By Cameron French
TORONTO, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Powerful labor leader Buzz Hargrove ended a week of heavy speculation on Thursday, saying he would not seek the leadership of Canada's leftist New Democratic Party, preferring to stay at the helm of the Canadian Auto Workers union.
The union is currently in the middle of high-profile contract negotiations with the country's big three automakers -- General Motors of Canada, Ford Motor Co. of Canada and DaimlerChrysler Canada.
"I've been thinking that the NDP needs someone to lead the party, the same way that I lead this union," Hargrove said in a release.
"I've been considering whether I could indeed be that person. After much reflection, I've decided that I'm not, and so today I am announcing that I will not be a candidate in the NDP's leadership contest."
Hargrove said in early September he would consider running for the NDP leadership if the CAW was able to reach a contract agreement with General Motors within the month.
Speculation of his candidacy grew after the union reached an agreement with GM just hours before the Sept. 17 deadline, then formally ratified it on the weekend.
Current NDP leader Alexa McDonough announced in June she would step down from the helm of the party, which is tied with the Conservative Party for fourth and last place in Parliament's House of Commons.
Hargrove has long been a critic of McDonough's leadership and recently criticized the "wishy-washy" politics of the NDP.
"There was a notable lack of enthusiasm for my potential candidacy from the party hierarchy, and from the leadership of the rest of the labor movement," Hargrove said. "This caused me to seriously reflect on what I could achieve in the party, even if I were to win the leadership."
"I came to the conclusion that it would take several years, largely wasted years, to pull the party together behind my leadership."
The union is currently deep into talks with Ford, with workers prepared to walk off the job if a three-year deal isn't reached by the strike deadline of midnight on Oct. 1.
This round of contract talks in Canada is under the microscope because it is being held a year earlier than negotiations between the United Auto Workers and carmakers in the United States.
Vehicle and parts production in Canada and the United States are closely linked, so a Canadian strike would have a major impact across North America.