Liberal turmoil a ‘gift’ to NDP in Burnaby byelection

BURNABY, B.C. — The stakes are high for NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh in a Metro Vancouver byelection race, but an expert says recent Liberal turmoil has been a “gift” to his campaign.

The 40-year-old former Ontario legislator has lacked a voice in Parliament since becoming party leader in the fall of 2017.

Now he finally has his chance in Burnaby South as voters in the riding cast their ballots on Monday after a six-week race.

The Liberals got off to a rocky start when their first candidate, Karen Wang, resigned after pointing out Singh’s ethnicity online.

In recent weeks, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been besieged by allegations his office pressured former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to stop a criminal prosecution of SNCLavalin.

Singh said he’s not taking anything for granted but he’s confident his hard work to connect with voters will pay off.

“I think people are very disappointed with what’s going on with the Liberal government,” he said.

“Canadians expect our government works in our interest. It looks more and more like this government and Mr. Trudeau and the Liberal party are working in the interest of a massive multinational corporation.”

Trudeau has denied he or his office directed Wilson-Raybould on the matter. Michael Wernick, clerk of the Privy Council, recently said Trudeau repeatedly assured Wilson-Raybould a decision on the prosecution was hers alone to make.

Richard T. Lee, the Liberal candidate who replaced Wang in Burnaby South, said few people are raising the issue on the doorstep.

“I understand some people are concerned about that, but the office of the prime minister and the prime minister himself have made a statement already,” he said.

Byelections typically have low turnouts, but there is evidence the results of them are driven by the popularity of the government and its leader, said Richard Johnston, a University of British Columbia political science professor.

“(Singh) may have been handed the gift of some voters as a result of all this,” he said.

“Although it’s just one thing amongst many, boy, he could use a win right now.”

Singh has faced criticism for poor fundraising and low poll numbers. Burnaby South occupies historically strong NDP territory, so if Singh can’t win in the riding, it adds to the interpretation that he hasn’t secured the support of party loyalists, said Johnston.