Yves Engler: Inside the NDP’s Effort to Block His Leadership Bid

Today, Noam sits down with Yves Engler—author, activist, and now candidate in the 2026 NDP leadership race—for one of the most important conversations the show has hosted.Yves is our first return guest, and for good reason: In recent months, he has publicly accused the NDP of using opaque vetting, backroom committees, and bureaucratic delays to keep insurgent, left-wing candidates off the ballot—even when they have met every formal requirement.This episode dives into:how Yves submitted his full nomination packagewhy the party still hasn’t given him any decisionwhy he waited to submit his vetting materialsthe internal pressure campaigns urging the party to block himthe broader crisis of democracy inside a party that calls itself New Democratichow EDAs (local riding associations) have lost autonomywhat a truly member-driven NDP would look like under his leadershipYves also breaks down the influence of central office, the financial barriers placed in front of candidates, and how his platform—developed by 45 activists and researchers—has already pushed the race leftward.If you believe that leadership elections should be decided by members, not gatekeepers, this is a must-watch.