Article content

Today marks a crucial deadline in the campaign for the federal NDP leadership.

More than 16 months after convention delegates voted to choose a new leader, the membership cutoff to vote for Tom Mulcair’s successor has arrived. And with all four candidates having at least a foreseeable path to victory as the voting window approaches, a relatively small number of members could make a huge difference in the outcome.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Look of NDP voting pool crucial in determining next leader Back to video

Charlie Angus has generally led the way in polling and fundraising among the current MPs in the race. But in recent weeks he’s been able to show a wider range of support than may have been expected.

Angus’s main weaknesses have long looked to be his relatively weak French, and a vague position on pipelines which has drawn criticism from other candidates. But Angus has recently won over prominent and unexpected endorsements to address both of those concerns.

Angus secured the backing of one former and one current Quebec MP, sending a signal that he’s capable of winning over the voters who contributed to the 2011 orange wave. And more surprisingly, he unveiled an endorsement this week from David Suzuki — who figures to provide more than enough cover for Angus to escape any challenge to his environmental positions.