Byelection pressure on Singh mounts
OTTAWA — Critics of NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh say his performance in a weekend TV interview is a sign he may not be prepared for the challenges of the election year ahead.
His supporters shrugged it off as an inconsequential moment that only those within the “Ottawa bubble” actually care about.
During an appearance on the political show CTV Question Period, Singh appeared to be unaware of a news story that made a lot of headlines last week.
Singh was asked how he would respond, if elected prime minister, to the recent statement by China’s Canadian ambassador Lu Shaye, that Canada and its Western allies’ calls for the release of two Canadians detained in China is rooted in “white supremacy.”
“Sorry, who accused who of white supremacy?” Singh asked his interviewer. He later told the Toronto Star he didn’t hear the initial question. Host Evan Solomon repeated it in full and asked how Singh would have responded if he were prime minister.
“I don’t know if there is any evidence of that suggestion,” Singh said, then quickly pivoted to talking about U.S. President Donald Trump.
The performance spawned a social-media backlash from NDP supporters and foes alike.
Karl Bélanger, the NDP’s former national director, said Singh’s response to the China question is not a big problem on its own, but these kinds of things can add up. Whether he didn’t hear the question properly or he wasn’t fully briefed, Bélanger thinks Singh should have been able to handle it better.
“Frankly, it’s not helpful to have answered the way he answered because it feeds into a narrative that Jagmeet Singh is not ready to play at the same level as the other main party leaders,” Bélanger said.
Singh, elected the NDP leader about 15 months ago, is in the political fight of his life as he seeks to win a seat in the House of Commons for the first time. He is currently devoting almost all his time to that campaign ahead of the Feb. 25 vote, but has said even if he doesn’t win he will continue to lead the party into next fall’s general election.
New Westminster-Burnaby NDP MP Peter Julian, who has been canvassing the riding alongside his leader, said Burnaby voters like Singh because, compared with the candidates from other parties, he has a lot to say on the issues that are most important to people in the riding, such as housing affordability, the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion and education.
“We’re certainly seeing, both with the phone calls we’re making and the door to door, very strong support,” Julian said.
Bélanger said Singh has to win the byelection.
“Failure is not an option. Despite what some might say, he must win if he wants to remain leader and lead the NDP in the next general election,” he said.
Nationally the NDP is at about 16 per cent support in polls, which supporters argue is good by historical standards.
One party insider, who spoke on condition of anonymity, acknowledged that there’s pressure on Singh, but said there were times in the NDP’s history when it would have “kill[ed] to be hovering around 16 per cent.”
However the NDP hasn’t polled that low in an election since 2004, when it won just 19 seats, fewer than half the 44 seats won in 2015.