Bianca Mugyenyi, wife of rejected NDP leadership hopeful, puts her name forward

The NDP leadership debate stage is photographed in Montreal on Thursday, November 27, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

The wife of Montreal activist and former federal NDP leadership hopeful Yves Engler, barred over alleged harassment, says she has put her name forward for the job.

Bianca Mugyenyi shared on social media late Monday that she submitted vetting materials last week ahead of the NDP leadership vote set for March.

Engler’s platform promised to nationalize energy, banks and telecommunications, while halting oilsands development and speeding up renewable energy sources.

Mugyenyi says in an online post that it’s undemocratic for the NDP to block her husband from running and says she will step aside if he’s allowed to run.

She says her campaign offers a “real break with militarism and capitalism” and fights for an economy where everyone’s basic needs are met.

Mugyenyi, the former director of the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute, was born in Uganda and came to Canada as a child.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 6, 2026.