As foreign affairs critic she continuously pushed the government to take stronger action in defense of Ukraine
By Marco Levytsky, National Affairs Editor.
One of the strongest supporters of Ukraine in its existential struggle for survival due to Russia’s genocidal war, is running for the leadership of the federal New Democratic Party.’
Edmonton Strathcona MP Heather McPherson announced her candidacy before about 340 supporters at La Cité francophone in her constituency, September 28.
As the NDP’s Foreign Affairs Critic since 2021, McPherson continuously pushed the government to take stronger action in defense of Ukraine.
On April 27, 2022, two months after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion, she introduced a motion recognizing Russian aggression in Ukraine as an act of genocide.
The motion which said that the killing of Ukrainian civilians, the desecration of corpses, the forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to Russian territory and the torture and rape being perpetrated by Russian soldiers constitute genocide, was passed unanimously.
After the vote, McPherson said she introduced the motion as a way to push the Liberal government to take stronger actions against Russia, particularly through sanctions.
“Sanctions have been implemented too slowly, they've been implemented very, very late, they've … given an opportunity for Russian oligarchs to hide their wealth so they have not been appropriate,” she said.
McPherson has also advocated for increased support to Ukraine, including military aid. On November 17, 2024, she introduced a motion in Parliament that called on the Canadian government to continue providing substantial military and humanitarian support to Ukraine. That too was passed unanimously. She also initiated two other motions that were also passed unanimously. One called on the government to help document Russian war crimes and crimes against humanity while another urged that Russia’s Wagner Group be designated as a terrorist entity. She has also urged the government to assist Ukraine in demining,
In February and March 2023, McPherson participated in a tour of European allies with the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, but the Liberal Whip did not give them permission to go to Ukraine, so she decided to go on her own.
“The worst part was going to Irpin (a suburb of Kyiv which was under Russian occupation before liberation by Ukrainian forces) and just seeing the total devastation, the total attacks on civilians,” she told New Pathway – Ukrainian News following her three-day visit to Ukraine.
Heather McPherson in Irpin with Irpin City Councilor, Makeeva Angela in March 2023. MP McPherson’s Office
“To stand on the bridge where civilians were hiding and trying to get across, trying to get to safety while the Russian Army was firing on them. You know, it’s just horrendous. It’s just pure evil, pure evil what I saw there. And I think to me the real takeaway is you really have to see it to really understand just how horrendous it was and just how much the Russians are targeting civilians. They are not targeting military infrastructure,” she added in a telephone interview from Warsaw.
A full report on her visit is available on her website ((https://heathermcpherson.ndp.ca/news/indestructible-spirit-ukraine).
McPherson has also taken a forceful stand against Israeli aggression in Gaza, terming it a genocide and calling for a viable Palestinian state.
In her announcement speech she called for ‘justice in Ukraine and Palestine”.
“It means condemning genocide, condemning genocide wherever we see it,” she said.
In the last election the NDP only won seven seats — its worst showing in its 63-year existence — and lost official party status.
To rectify this situation, McPherson said the NDP must become more inclusive by making “space for everyone” instead of “shrinking into some sort of purity test”.
“We need to stop pushing people away. And we need to invite people in. We need to have more people at the table. And we need to listen to them,” she said.
The party also has to return to its tradition of being inspired by “big ideas” like universal health care and child care for every family.
“The key to building a winning campaign is in communities. It's not in Ottawa. It's not in backrooms in Ottawa…That's why I'm running. To open doors, to bring people together, and to deliver real change for working Canadians,” she added
McPherson is the second candidate to officially launch a campaign. A week earlier Avi Lewis, an activist, documentary filmmaker and former TV host did so, promising policies such as a wealth tax, a national cap on rent increases and a public option for groceries. The son of former Ontario NDP leader Stephen Lewis and grandson of former federal leader David Lewis, he is also strongly opposed to free trade deals and oil pipelines.
The campaign will last another six months. January 28, 2026 is the membership cut-off date, and March 28, 2026, the final day of voting. The results will be announced the following day.
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