NDP leadership candidate Peter Julian picked up a big caucus endorsement Wednesday: Quebec NDP MP and party finance critic Alexandre Boulerice.

Julian called it a very important endorsement from an influential caucus member.

Julian, who was the first candidate to enter the race, distinguished himself early on as the candidate likely to rail the hardest against pipeline development and move the party further to the left — an important issue in the race given internal party tensions about how the Liberals ‘out-lefted’ the New Democrats in the last election.

Boulerice, MP for Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie, said Wednesday that Julian was the first candidate to come out hard and clear against the Energy East pipeline, which would run through Quebec, and that he ticks off all the boxes in what he’s looking for in a new NDP leader. He described Julian as a “real fighter.”

“He can make tough choices, he can be really clear, audacious, but at the same time able to listen and get people together for a common goal,” Boulerice said. “It became so obvious that I decided to announce now because I would be able to help him sell membership cards and convince the actual members he’s the next leader of the NDP.”

Julian has been seeking out early caucus endorsements while other candidates have been quiet on that front.

Also publicly rooting for Julian are four other Quebec NDP MPs — Pierre-Luc Dusseault, Robert Aubin, Brigitte Sansoucy and François Choquette — along with Saskatchewan MP Erin Weir.

If the caucus endorsements seem to be rolling out at a slow pace, that’s not an accident.

Most of the candidates have not run in leadership contests before; many caucus members are waiting to see how the candidates perform, and whether more candidates will join the field. Insiders are wondering whether Ontario MPP Jagmeet Singh will enter the race in the next month or so.

On top of that, much of the New Democrats’ attention is focused on Julian’s home province, with a B.C. provincial election in motion. The federal leadership race is expected to pick up pace after that’s over come May 9.

The other main contenders in the race to replace Tom Mulcair as party leader so far are Quebec MP Guy Caron, Northern Ontario MP Charlie Angus and Manitoba MP Niki Ashton.

Quebec political outsider Ibrahim Bruno El-Khoury also said recently he plans to enter the race, and former veterans ombudsman Pat Stogran said he too intends to join the field at some point.

Candidates have until July 3 to register to run.

Two debates have taken place, with the next scheduled for May 28 in Sudbury — a day after the Conservatives elect their next leader. Candidates only have half a year left in the race to secure support from party faithful and sign up new members.

The NDP elects its next leader by preferential ballot in October this year.