OTTAWA — A campaign by federal New Democrats to urge party members to shift their donations away from the central party to local electoral associations is a "self-sabotaging" act, says a former NDP strategist.
Jordan Leichnitz said the efforts by a group called Reclaim Canada's NDP to divert funds to riding associations undermines the party because riding associations can't win general elections by themselves.
"I think this campaign is an expression of concerns that the party itself has become a bit disconnected from its local riding association," she said.
"I think its misguided. Right now, the party needs to have all of the donors and support it can get."
Former B.C. NDP MP Rachel Blaney, who supports the Reclaim group, said the central party can take "a bit of a hit" to boost local resources and expand the party's base.
The NDP national council planned to meet Thursday evening to continue work on rules for the upcoming leadership race to replace Jagmeet Singh.
Blaney said a "strong leadership race with some excitement" could restore donor interest in the party.
"But to get to the place that the party is … in a place of renewal means having that engagement at the local level, and they can't do that without the resources that they desperately need," she said.
While 2025 election campaign finances are not publicly available yet, the NDP has had to take out loans ahead of past election campaigns.
Lucy Watson, NDP national director, said in an emailed statement that anyone who wants to financially support the party is "welcome to do so through their riding association and the central party."
The federal NDP raised about $6.3 million last year, and another $1.8 million in the first three months of 2025.
The NDP received more than $3 million in rebates from Elections Canada after the 2019 and 2021 campaigns. More than 230 NDP candidates were eligible for rebates in each of those races.
While rebate data is not yet available for the 2025 campaign, fewer than 50 NDP candidates secured the necessary 10 per cent of a riding's vote to be eligible for a rebate this year.
The NDP's 2023 financial statement said it carried about $716,000 in debt from the Bank of Montreal; a party spokesperson said the NDP was debt-free in January. The party's 2024 financial statement is not yet publicly available.
The NDP lost official party status in the April 28 election after being reduced to just seven seats in the House of Commons, five shy of the 12-seat threshold for recognition. Losing official party status also means the NDP loses funding for research and other parliamentary activities.
Singh lost his own seat and stepped down as party leader in April. Vancouver MP Don Davies stepped in as interim leader until a new permanent leader is chosen.
Former New Democrat MP Charlie Angus said he believes progressives who backed the Liberals in April will eventually find their way back to the NDP.
"I think once the (NDP) leadership (race) starts to happen and once people start realizing that a two-party system in Canada is not going to give the progressive results that people expect, you're going to start to see the New Democrats being able to raise money again," he said.
While Angus is not a part of the Reclaim group, he said that the party became too leader-focused in the last campaign and the central organization lost touch with its base.
Angus said that the road back for the NDP involves patiently building up grassroots support through meetings in "church basements and union halls."
"The only strength New Democrats have, ever, is that we're traditionally like dandelions. Once we're on the ground, we don't go away," he said.
"But if you don't nurture your riding associations in your base, they're not going to be there for you when … you need them."
The NDP launched what it calls a postelection "review and renewal" process Tuesday led by Emilie Taman, a human rights lawyer and former federal candidate.
Taman said she is interested in speaking with people who believe the NDP head office lost touch with the base.
Leichnitz said that while strong grassroots support is a hallmark of the party, New Democrats still need a professional central apparatus to win.
"The NDP doesn't do anybody any favours when they lose, so they have to be able to do both of those things. And that's going to be part of the discussion that happens around this rebuild," she said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 10, 2025.
David Baxter, The Canadian Press
