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NDP leader Tom Mulcair speaks with the media while attending the Progress summit in Ottawa, Friday April 1, 2016.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press

What's the word on Tom Mulcair's leadership review? Meh.

There's no large zealous movement to oust the NDP Leader this weekend, but little enthusiasm for keeping him, either.

If they're looking for political excitement, many New Democrats cast their eyes south of the border to see Bernie Sanders electrifying the Democratic primaries with a social-democratic campaign, and they #FeeltheBern. But with Mr. Mulcair, they've got more of a Hillary Clinton, a competent, middle-of-the-road pro.

In public, some New Democrat MPs have waffled. In private, many MPs and riding association officials say they still don't know whether they're going to vote for Mr. Mulcair or not in Sunday's leadership review. This weekend's Edmonton convention is organized in a way to help Mr. Mulcair survive, but until the last minute, it's a crapshoot.

That's partly because the traditional NDP conundrum is being turned upside down – at least in the eyes of many of its activists.

The NDP used to debate whether it should aim to be an influential cause or a party vying for power: Should it stick to social-democrat principles and hope for third-party influence on governments, or move to the middle to try to take power.

But that premise is under attack. Mr. Mulcair moved to the middle and the result disappointed. So did Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath. Mr. Mulcair's balanced-budget pledge, and his cautious election platform, is officially blamed for the party's failings.

Some New Democrats argue that more unapologetic social democracy can win enthusiastic support – pointing to new Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn in Britain, and Mr. Sanders, who is rising in U.S. opinion polls and is breaking fundraising records. Mr. Mulcair isn't Canada's Bernie Sanders.

There's no denying what Mr. Mulcair is, however: an intelligent and capable political performer. In the Commons, he needled former prime minister Stephen Harper into discomfort. He can articulate public-policy issues forcefully, and he did that in opposing the Northern Gateway pipeline and the Conservatives' law to expand spy powers, Bill C-51 – which seemed like a doomed cause but picked up steam with his advocacy.

He has political skills most never learn, and can apply them smoothly in French and Quebec political culture – now key to the NDP's fortunes. There's no obvious potential replacement leader with all of that. He has leadership weaknesses, too – he overrelies on a close clique, including family members, by many accounts, and stubbornly doubles down when challenged. But his strengths aren't easy to find.

That's the pro of Tom Mulcair's leadership: He's a professional politician of a calibre the NDP won't easily replace. The con is that he's conservative by NDP standards, middle-of-the-road in ideology and inclination.

He declared a pledge to adopt balanced budgets as part of the fabric of his being. He also insisted the NDP would not raise personal taxes. He spoke in cautious terms and endorsed a platform whose very philosophy was incrementalism. Politicians can shift, but Mr. Mulcair cannot credibly go into the next election as a firebrand of the left. And some want that kind of NDP.

There's a kind of prototype on offer, in the Leap Manifesto, penned last year by a group of activists, which would reject all oil pipelines and launch massive clean infrastructure and social-reform programs, paid for by large taxes on carbon and financial transactions. New Democrats can debate the details, but the very name evokes what many want: a bold, unequivocal political left.

But there are still counter-currents in the party. There are activists who point to Mr. Corbyn or Mr. Sanders as winners and others who note neither has won yet. Some still see the Leapers as impractical, more interested in advocating for a cause than winning. "We still need to be reassuring," said one MP, "and Tom's good at that."

Either way, New Democrats are unexcited about Mr. Mulcair, and unsure about the decision. Union leader Jerry Dias, president of Unifor, argued Friday the party should keep Mr. Mulcair now, but boot him in 2018 if they're still not happy. But launching a leadership race a year before an election would be a big risk, too. The feeling is an unenthusiastic "meh." Mr. Mulcair will have to hope that's enough.

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