NDP leader Jagmeet Singh is calling on voters to help the New Democrats “hold the line” — a signal the party is on the defensive and fighting to save the seats it has.
“In this election, British Columbians will decide what happens next. Whether Mark Carney gets a supermajority, or whether there are enough New Democrats in Parliament to hold the line,” Singh told 400 cheering supporters Monday night at the party’s first rally of the campaign in Metro Vancouver.
B.C. is vital to the New Democrats’ survival, with half of the party’s 24 seats in that province.
The NDP has also been telling undecided progressive voters in that part of the country that they need to cast their ballots for New Democrats to avoid splitting the vote with the Liberals and unintentionally electing a Conservative.
Singh has spent the last four days trying to shore up support on the West Coast, including in his own riding of Burnaby Centre where he campaigned for the third time this election.
WATCH | Singh says B.C. voters have the power to deny Carney a supermajority
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, asked about his prospects in his current B.C. riding, said voters have the power to send him and other NDP MPs back to Ottawa — and that British Columbians, specifically, could deny Liberal Leader Mark Carney a possible supermajority.
CBC ‘s Poll Tracker suggests Singh’s seat is at risk, with the NDP projected to potentially lose official party status. Singh was asked Tuesday by reporters in Vancouver if he’d resign if that happens.
“I’m not looking to after the election right now, I’m focused on the election in front of me,” Singh said — a similar response to one he’s given throughout the campaign.
He said he’s ready to fight, but also offered a tidbit that could foreshadow his own future.
“It’s been the honour of my life to deliver dental care, helping millions of Canadians, seniors and kids,” he said.
Campaign gearing up
After what’s sometimes been a sleepy start to the NDP campaign, the last few days have seen Singh’s team ratchet things up with more frequent events that are both bigger and more energetic.
On Monday, Singh was introduced by longtime former Vancouver East MP Libby Davies who told supporters to remind voters at the doorstep about what happened in 1993.
That’s when the NDP lost official party status, falling below the minimum requirement of 12 MPs in the House of Commons.
Because of that, Davies said the New Democrats lacked the power to fight back against cuts the Liberal government made to social programs.
“Some real shit went down,” Davies said. “We were there, but we didn’t have party status. And so this is a really important thing that we have to remind people as we’re out there voting in this last week.”
In this final stretch, the leader’s campaign has been looping back to key ridings, many of which Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has also visited.
That includes the NDP’s rally Tuesday night in Edmonton Centre, a riding that’s often a tight three-way race, currently held by the Liberals.
Singh was introduced there by Alberta’s former NDP premier Rachel Notley, who amped the records of the two New Democrat MPs who hold Edmonton seats.
“Jagmeet Singh has delivered more with just two Alberta MPs than 30 Conservatives wasting their breath on slogans and stunts,” Notley told 200 supporters.
Another sign the NDP is playing defence: On Wednesday, the campaign heads back to Winnipeg where one riding could become a key battleground between the blue and orange teams.
The New Democrats have held the working-class suburb of Elmwood-Transcona almost consistently since the 1980s, but only won the recent byelection there last September by four percentage points.
