Singh set to run in B.C. riding

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.

“What’s at stake is we’ve got a Liberal government that is not doing what people need,” he said.

“Instead of investing and dealing with the national housing crisis, they spent $4.5 billion on buying a pipeline,” Singh said as the crowd chanted, “shame.”

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 don’t get and don’t care what people are going through.

“We 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.”

He added that people are counting on the NDP, and the party can’t let them down.