country’s wealthiest to invest in healthcare and to involve members of the LGBTQ2S+ community when working on healthcare reform.
Johnston said, “Gender-affirming care is healthcare. Everyone across Canada definitely deserves access to that same level of care.” Similar to Lewis and McQuail, Johnston believes that the Canadian Health Act governs our healthcare and the federal government has a strong responsibility to ensure that public healthcare stays public. “We should be defending Canadians’ right to access healthcare as first and foremost above any other political agenda.”
McPherson has been a vocal opponent to Alberta premier Danielle Smith’s Health Statutes Amendment Act, which considers a dual-practice model allowing doctors to operate in both private and public sectors.
Housing crisis and the rising cost of living
Along with healthcare, another lightning-rod debate topic is the skyrocketing cost of living and the affordable-housing crisis. Studies show that precarious housing and less stable job prospects disproportionately affect marginalized groups, with high poverty rates for gender-diverse individuals. One study shows 29.5 percent of unhoused youth and 10 percent of unhoused adults identify as LGBTQ2S+, and trans and gender-diverse people face significant barriers in the shelter system, making this community especially vulnerable.
Xtra asked the candidates about how they would address the housing crisis and alleviate the rising cost of living in Canada.
Johnston said, “We’re in our situation because governments have tended to let capitalism and greed take over.” Her policy to achieve “co-operative prosperity” focuses on a Guaranteed Livable Basic Income (GLBI), adding a wealth tax on incomes over $10 million, increasing corporate tax and ending fossil-fuel handouts. Along with GLBI, she’s a proponent of strong rent control and investing in co-operative and non-market housing. Johnston added, “Support for Indigenous-led housing is really important.” Beyond financial assistance, she wants to see administrative support for Indigenous communities and support for rural and remote communities, not just urban centres. “A lot of nations are small, and their administration is tiny. They’re taking on the world with five people in a band office.”
McQuail said, “I think that any federal money that’s being put forward that goes toward affordable housing needs to be built with consultation with LGBTQ2S+ people, plus all the other people in the community, to say, what do we need and how do we make it safe?” Rather than just creating low-cost housing, he wants to build a mixed community, one where people pay rent in proportion to their incomes.
Lewis wrote in an email, “We need a government that will not only address the housing crisis but will ensure that the most vulnerable populations are housed with maximum urgency and sensitivity.” He outlined a need to “increase federal funding to programs that help queer homeless youth who often experience barriers and discrimination in the shelter system.” Lewis offers a detailed housing plan on his website.
McPherson’s National Housing Emergency Plan outlines ideas to make housing public, affordable and fair through five actions: end corporate control of housing, build more non-market, co-ops and below-market rental units, create security for renters and hope for buyers, partner with Indigenous leadership for Indigenous-led housing solutions and implement a series of strategies to end homelessness.
Ashton’s ambitious housing plan, Operation Build Communities, Not Corporate Empires, vows to build affordable homes, mobilize workers, address homelessness and restore housing as a human right.
@xtramagazine The full lists of the books targeted for removal from two Alberta school districts have been published, and both feature a slew of familiar LGBTQ2S+ titles. Last week, journalist Jeremy Appel of the independent newsletter The Orchard published the results of a freedom of information request filed to the Calgary Board of Education and Edmonton Public School Board asking for full lists of which books were removed from school libraries. The call for book removal came after Premier Danielle Smith’s Alberta government introduced new policies last year, mandating what kinds of books can be on the shelves of Alberta schools. Under the policy, school districts are required to ban “any explicit visual depiction of a sexual act” from their school libraries. The policy came about following advocacy from several far-right social conservative groups. We break down what you need to know about the titles spotlighted for removal by Alberta’s two largest school districts. #lgbtqnews #alberta #albertanews #canada #bannedbooks ♬ original sound – Xtra Magazine Advertisement
Prisons and trans inmates
A policy adopted in Quebec last year now requires that trans inmates in provincial prisons be incarcerated according to their anatomical sex and not their gender identity. Quebec Public Security Minister François Bonnardel said the measure was to ensure the safety of all inmates and correctional officers. However, critics say it goes against human rights and increases the risk of violence against trans inmates in a system that is already transphobic and, in some cases, dangerous. We asked NDP leadership hopefuls for comments on Quebec’s trans-inmates policy.
McQuail said, “In our campaign we feel that this is a violation of the Charter rights [of] people to be able to live in their identity. The degree to which all this comes out of fear of the unknown and the unexperienced, is disheartening.” He added, “Prisons are a tough place to be in … and when you deny somebody their identity, that’s about as punitive as you can get.”
Johnston said, “I think trans inmates face enough risk as it is. This policy just makes it worse, makes it more dangerous and more dehumanizing. We need national standards that are going to protect trans prisoners. Their safety, their dignity; how we treat people behind bars says a lot about our country and how we treat people in general.”
Lewis condemns the Quebec decision and said the issue is deeply concerning and endangers trans inmates. “There are significant barriers trans inmates face when transferring to the correct institutions, and addressing transphobia within our incarceration system is a key step the government can immediately take to address this problem.” He vows to hold the current government accountable and to urge the Liberals to prioritize trans inmates’ safety and well-being.
Sports bans and trans athletes
Another issue garnering great discussion is trans athletes’ participation in sports. Last fall, Alberta passed the Fairness and Safety in Sport Act, stating that athletes who wish to participate in women’s and girls’ sport divisions, leagues and classes are required to provide documentation verifying their sex assigned at birth. Critics say the bill targets trans women and girls unfairly and will lead to greater policing of all girls, women and gender presentation.
Lewis called the ban and targeting of trans youth shameful. “Trans-exclusionary policies in sports are most often directed toward trans girls and women, which only reinforces sexist and transmisogynist beliefs and stereotypes … [Trans women] belong in women’s sports just as much as any other female athlete … what should be of concern is the many barriers trans and gender-diverse athletes face in sports of all kinds, including amateur. This only leaves us with a society that is less active and less equal than it should be.”
Johnston called the sports ban “cruel and cowardly, that has nothing to do with fairness. It’s all about fear. Every child deserves to feel included and a sense of belonging and joy and confidence.”
McQuail said it was “hugely discriminatory. It’s so petty, and it’s so mean-spirited, and it’s so politically opportunistic.”
In a January podcast interview, Ashton was asked if he had a message of hope for the LGBTQ2S+ community while they watch[ed] their rights be trampled in our provinces. He responded, “We’re going to fight for you. I’ve spent time watching over trans kids to make sure that they don’t get hurt at sporting events that they’re playing. There is hope … We’re going to stand with you, and we’re going to push back on provincial governments that want to treat members of the community differently.”
McPherson released a statement on Trans Day of Remembrance in 2025 and frequently opposes Danielle Smith’s anti-trans legislation in Alberta. “Political leaders in our country are targeting kids for being themselves. Our voices, those of trans people, allies and community members have to be louder to drown out the hate.
“We need to work with the trans community to develop strategies and support models, demand universal access to gender-affirming healthcare including mental-health supports, ban forced outing policies, strengthen human-rights enforcement and improve hate-crime tracking and prevention,” she said at the time.
Notwithstanding Clause
Over the years, increased use of the Notwithstanding Clause in several Conservative-run provinces to override Charter rights have sparked fierce debate. Quebec, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Alberta have all used the clause to enact legislation that critics say targets religious groups and the LGBTQ2S+ community and tramples on workers’ rights. We asked the leadership candidates for their thoughts on the greater use of the clause.
Johnston called it an abuse of power when used for political gain. “It was never meant to be used as a political weapon by any means … I absolutely believe in standing up for our Charter Rights and Freedoms … If leaders are going to use the clause to strip away fundamental rights, then we as the federal government should be standing up and pushing back against that.”
While discussing Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario, where the clause was used, McQuail said, “These are not exceptional threats or circumstances that require the Notwithstanding Clause. These are politically motivated efforts to appeal to a political base.”
Lewis called the notwithstanding clause a “last-resort measure” for provincial and federal governments. “We are witnessing gross abuses of this measure in ways that not only threaten our hard-fought rights but also the integrity of our Constitution.” He agrees with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association’s call to start a public consultation on the use of the notwithstanding clause and supports Manitoba premier Wab Kinew’s Bill 50 to establish guardrails on usage.
McPherson opposes Danielle Smith’s invoking of the clause multiple times over the last couple of years. Smith first invoked it to shield three controversial bills impacting trans people and again to order striking teachers back to work. She sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney in December, urging the Liberal government to act, to use disallowance to block unlawful legislation and defend the Charter rights of Albertans.
Party members will select their next leader on March 29. The final leadership debate will be happening in B.C. on Feb. 19 at 5 p.m. PT/8 pm EST.
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