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Aside from the 20 NDP MPs already nominated, another seven have signalled their intention to run again, including House leader Ruth Ellen Brosseau, one of the party’s bright lights in Quebec. This week, a Léger survey in Quebec had the NDP polling at just eight per cent in that province, with the Liberals leading the way at 39 per cent and the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois tied at 21 per cent.

Photo by Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press/File

But of the 44 NDP MPs elected in 2015, at least 10 will not run under the party’s banner this year, including six who say they don’t plan to run again, three who’ve resigned their seats, including Mulcair, and one — Erin Weir — who was expelled from caucus following a harassment investigation.

The remaining seven, including party heavyweights like B.C.’s Nathan Cullen and several members of the Quebec caucus, have yet to announce whether they’ll run again, with several saying they’re waiting to make a decision until after the outcome of the Feb. 25 byelection Singh is contesting.

Bélanger said he’s “a little surprised” by how long it’s taken many caucus members to announce their plans. “It’s always been a challenge for all parties when members of parliament announce too close to the election date that they are retiring,” he said. But he added that it’s often not too difficult to find good candidates to replace departing MPs, because their ridings are “deemed winnable.”

In a statement to the Post, the party said it has several more nomination meetings planned over the next few months. “The nomination process is following its course as planned with many interesting candidates having expressed their intention to run for the NDP,” the statement said. “We are confident that we will put together a remarkable slate of candidates everywhere across the country.”