Federal NDP leader Singh confirms run for B.C. seat

VANCOUVER• New Democrats cheered and clapped Saturday as party leader Jagmeet Singh announced he would run in a federal byelection in Burnaby South.

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 Ontarioborn Singh, who doesn’t live in the riding, opposes the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline and has called for a more thorough environmental review of the project. He has said the government needs to invest in clean energy jobs.

The federal government’s 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.

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 said he wants the date set “as quickly as possible.”

Singh represented the Toronto-area riding of Bramalea-Gore-Malton in Ontario’s legislature from 2011 to 2017, and served as the provincial NDP’s 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 “very good chance” of winning the riding despite being from Ontario because he has a high profile.

Singh wrapped up a threeday 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.

During the retreat, Singh delivered a campaign-style speech to supporters where he took several jabs at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, giving a glimpse of what could turn out to be a feisty campaign.

In an interview earlier in the week he acknowledged it’s 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.