Close X
Sunday, November 24, 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

    Vancouver Expects To Collect $38 Million From Vacancy Tax In First Year

    Vancouver Expects To Collect $38 Million From Vacancy Tax In First Year
    VANCOUVER — The City of Vancouver says it has collected $21 million in the first full year of its empty homes tax and another $17 million could still flow into its coffers.

    Vancouver Expects To Collect $38 Million From Vacancy Tax In First Year

    Raj Grewal Told Liberals He Had More Than $1-Million In Debt

    Former liberal MP Raj Grewal's transactions worth millions of dollars and his movements have been under the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's lens for a couple of months.

    Raj Grewal Told Liberals He Had More Than $1-Million In Debt

    Global Affairs Says Another Canadian Diplomat In Cuba Has Fallen Ill

    Global Affairs Says Another Canadian Diplomat In Cuba Has Fallen Ill
    That includes diplomats posted to the Canadian embassy in Havana, as well as their dependants, who have come down with a mysterious illness that causes dizziness, headaches and trouble concentrating.

    Global Affairs Says Another Canadian Diplomat In Cuba Has Fallen Ill

    NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh Calls Back-To-Work 'The Worst, Most Draconian Legislation'

    Bill C-89 was rushed through the House of Commons and the Senate and went into effect on Tuesday.

    NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh Calls Back-To-Work 'The Worst, Most Draconian Legislation'

    Canada Sanctions Saudis Linked To Khashoggi Killing

    Canada Sanctions Saudis Linked To Khashoggi Killing
    BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Canada is imposing sanctions on 17 Saudi Arabian nationals linked to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

    Canada Sanctions Saudis Linked To Khashoggi Killing

    20-Year Promise Honoured As B.C. Pledges Gaming Revenue Share For First Nations

    VANCOUVER — The British Columbia government has pledged to share gaming revenues with Indigenous communities across the province.

    20-Year Promise Honoured As B.C. Pledges Gaming Revenue Share For First Nations