At the time of Akerman's resignation, the party was undergoing significant regional and ideological tensions. The party had never yet won any seats outside of Cape Breton Island, with all four of the party's MLAs representing various constituencies on the island. These Cape Breton New Democrats increasingly began to come into conflict with the more leftist elements of the party, largely based in Halifax.[1][2] Tensions reached a peak when MLA Paul MacEwan was expelled from the party for publicizing internal party affairs and accusing other party members of being Trotskyites.[3] These conflicts, and the decision about whether MacEwen would be readmitted to the party, were significant issues in the leadership election.
