Brian Topp, president of the NDP, has confirmed he will run for the party leadership to replace the late Jack Layton at a press conference in Ottawa on Monday. Topp made the announcement alongside NDP MP Françoise Boivin and former NDP leader Ed Broadbent, both of whom pledged to support his bid. The initial backing of Boivin is not only a sign of Topp’s wide-ranging appeal in the party, but could also indicate a possible split between Quebec NDP MPs who might support a leadership bid by House Leader Thomas Mulcair. While Topp spent much of his career working in Saskatchewan, Boivin made note of his upbringing in Quebec, where the party holds 59 of the NDP’s 103 seats in Parliament.