The NDP likes to sell itself as Canada’s conscience. The party of labour, protest, and speaking truth to power.So it’s hard not to notice the irony when the NDP uses an internal vetting process to keep out two outspoken activists whose politics sit on the party’s own left flank.Yves Engler was blocked from running for the NDP leadership in late 2025, after the party’s Leadership Vote Committee rejected his application and an independent review upheld that decision. That much is no longer in dispute. .ALBERS: Mark Carney’s WEF delusion — naming the ‘great lie’ behind the ‘New World Order’.Engler is a self-described “agitator” who was denied entry to the race. The committee raised concerns about alleged behaviour and how he conducts himself in public political fights.Then Bianca Mugyenyi — Engler’s wife and political partner — stepped forward with a leadership bid of her own. Her campaign is not subtle about what it wants. Socialism. Activism. Justice. .In her own words, she’s running on a platform that includes abolishing tuition and shutting down the tar sands, while pushing the party toward a harder anti-war stance..You do not have to agree with any of it to see the bigger problem. Mugyenyi and Engler should have been allowed to participate.Not because they are “moderate.” They are not. They represent the most radical edge of a party that still has one foot in parliamentary respectability and the other in leftiest street politics.But here’s the point. .BEST / RUBENSTEIN: Why indigenous rights in Canada’s Constitution must be repealed.The NDP is supposed to be a big tent. It is supposed to contain democratic socialists, old-school unionists, downtown progressives, and blue collar voters. If the party can’t tolerate its own internal debates, especially during a leadership race, then it’s not really democratic. It’s managed.The NDP’s own leadership rules hint at the mindset. The party’s governing document says applicants must meet standards so that “behaviour and public commentary” aligns with the party’s “reputation and public image,” and that contestants do not “adversely affect the interests of the NDP.” .Those are broad, subjective tests. They can mean almost anything, depending on who is doing the judging.That should worry anyone who cares about free speech inside political parties. Even conservatives.Yes, parties are private organizations. They can set conditions. But leadership races are not like hiring a communications director. They are supposed to be the one time members are trusted to choose a direction, even if that direction is messy, risky, or unpopular with the average Canadian voter..OLDCORN: Nicotine pouches belong in Canada’s nicotine harm-reduction toolbox.Engler’s politics are far outside mainstream federal consensus. He argues Canada behaves like an imperial power, not a peacekeeper. He pushes an anti-capitalist worldview that treats markets as the source of housing pain, wage stagnation, and social decay. He leans hard into anti-militarism, including hostility to NATO and Canada’s military. He is deeply confrontational on Israel and Palestine.Mugyenyi’s platform echoes that same worldview, but wraps it in policy. Convert Real Estate Investment Trusts into co-ops. Make post-secondary education free. Shut down the oil sands. Put climate goals ahead of export revenue. It is not “balanced.” It is a political demand for a full-system communist overhaul..If the NDP wants to argue those ideas are bad for Canada, fine. If leadership rivals want to challenge her platform, their job is to do it. If party members think it’s electoral suicide, they can vote accordingly.That is what leadership contests are for.Instead, NDP party insiders appear to be treating radical speech as a contamination problem. Keep it out. Control the brand. Avoid risk..THOMAS: A water utility oversight board must be Calgary council's top priority.But the NDP brand is already bleeding. Voters have watched the party prop up Liberal governments while claiming to stand against Liberal policy. They’ve watched the NDP talk like activists and help the governing Liberals like cautious administrators. The result has been predictable with confusion, cynicism, and shrinking room to grow.Blocking candidates does not fix that. It makes it worse..The argument for exclusion usually comes down to “conduct” and “harm.” Engler has a history of provocative activism. He’s also faced legal trouble linked to his online criticism of a pro-Israel social media figure, a case that sparked debate about political speech. Two charges were dropped in 2025, while other allegations remained before the courts. People can judge his approach. Many will dislike it.But leadership races are not meant to reward only the calm, polished, and professionally managed. If that’s the standard, the NDP might as well merge with the Liberals and save everyone the trouble.A healthier standard is simpler. If a candidate follows the rules, pays the fee, gathers the signatures, and is legally eligible, members should decide. .COHEN: Carney government’s wholly inadequate response to the scourge of antisemitism.Not a small committee. Not unnamed reviewers. Not party staff trying to keep the file clean.The NDP does not have to become Engler’s or Mugyenyi’s party. But it should be confident enough to let them test their arguments in public.Big tents get windy. That’s the price of democracy.And if the party that calls itself democratic can’t handle a little wind, then the problem isn’t Bianca Mugyenyi or Yves Engler. The problem is the tent.
