OTTAWA—The NDP will reconsider the federal leadership bid of a Toronto man who took the party to court after it rejected his candidacy application late last year.

Brian Graff, 58, had argued that the party unfairly blocked his entry into the leadership race with “no reasons or explanation,” and wanted an Ontario court to force the NDP to take another look at his application.

Graff told the Star Tuesday that he reached a settlement with the NDP, and that the party will reconsider his candidacy this week. He also said the party has provided him with an outline of the reasons his application was rejected in December. Most involve concern that his beliefs don’t hew closely enough to NDP policy doctrine, he said.

In an emailed statement, the NDP confirmed that it would review Graff’s leadership application. The party, however, stood by its vetting process as “fair and appropriate.”

“In order to avoid a costly and unnecessary legal proceeding, the party has agreed to review Mr. Graff’s application again,” the statement said.

Graff welcomed the agreement and said the NDP should have a more transparent application process.

“I like to stick up for myself,” he told the Star.

“I don’t like bullies. I don’t like people who take advantage of their position, and certainly I felt the party, the NDP — that there was an abuse of the process here, by trying to delay or keep people out of the race.”

Graff ran unsuccessfully for Toronto city council in 2014. He joined the NDP last August after being a member of the Liberal party for several years, even serving on the board of an east end Toronto riding association. He said he now feels more at home with the NDP, as an “economic nationalist” who disagrees with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s pursuit of trade deals with China and elsewhere.

But Graff said his application was rejected without a thorough explanation in late December. He appealed the decision, but complained that he couldn’t do so effectively without knowing the grounds on which he was being rejected. After his appeal was denied, he took legal action in March to try and force the NDP to reconsider his leadership application.

In Graff’s view, the rejection amounted to a “violation of natural justice,” in which his right as a member of a political party to run for the leadership was denied.

He said Tuesday that most of the reasons for the denial that he’s been given pertain to policy. On electoral reform, for example, he supports a ranked ballot, while the NDP favours proportional representation. He said the party also flagged his position on immigration; Graff said he wants Canada to accept fewer newcomers when the unemployment rate goes up.

“I’m a policy wonk. I’m running on my own ideas and I want to talk on that level,” Graff said.

“The race has been very closed and it’s very hard for people who aren’t MPs or aren’t well known to get into the race.”

The party’s leadership debates so far have featured four MPs running to replace Tom Mulcair: Guy Caron, Charlie Angus, Niki Ashton and Peter Julian.

Graff said he was encouraged to see other people from outside Parliament moving to join the race. According to the Elections Canada, former veterans’ ombudsman Pat Stogran has registered for the leadership contest. So has Ibrahim Bruno El-Koury, a Montreal business consultant.

They aren’t officially in the race, though. NDP spokesperson Guillaume Francoeur said Stogran and El-Koury still need to raise $30,000 each to pay the entry fee, and gather signatures from 500 party members by the July 3 entry deadline.

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Meanwhile, Graff said he hopes to get the result of his new application by the end of the week, and is willing to pick up his legal fight against the party if he’s rejected again.

“If they’re still violating natural justice then I can go back to court,” he said.

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