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Tom Mulcair to stay on as NDP leader for now, with caucus support

Click to play video: 'Tom Mulcair says he will stay on as leader of NDP'
Tom Mulcair says he will stay on as leader of NDP
WATCH ABOVE: Tom Mulcair talks taking over leadership of NDP party following late Jack Layton – Apr 13, 2016

OTTAWA – Tom Mulcair, the embattled New Democrat chief who has come to embody last year’s bruising federal election defeat, says his caucus members want him to stay on as leader until his successor can be chosen.

Mulcair made the announcement surrounded by his fellow NDP MPs after today’s caucus meeting – their first since delegates at a convention this past weekend made it clear they believe it’s time for new leadership.

WATCH: ‘I couldn’t be prouder’: Mulcair talks being leader of NDP

Click to play video: '‘I couldn’t be prouder’: Mulcair talks being leader of NDP'
‘I couldn’t be prouder’: Mulcair talks being leader of NDP

READ MORE: Who will replace Tom Mulcair as NDP leader? It could be a crowded field

He describes it as “the best caucus meeting I’ve ever attended.”

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In the immediate aftermath of last weekend’s vote, Mulcair said he would stay on until his successor is named, a process that could be as much as two years away.

Some NDP MPs had openly questioned whether he ought to stick around that long, considering the clear message – only 48 per cent support – that came out of the convention.

Others, including NDP House leader Peter Julian, have been fully supportive of Mulcair’s wish to stay on.

 

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