Justin Tang/CP

OTTAWA — Four NDP candidates faced off Sunday in the party’s first leadership debate in Ottawa. There was much agreement on stage but a few points of a disagreement did emerge as MPs Peter Julian, Charlie Angus, Guy Caron and Niki Ashton vied for support from members. 1. What role should the NDP play? Ashton wants the NDP to be more than a party that seeks power. Julian agrees with her but Angus and Caron are not satisfied with the NDP only being the conscience of Parliament.

2. Everyone wants to reduce income inequality and mitigate climate change, but they don’t agree on how to get there. Julian is opposed to any new raw bitumen pipelines but Angus says change has to be gradual. Angus and Caron also praised the Alberta NDP government’s action on climate change while Julian and Ashton did not.

3. Caron wants to re-open the niqab debate Caron said the party lacked empathy in the 2015 election when it opposed a ban on niqabs during citizenship ceremonies and should have communicated its message better. He wants the leadership candidates to discuss “identity” questions that might be seen differently in Quebec than in the rest of Canada.

4. New Democrats believe Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is not a progressive. There was unanimous agreement on this.