BURNABY, B.C. — Federal New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh will be running for a seat in Parliament in Burnaby, B.C.
Singh announced his candidacy for the riding of Burnaby South, which former New Democrat MP Kennedy Stewart recently gave up so he could run for mayor in Vancouver.
Speaking in front of supporters at an outdoor film production studio in the riding, Singh says he's running because he wants the government to invest in housing and Pharmacare.
Singh told the crowd he also running because he doesn't want the Liberal government to invest billions of public dollars in a 65-year-old "leaky pipeline."
The expanded Trans Mountain pipeline will run through Burnaby and Singh has opposed the expansion and called for a more thorough environment review process for the pipeline.
Today I’m announcing my intention to run in the upcoming by-election in Burnaby South.
— Jagmeet Singh (@theJagmeetSingh) August 8, 2018
From housing to healthcare, the people of Burnaby & all of Canada need solutions today – and the NDP will do everything we can to make a real difference, for more people. Here's why: #cdnpoli
The byelection has yet to be scheduled, but must be called within six months of when Stewart vacated the seat in June.
Singh sat in Ontario's legislature and served as the provincial NDP's deputy leader before he ran to replace Tom Mulcair as the federal leader.