Mulcair-Topp Showdown Shaping Up

It's still really early in the race, but Thomas Mulcair seems to be the early favourite for the NDP's Quebec wing.

This Thomas Mulcair/ Brian Topp showdown for the NDP leadership is really heating up, with three MPs from Quebec throwing their support behind Mulcair, saying the party needs a “very strong candidate” who's capable of taking on Stephen Harper. Mulcair, who was the lone NDP MP from Quebec until May 2, has a reputation of being abrasive, single-minded, and determined, three qualities that have led some to call him the NDP's Harper. Topp, the party's president, is a bit of an unknown, but he was a member of Jack Layton's inner circle and has already been endorsed by former leader Ed Broadbent. Both men are fluently bilingual, but Mulcair seems to have greater support among the party's Quebec wing, which now comprises 59 of the party's 103 seats. He also has a bad-ass beard. Mulcair has yet to officially join the race, but all signs point to him doing just that. Meanwhile, Nova Scotia MP Robert Chisolm, Manitoba MP Niki Ashton, and B.C. MP Peter Julian are all considered likely to throw their hats in as well.