Bianca Mugyenyi has formally applied to join the federal NDP leadership race, stepping forward to carry the torch of the socialist, anti-militarist platform she helped build during the leadership campaign of her husband, author and activist Yves Engler.
Mugyenyi’s decision follows the NDP’s rejection of Engler’s leadership application by a three-person vetting committee — a move that sparked internal controversy, thousands of emails to federal councillors, and an ongoing debate about party democracy. With Engler barred from the ballot, Mugyenyi says her candidacy is about ensuring that the ideas, organizing, and political energy generated by that campaign are not shut out of the race.
In her announcement, Mugyenyi made clear that she does not see herself as a substitute leader, but as a vehicle to keep the campaign’s platform alive:
“Let me be clear: Yves Engler should be allowed to run. If the party reverses this undemocratic decision, I would step aside. Members, not a secret committee, should decide who runs and who leads.”
Over the past six months, Mugyenyi co-managed the Engler leadership campaign and played a central role in drafting its platform, Capitalism Can’t Be Fixed – Onward to a Socialist Future. The document was produced through a highly participatory process involving 45 activists and researchers and advanced a sweeping agenda: ending Canadian militarism, opposing Canada’s support for Israel’s actions in Gaza, shutting down the tar sands, converting real estate investment trusts into housing co-ops, abolishing post-secondary tuition, and confronting capitalism itself.
In her announcement, Mugyenyi described the campaign as an effort to reconnect the NDP with its movement roots:
“We sought to show what the NDP could be if it turned towards social movements and working-class struggle. We can be so much more than a voice in Parliament; we can be the voice of the streets.”
She argued that the exclusion of Engler was not merely about one individual, but about shutting these ideas out of the leadership debate altogether.
“The greater harm is shutting these ideas out of the leadership race altogether… Doing so would leave Canada’s support for Israel’s lawlessness and genocide on the periphery of the race while offering renters little more than platitudes.”
The Globe and Mail, reporting on Mugyenyi’s entry into the race, noted that she applied just before the final deadline and intends to run on “the same socialist platform” as Engler, urging his supporters to back her campaign instead. The paper also highlighted that Mugyenyi has said she would stand aside if the party reverses its decision to bar Engler.
In an interview with the Globe, Mugyenyi emphasized that while her leadership style differs from Engler’s, the political project remains the same:
“I would say that Yves is more sort of direct and confrontational. And my style is very much an organizer, a facilitator, bringing people together… But it’s the same platform that we’re putting forward.”
The Globe further reported that Engler’s campaign raised approximately $110,000 before his rejection, and that Engler has said he plans to refund donations and encourage supporters to redirect them to Mugyenyi’s campaign if she is approved to run.
Mugyenyi brings more than two decades of experience in movement organizing and political leadership. She co-founded and directed the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute, played a central role in launching the Leap Manifesto in 2015, served as chair of the Canadian Federation of Students–Québec, and currently sits on the board of the Council of Canadians.
Describing herself as an eco-socialist, Mugyenyi has said her campaign will prioritize confronting the cost-of-living crisis, ending Canada’s role in overseas wars, dramatically reducing military spending, and transitioning away from fossil fuels — including shutting down the tar sands.
With her entry into the race, the platform developed during the Engler campaign — and the thousands of members and supporters mobilized around it — remains formally represented heading into the NDP’s March leadership convention. Whether the party embraces or continues to sideline those ideas now rests with its membership.
