Overview
- An independent review upheld the NDP Leadership Vote Committee’s decision that Yves Engler failed to meet eligibility and conduct standards.
- The party pointed to incidents of following people to private vehicles, disruptive confrontations with officials, and statements it said echoed Russian state propaganda and antisemitic rhetoric, including the phrase “Holocaust industry.”
- Engler denies the allegations, says he has repeatedly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and his lawyer disputes that his conduct amounts to intimidation.
- A video posted in April shows Engler following Liberal MP Anna Gainey to her car as she asks him to leave her alone, an example cited in concerns about his conduct.
- Engler says he raised the $100,000 entry fee, has spent tens of thousands on his bid, plans a speaking tour, will refund donors on request, and is asking the NDP’s federal council to overturn the disqualification.