Former B.C. premier endorses Mulcair as NDP leader

WINNIPEG - Former B.C. premier Mike Harcourt has thrown his support behind NDP leadership candidate Thomas Mulcair, and is also joining Mulcair's team.

Harcourt says Mulcair -- who served as a Liberal cabinet minister in the Quebec government -- has a proven track record in government and in uniting people behind the NDP banner.

He says Mulcair will bring people together based on what unites Canadians instead of allowing the Conservatives keep people divided.

Harcourt is also joining Mulcair's campaign team as an advisor on urban policy and issues affecting First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples.

In welcoming the support, Mulcair says Harcourt knows what it takes to form government and he will help broaden the Mulcair leadership campaign beyond the NDP's traditional base.

Harcourt joins former Manitoba premier and former governor general Ed Schreyer in backing Mulcair for the NDP's top job.

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  British Columbia NDP leadership candidate Mike Farnworth, right, and former B.C. premier Mike Harcourt walk to a news conference in Vancouver, B.C., on Monday April 11, 2011. Harcourt endorsed Farnworth to become the new leader of the B.C. NDP party. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck