Close X
Saturday, November 23, 2024
ADVT 
National

New Year, New Chief Of Staff And A Byelection Bid: Jagmeet Singh Eyes 2019

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 24 Dec, 2018 05:31 AM

    OTTAWA — It will be a big January for NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh as he looks to get a much-needed seat in the House of Commons.

     

    Singh plans to hunker down next month in the B.C. riding of Burnaby-South as he tries to check "elected" off his to-do list for a critical campaign year ahead.


    The byelection, expected for February, marks Singh's biggest political test to date while he also tries to calm party fears about fundraising, slumping polls and a growing list of veteran MPs who say they won't run in 2019.


    Singh has been to the riding a number of times, said Jennifer Howard, his new chief of staff.


    Howard is a longtime party strategist who was elected as a Manitoba provincial politician in 2007.

     


    The party has secured a volunteer team and an office as it sets its sights on a victory for their leader, she said, adding that the New Democrats are not taking anything for granted as they work on a win.


    "He is going to become Jagmeet the candidate," Howard said.


    "We are doing all the things that you do to get ready for a campaign so I am very confident."


    For his part, Singh has declined to say whether he will step down as leader should he lose in the riding, which was vacated by former New Democrat MP Kennedy Stewart, now Vancouver's mayor.


    Howard said she's not letting any other thought enter her mind either.

     


    "He is going to win," she said. "We aren't focused on any other outcome because in order to get that outcome, we have to focus on running that race and doing what we need to do to win it."


    In addition to taking on the byelection battle, Singh also faces the task of looking at the party's roster for the 2019 election campaign.


    Earlier this month, MP Fin Donnelly joined a growing list of NDP incumbents who will not seek re-election. It includes Romeo Saganash, Helene Laverdiere, Tom Mulcair, David Christopherson, Irene Mathyssen and Linda Duncan.


    B.C. MPs Nathan Cullen and Murray Rankin are also mulling their futures during the holiday break.


    Canadians should not draw unnecessary conclusions from the departure of veteran NDP MPs, Howard said.


    "I don't see any basis for that," she said. "I don't think that this is anything different than (what) typically happens at this stage (as) you get closer to an election ... This is about the time in the cycle when people make those decisions."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    City Of Kelowna, B.C., Takes Steps To Preserve 147-Year-Old Log House

    KELOWNA, B.C. — The city of Kelowna, B.C., is taking steps to preserve a 147-year-old log house built by one of the area's first European settlers after it was damaged in a fire earlier this year.   

    City Of Kelowna, B.C., Takes Steps To Preserve 147-Year-Old Log House

    Alleged Impaired Driver Gives Hamburger To Officer Instead Of Licence

    Alleged Impaired Driver Gives Hamburger To Officer Instead Of Licence
    VICTORIA — A Victoria police constable says officers had a "very scary" encounter with an alleged impaired driver during a roadside check.

    Alleged Impaired Driver Gives Hamburger To Officer Instead Of Licence

    Natural Gas Bills In British Columbia Set To Rise After Pipeline Explosion

    Natural Gas Bills In British Columbia Set To Rise After Pipeline Explosion
    SURREY, B.C. — Most British Columbia residents will pay more for natural gas after an Enbridge pipeline exploded in October near Prince George.

    Natural Gas Bills In British Columbia Set To Rise After Pipeline Explosion

    British Columbia Trade Trip To China Cancelled Over Meng Detention

    The detention of a top Huawei executive in Canada has derailed British Columbia's trade mission to China.

    British Columbia Trade Trip To China Cancelled Over Meng Detention

    China Pressures US, Canada Ahead Of Huawei Hearing

    China Pressures US, Canada Ahead Of Huawei Hearing
    China raised the pressure on the United States and Canada as a bail hearing for a top Chinese technology executive was set to resume Monday in Vancouver, British Columbia.

    China Pressures US, Canada Ahead Of Huawei Hearing

    Foul Play Suspected After Victim Found Dead In Surrey Home

    The body of an adult who appears to have been a victim of foul play was discovered early this morning in Surrey's Newton neighbourhood, according to RCMP.

    Foul Play Suspected After Victim Found Dead In Surrey Home