Paul Dewar Could Join NDP Leadership Race

While he's still 'seriously considering' whether or not to run, the affable foreign affairs critic could turn some heads at the leadership convention.

The latest in the ongoing drama over who will be the next leader of the New Democrat Party is that foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar is considering a run at the party's top job. Dewar, the son of long-time Ottawa mayor and NDP MP Marion Dewar, joins party president Brian Topp, Thomas Mulcair, and Pat Martin in the race for the leadership, which the recently deceased Jack Layton had wished to be resolved as early as possible in the new year. Dewar's one of the more visible – and now veteran – NDP MPs, as he's one of the party's go-to members for television interviews and debates. He's also got a bit of legacy on his side, as his Ottawa Centre riding was that of former party leader Ed Broadbent until he retired in 2006. However, his French isn't quite up to snuff, and for a party whose majority of seats are in Quebec, that's clearly a stumbling block. French aside, he's probably the least divisive of the four candidates so far, and at 48, he's noticeably younger as well.