Organizers prepare for record crowd at Friday’s NDP Leadership Convention

By

TORONTO, Ont. – We’re less than a day away from the beginning of the NDP Leadership Convention, where thousands of New Democrats will gather in Toronto to choose the successor to the late Jack Layton.

The convention will begin Friday, and a new leader is expected to be crowned Saturday at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Organizers are preparing for a record crowd as the seven candidates make their final push for support.

The capacity for the convention is 5,000 people, and party spokesperson Sally Housser says it’s quite possible they could hit that mark.

“We’ve got over 3,500 people, and that’s just delegates that’s not including media or observers or anything like that, so it’s going to be the biggest convention that the New Democratic Party has ever had and we’re very excited about it,” Housser said.

The preparations are already underway as the candidates hold their own final hospitality events Thursday night, in an attempt to sway as many undecided voters as possible.

Meanwhile, campaign teams are also securing support by using the phone lines and email to reach out to as many members as possible.

More than 40,000 New Democrats have already cast their advance ballots, meaning approximately 90,000 more will be voting online or on the convention floor.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today