A political party in Canada. It grew out of the Canadian Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), a political party of industrial workers and small farmers formed in 1932 during the Great Depression. In 1956 a Canadian Labour Congress of Trade Unions was formed, and in 1961 this amalgamated with the CCF to form the New Democratic Party, a mildly socialist party, committed to a planned economy and extension of social benefits. Leaders of the NDP have been T. C. Douglas (1961–71), David Lewis (1971–75), Ed Broadbent (1975–89), Audrey McLaughlin (1989–95), Alexa McDonough (1995–2003), Jack Layton (2003–11), Nycole Turmel (2011–12), and Thomas Mulcair (2012– ).