MONTREAL – NDP Leader Tom Mulcair is suggesting a 70 per cent result at his leadership review would enable him to stay on.

Asked on Tuesday about comments by Canadian Labour Congress president Hassan Yussuff, who said the NDP leader will get less than 60 per cent Sunday, Mulcair told The Canadian Press, “Since the beginning of this whole exercise, I’ve known what the vote is about.

“I know as leader that I must enjoy good support. And the kind of number evoked by (party president) Rebecca Blaikie (70 per cent) is the kind of number I have felt across the country. As you have just said, there are other people who have other numbers.”

The NDP’s constitution calls for a secret ballot at the convention, which begins Friday in Edmonton. If more than 50 per cent of the ballots call for new leadership, a vote must be held within a year.

Mulcair said he will “continue to work tirelessly until Sunday in order to have the best possible result.”

In an email sent to The Canadian Press after the interview, the NDP leader said he has always refused, as a matter of principle, to provide a specific number.

“What I am asking New Democrats for is a strong endorsement so that we leave the convention united in our fight for a more equal Canada,” the email read.

Mulcair has gained the support of Canada’s main trade unions but not from Yussuff, who maintains the party needs a new leader.

Yussuff told The Canadian Press he met with Mulcair about three weeks ago and told him: “Absolutely I’m not supporting you.”

“The election was a devastating loss and I don’t really understand what (Mulcair) will offer from what I heard so far,” he said. “All I’ve heard him say is that he takes responsibility for what happened and he never elaborates.”

The NDP had 95 seats going into last year’s election and ended up winning 44.

Later on Tuesday Mulcair gave a speech to delegates at the national conference of the United Steelworkers Union in Montreal.

He told reporters after his speech that he was “proud to receive the support of the five major trade unions” and dismissed Yussuff’s criticisms.

“It’s the support of the unions and their members that’s most important for me and as for individuals who may have another opinion, that’s part of a healthy democratic debate,” he said.

Mulcair received support from five union leaders at the end of March.

The unions in question are the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the United Food and Commercial Workers, the National Union of Public and General Employees, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and the United Steelworkers.

Jerry Dias, the head of Unifor, has also recently come out in favour of Mulcair.

Standing next to the NDP leader on Tuesday was steelworkers national director, Ken Neumann, who reinforced his support for Mulcair.

“Tom no doubt has the backing of the trade union movement and he is worthy of it,” Neumann said.

Neumann added that several hundred trade union members will be at the weekend convention and while they can’t be forced to vote for Mulcair, all have pledged to do so.