The Provincial Times has learned that Yves Engler, whose bid for the federal NDP leadership was rejected by the unelected NDP vetting committee, is preparing to launch a new political party built around the platform used in his unsuccessful campaign.
A source close to Engler's circle, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Provincial Times that an announcement is expected in the coming weeks.
While the party's name has not yet been disclosed, the source confirmed that the 2026 policy document—“Capitalism Can't be Fixed, Onward to a Socialist Future!”—will serve as its founding framework. That platform, which remains publicly available, is being treated by Engler's inner circle as a “ready‑made manifesto” for the new formation, the source said.
That 43-page platform, which the Provincial Times has reviewed in full, calls for nothing less than the revolutionary overthrow of Canada's capitalist system.
Seize, don’t buy
Engler, a Montreal-based author and activist known for his strident anti-imperialism, argues that “capitalism can’t be fixed.” His platform demands the expropriation without compensation of all major industries—energy, telecommunications, banking, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and automotive manufacturing—placing them under "democratic worker control."
“Seize, don't buy – we will bring all significant economic assets under public ownership,” the document states.
The energy section includes a commitment to “phase out uranium-fuelled nuclear reactors” while simultaneously ending fossil fuel subsidies and halting new tar sands projects.
Energy experts have long warned that phasing out both fossil fuels and nuclear power without a massive, immediate build-out of renewables—which Canada's northern grid cannot currently support at scale—would lead to blackouts and economic collapse. Engler's plan offers no detailed modelling.
Abandon Ukraine, praise Hamas, and demilitarize while Trump threatens annexation
On foreign policy, the platform breaks sharply even with the NDP's current left flank.
Engler calls for Canada to "immediately withdraw from NATO" and to slash the defence budget. It demands “no more funds for the Ukraine regime,” which it describes as "a belligerent in the U.S.-led Western proxy war." Engler's platform makes no mention of Ukraine's right to self-defence against Russia's full-scale invasion.
On Israel, the platform goes further than any mainstream Canadian party. It calls for banning arms sales to Israel and supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement—but also states: “Stop the demonization of Hamas and other groups involved in the armed struggle against Israeli occupation, as armed resistance is legal and justified when under occupation.”
The platform explicitly supports "the right to resistance, including armed resistance, under occupation and genocide." No distinction is drawn between civilian resistance and the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in which Hamas killed more than 1,200 people and took hundreds hostage.
Additionally, Engler's platform demands a “halt the plans to further militarize the Arctic” and an end to the F-35 fighter jet procurement.
Those proposals come at a time when U.S. president Donald Trump has repeatedly mused about using "economic force" to annex Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney's government has indirectly cited that threat as justification for increased continental defence cooperation. Engler dismisses such concerns, calling instead for “immediate dissolution of NORAD” and “expulsion of all foreign military bases.”
BRICS, LGBTQ rights?
Engler's platform urges Canada to "initiate a formal review into joining BRICS+"— the economic bloc led by China and Russia—while withdrawing from the G7 and G20. The platform also includes a full section on "Justice for Women and 2SLGBTQIA+ Peoples," calling for "economic and social equality" and enhanced protections.
Notably absent is any acknowledgment that several BRICS members, including Russia, criminalize LGBTQ expression. Russia's "gay propaganda" law, for example, effectively bans public discussion of LGBTQ relationships. China does not recognize same-sex marriage. The document offers no explanation of how joining an alliance of states that systematically repress LGBTQ communities aligns with the stated goal of "economic and social equality."
A platform written in an echo chamber
Engler's 2025 leadership bid was blocked by the NDP's federal council, which ruled that his platform violated the party's constitution. The specific grounds were never made public, though senior party figures at the time described his views as "outside the mainstream of social democracy."
Now, with no clear path to ballot access in all 343 ridings, Engler and co. appear poised to launch what would effectively be a micro-party built on a document written largely in isolation from the practical constraints of governance.
Political observers note that the platform contains no serious electoral modelling, no phased transition timelines for its proposed nationalizations, and no acknowledgment of how Canada would defend its sovereignty—or even keep its lights on—while dismantling both fossil fuels and nuclear power simultaneously.
The document's support for Hamas, its dismissal of Ukraine's right to self-defence, and its call to join BRICS while claiming to champion LGBTQ rights at home represent contradictions that go unexamined across the 43 pages.
The platform's authors appear to assume that these tensions will simply resolve themselves once capitalism is hypothetically abolished—a leap of faith that very few voters outside of socialist activist circles are likely to share.
Whether the former Yves Engler NDP leadership campaign can gather the 250 signatures and $1,000 fee required to register a federal party—let alone convince Canadians to set aside questions of feasibility—remains to be seen.
What is clear is that the document he intends to continue running on was written for a leadership contest he was never allowed to finish, in a party that did not want him, and reads like a manifesto from a room with no windows.
The Provincial Times will continue to follow this story as details emerge.
This story is based on a tip received by the editor from a source familiar with Yves Engler's inner circle. The Provincial Times is presenting this information as a framework to understand what Mr. Engler's rumoured party would likely advocate for, should it materialize. We will continue to follow this story and provide updates as more information becomes available.
