Yves Engler, a polarizing figure and prominent voice on the Canadian left, recently announced his decision to run for the NDP federal leadership.Known for his outspoken and controversial views on Canadian foreign policy and capitalism, his candidacy is backed by the party’s Socialist Caucus and has sparked heated debate as he aims to push the party further toward its socialist origins.“Yves Engler is exactly the leader Canada’s NDP needs: fearless, principled, and unapologetically socialist,” said Socialist Caucus chair Barry Weisleder in an official statement endorsing Engler.Founded in 1998, the caucus advocates for anti-capitalist, pro-working-class, and anti-imperialist policies.Born in Vancouver in 1979 to union organizer parents, Engler was raised in an environment steeped in feminist and anti-racist activism..Angus says NDP faces years in the wilderness.Now a Montreal resident, he has authored thirteen books and founded the Canada Foreign Policy Institute, a left-wing organization that claims to oppose “the racism embedded in Canada’s foreign policy” and monitors the international activities of corporate Canada.Engler has a long history of anti-Israel activism, as demonstrated when he was suspended by Concordia University in 2002 — where he was vice-president of communications for the student union — due to his involvement in the Concordia University Netanyahu Riot.His suspension became permanent after he violated a university ban on political activity by distributing anti-Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) pamphlets. He took his appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, but the court rejected it.The riot involved broken windows, vandalism of several university buildings, and reports of Holocaust survivors being assaulted in reaction to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu being invited to give a speech by the Jewish student organization Hillel..NDP leader stands by candidate accused of antisemitic remarks .More political outbursts followed in 2005, when Engler interrupted a press conference by then–Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew, pouring cranberry juice (simulating blood) on him and shouting, “Pettigrew lies, Haitians die,” to protest Canada’s alleged role in the 2004 Haitian coup d'état.Engler again faced allegations of antisemitism in a 2017 Algemeiner piece, which labeled him an antisemite for his critiques of Israel in a Rabble.ca article he penned titled, “Why I am a bit wary when sports networks start speaking for the ‘Holocaust industry.'"The article was Engler’s response to a video aired by The Sports Network (TSN) the day before Yom HaShoah, telling Holocaust survivor Hank Rosenbaum’s story of survival and his embrace of hockey in his adopted country of Canada..In February of this year, Engler was arrested in Montreal on charges of harassment and indecent communication for responding to pro-Israel influencer Dahlia Kurtz’s posts on X, calling her a “fascist genocide supporter.”Additional charges of harassment and interference with Montreal law enforcement were added after he wrote about his case.Engler was eventually released on bail but rejected conditions requiring him to stop naming Kurtz, though he agreed not to tag her on social media.Engler has also consistently opposed Canada’s oil and gas industry, particularly Alberta’s tar sands, which he called “Canada’s most egregious contribution to the ecological crisis” in his official leadership bid statement..THOMSON: How to fight back against antisemitism in Canada.He called for a rapid phase-out of the tar sands, arguing that “capitalism’s need for endless consumption is imperilling humanity’s long-term survival on this planet.”His staunch anti-oil and gas stance has drawn criticism from industry advocates, who argue it threatens jobs and economic stability throughout Western Canada.This position has caused polarization among NDP supporters, with some praising his environmental commitment while others warn it could alienate voters in the resource dependent Prairies.
