Federal New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh will run in an upcoming byelection in British Columbia.
A crowd cheered and clapped as Singh formally announced his nomination for the riding of Burnaby South at an event Saturday.
Singh told them he wants to have a strategy that will solve the housing crisis in Vancouver, reduce the cost of prescription medications and fight climate change by focusing on clean energy.
B次元官网网址淲hatB次元官网网址檚 at stake is weB次元官网网址檝e got a Liberal government that is not doing what people need,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淚nstead of investing and dealing with the national housing crisis, they spent $4.5 billion on buying a pipeline,B次元官网网址� Singh said as the crowd chanted, B次元官网网址渟hame.B次元官网网址�
He promised that an NDP government would invest in building affordable housing, co-operatives and non-market housing, as well as provide income support to people.
Singh blamed the Liberals and Conservatives for the current state of the country, saying the two parties donB次元官网网址檛 get and donB次元官网网址檛 care what people are going through.
B次元官网网址淲e have a government that is not willing to do what people need. And we had a Conservative government that put us in this position in the first place.B次元官网网址�
He added that people are counting on the NDP, and the party canB次元官网网址檛 let them down.
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Singh announced his intention to run in Burnaby South in early August.
The riding was held by former New Democrat MP Kennedy Stewart, who gave it up on Friday to run for mayor of Vancouver.
The 39-year-old Ontario-born Singh, who doesnB次元官网网址檛 live in the riding, is opposed to the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline and has called for a more thorough environmental review of the project.
The government, he has repeatedly said, needs to invest in clean energy jobs.
The federal governmentB次元官网网址檚 approval of the pipeline was recently overturned by the Federal Court of Appeal.
The pipeline runs from Edmonton to Burnaby and has met with strong opposition in the Vancouver area.
Singh said the court ruling supported what Canadians have long maintained about the environment, then added B次元官网网址淲e have to stop taking First Nations to court.B次元官网网址�
Among SinghB次元官网网址檚 supporters in the crowd was Allan Warner, a retired grade 6 teacher and resident of Vancouver Kingsway. He described Singh as a hard worker, intelligent and a good candidate.
Warner said Singh is not conservative like Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, and is more honest than Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
B次元官网网址淟iberals promise like the NDP and govern like Conservatives. At least the Conservatives promise to be conservative. Liberals promise to be progressive and they donB次元官网网址檛 always act that way,B次元官网网址� he said.
If Singh wins the byelection, he has said he will also run in the riding in the general election in 2019.
The prime minister must call a byelection within the next six months, but Singh, who noted that he and his wife are currently looking for an apartment in Burnaby, said he wants the date set B次元官网网址渁s quickly as possible.B次元官网网址�
Singh represented the Toronto-area riding of Bramalea-Gore-Malton in OntarioB次元官网网址檚 legislature from 2011 to 2017, and served as the provincial NDPB次元官网网址檚 deputy leader before replacing Tom Mulcair as federal leader last fall.
B.C. deputy speaker, Burnaby-Edmonds NDP MLA Raj Chouhan, said he thinks Singh has a B次元官网网址渧ery good chanceB次元官网网址� of winning the riding in spite of being from Ontario because he has a high profile, which will give the issues that people care about a voice.
B次元官网网址淲hat we have seen under the Harper government and even under Mr. ScheerB次元官网网址� all they talk about is how to make it easy and more profitable for the top one per cent.B次元官网网址�
Singh, he suggested, is in touch with the grassroots and understands issues affecting the common man.
The difference between Singh and Scheer is B次元官网网址渓ike night and day,B次元官网网址� he said.
Singh wrapped up a three-day caucus retreat in Surrey, B.C., this week amid criticism from party stalwarts about weak fundraising and his controversial decision to oust Regina MP Erin Weir over harassment complaints.
The party raised $4.86 million from 39,053 donors in 2017, down from $5.39 million in 2016, and way down from the $18.59 million raised in 2015.
Alex Chan a third year undergraduate student at Simon Fraser University who introduced Singh at SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 nomination event, said he understands that the party has work to do raising funds, and will do it.
During the retreat, Singh delivered a campaign-style speech to supporters where he took several jabs at Trudeau, giving a glimpse of what could turn out to be a feisty campaign.
In an interview earlier in the week he acknowledged that itB次元官网网址檚 been tough to achieve his vision as a new federal leader although he has found the experience rewarding.
Singh also said he must do a better job of communicating with Canadians.
Hina Alam, The Canadian Press
