TORONTO— Bianca Mugyenyi has applied to join the federal New Democratic Party leadership race, stepping forward days after the party’s vetting committee rejected the candidacy of her husband, activist and author Yves Engler.Mugyenyi submitted her application last week, shortly before the deadline to enter the contest. She said she intends to campaign on the same socialist platform advanced by Engler and has urged his supporters to back her bid instead.The NDP leadership will be decided at the party’s convention in March. Don Davies has served as interim leader since May 2025, after Jagmeet Singh resigned following the party’s defeat in the April federal election..Mugyenyi played a central role in organizing her husband’s leadership effort. She said she decided to run to ensure party members have the opportunity to consider the ideas advanced by their campaign, including sharp reductions to Canada’s defence spending and the nationalization of the energy sector. Under that proposal, oil, gas and hydroelectric production would be managed by a publicly owned authority.The NDP vetting committee rejected Engler’s application earlier this month. In a confidential email, first reported by The Globe and Mail, the committee cited multiple concerns, including allegations that Engler echoed Russian state propaganda in his commentary on the war in Ukraine and NATO. The committee also accused him of intimidating party members and staff and of disruptively confronting elected officials in public and private settings..Engler has denied those allegations. He has said he has repeatedly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as illegal and brutal, while maintaining criticism of NATO and Canada’s increased defence spending. He also rejects claims that his interactions with politicians and party officials amount to harassment or intimidation.An NDP spokesperson said the party continues to require all leadership contestants to follow its established rules and fundraising procedures. The party has previously raised concerns that Mr. Engler solicited donations before his leadership application was formally approved.Candidates in the leadership race are required to pay a $100,000 entry fee, with the final $25,000 instalment due by the end of January in order to appear on the ballot. Approved candidates gain access to the party’s membership list, which includes contact information for current and former MPs..Engler has said his campaign raised approximately $110,000 in donations. In an email to supporters, he said that if his wife is approved as a candidate, he intends to return those funds and encourage donors to re-contribute through the NDP’s official portal to Mugyenyi’s campaign.Mugyenyi has said she would withdraw from the race if the party reverses its decision and allows her husband to run.In interviews, she has emphasized that while she shares Engler’s policy agenda, she brings a different leadership style.“I would say that Yves is more direct and confrontational,” she said. “My style is more about organizing, facilitating and bringing people together. But it’s the same platform we’re putting forward.”.Mugyenyi is a political organizer and foreign-policy activist who has been active in left-wing advocacy circles in Canada for more than a decade.She previously served as executive director of the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute, a Montreal-based think tank known for its anti-imperialist orientation and criticism of NATO, Western foreign policy and Canadian defence spending. She stepped down from that role last year.Mugyenyi was born in Uganda and came to Canada as a child with her family. She later returned to Uganda for a period before settling permanently in Canada. Her mother, Mary Mugyenyi, is a former Ugandan member of parliament who currently represents Uganda in the East African Legislative Assembly. Her late father, Joshua Mugyenyi, served as executive director of the Bank of Uganda.Describing herself as an eco-socialist, Mugyenyi has made climate policy a central focus of her leadership bid. She has called for the shutdown of Alberta’s oil sands production, arguing it is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, and has advocated for the nationalization of Canada’s energy sector.Foreign policy is also a key plank of her campaign. Mugyenyi has been sharply critical of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and of Canada’s diplomatic and military support for Israel, positions that align closely with those advanced by her husband.The NDP leadership contest already includes several candidates, with debates underway ahead of the March convention. The race comes as the party faces renewed internal debate following its poor showing in the April federal election, with questions about its electoral viability, policy direction and relationship with activist movements increasingly coming to the fore.
