OTTAWA -- NDP Leader Tom Mulcair says he'll probably land at a university when he leaves politics later this year.

Mulcair is set to be replaced as NDP leader next October, two years after the party's drop from Official Opposition to third-party status in the House in 2015.

Speaking to Evan Solomon, host of CTV's Question Period, Mulcair says he could also return to practising law.

"[I'm] probably heading back to the university milieu, first and foremost. I've been talking with some universities," said Mulcair, who studied law at McGill.

"Also some law firms -- I'm a lawyer, so those are probably the areas you'll see me working in. But you know what Evan? You can have me back on your show any time because I'll still love politics."

More than half of NDP members at the party convention last April voted to choose a new leader. The party decided to hold a long leadership race, and Mulcair decided to remain as leader until his successor is chosen.

New Democrat MP Peter Julian is the only candidate in the race so far, although several others are considering running.

Mulcair won the leadership in 2012, taking over in the wake of the 2011 death of Jack Layton, who had been massively popular with party members, staff and many voters.

Mulcair has been the member of Parliament for Montreal's Outremont riding since he won a 2007 byelection, becoming the party's first Quebec MP since 1993.

He's known for his prosecutorial style in the House of Commons daily question period, giving him an ability to highlight when the prime minister - whether former prime minister Stephen Harper or Justin Trudeau - isn't answering his questions.

Mistake to be 'an appeaser'

Mulcair is still pressing Trudeau to take a more forceful stance with U.S. President Donald Trump.

"It's a question of standing up for Canadian values, and that's something that every prime minister of Canada has always been able to do," Mulcair said.

"From Vietnam to Iraq, we've been able to have disagreements with our closest trading partner. And that's ok. But you have to be able to talk about it."

Mulcair has gone as far as to refer to Trump as a fascist, something he's repeatedly called him.

"I think we have all of the hallmarks of someone who is behaving like a fascist and it has to be called out for it what it is," Mulcair said, arguing Trump has attacked the courts, religious minorities, ethnic minorities and women.

"I always call a spade a spade and I don't back down from it... I saw all the disquieting signs. I think that the biggest mistake is being an appeaser," he said.

While critical of Trudeau for "giving [Trump] cover" by organizing an event with women business leaders, Mulcair allowed there could be a middle ground for dealing with a U.S. president whose policies run counter to Canada's.

"Between giving cover to Donald Trump, and coming out squarely as I would do, maybe there's a margin of manoeuvre," he said.

This story has been updated to correct that it was delegates in Edmonton who voted to hold a leadership race, not the full NDP membership.

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