The party will choose its next leader in March
The federal NDP will elect its next leader next month at the Winnipeg Convention.
Before that, though, the five candidates vying for the leadership will participate in their final leadership debate in B.C. on Feb. 19.
With that at top of mind, here’s how the leadership hopefuls and their ideas touch on agriculture, food, and rural communities.
Rob Ashton
Ashton, the national president of the International Longshore Workers Union, addresses ag through an indirect proposal.
That’s to repeal and replace the Temporary Foreign Workers with a different system.
Ashton’s system would ensure equal pay for people doing the same work, provide migrant workers with a clear path to permanency in Canada, and make employers prove they can’t find Canadian workers for certain jobs.
Tanille Johnston
Johnston is a city councillor in Campbell River and in 2025 was a candidate in the federal riding of North Island—Powell River.
Her plan to make wealthy Canadians pay their fair share of taxes includes raising the capital gains tax.
“It is time to reverse Mark Carney’s tax break on the wealthy and get rid of the capital gains inclusion rate so that capital gains are taxed the same as income,” her platform says.
She also wants to ensure Nutrition North Canada is reliable for those who need it.
“We must ensure 100% pass-through of subsidies to consumers, expansion of the list of eligible nutritious foods and essentials, and an increase in funding levels to meaningfully reduce high food prices,” her platform reads.
Avi Lewis
Lewis, a former B.C. federal NDP candidate, and co-creator of the Leap Manifesto, wants to treat capital gains the same as employment income, but would maintain exemptions for farms and other businesses.
In terms of food, Lewis proposes a public option for groceries.
“By using a high volume, warehouse style model with subsidized rent and utilities, and backed up by networked local and regional food hubs to bring in local foods, grocery costs could be cut by as much as 30-40%,” his plan says.
To accomplish this, an NDP under Lewis would create a public farms fund to help municipalities buy farmland from farmers as they age and pay farmers to mentor young producers.
In addition, he would expand Farm Credit Canada’s mandate to include public investments in local and regional infrastructure hubs.
Heather McPherson
A sitting MP for Edmonton—Strathcona, McPherson’s plan doesn’t include items related to agriculture but does include rural communities in other areas.
These include promises to invest in disaster mitigation and adaptation infrastructure, and creating a national mentorship program, including in rural and remote areas, to connect young workers with more experienced workers.
Tony McQuail
McQuail, a farmer from Ontario’s Huron County, connected with Farms.com in July 2025 as he was considering his leadership run.
His official platform lists his four Rs – Representation, Regeneration, Redistribution, and Redesign, as its main pillars.
“We need to connect rural Canadians with the services in their communities through non-profit rideshare programs and we need to connect communities to work towards these solutions, together,” his website says.