Quebec MP jumps into NDP leadership race, sets sights on home province
GATINEAU, Que. — The ho-hum New Democrat leadership race got a little more competitive Monday as Quebec MP Guy Caron became the third candidate to officially declare that he wants to be the one to succeed Tom Mulcair.
The competition, which got off to a slow start in part because of an extended goodbye from Mulcair, has been slowly gaining momentum in recent weeks, with B.C. MP Peter Julian and northern Ontario MP Charlie Angus entering the fray.
Caron, a former economist who hopes to position himself as a would-be leader with financial acumen, announced his plans alongside his wife and two children at a news conference at a log cabin in Gatineau, Que.
Caron said the location holds a special place in his heart: it’s where late New Democrat leader Jack Layton held a campaign event in 2011 — the same year Caron became one of 59 MPs from Quebec elected as part of the NDP’s so-called “Orange Wave.”