Singh to hit the hustings in city riding NDP can’t lose

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This article was published 06/09/2024 (393 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Elmwood-Transcona is only one seat, but to the NDP, it’s a must-win.

The party must retain the riding in the Sept. 16 byelection, which is one reason leader Jagmeet Singh tore up his agreement with the Liberals to keep them in power until June 2025. His decision this week has escalated the countdown to a federal election against the backdrop of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s increasing popularity.

Singh will rally the local troops and encourage voters to cast a ballot for candidate Leila Dance, director of the Transcona BIZ, during advance voting in Winnipeg Saturday. On Friday, he campaigned in the Montreal riding of LaSalle–Émard–Verdun, a seat the Liberals are desperate to keep in their fold.

The government has 154 seats, and was propped up by the NDP’s 24 seats. The Conservatives have 119 seats in the 338-seat Parliament.

In Elmwood-Transcona, Conservative candidate Colin Reynolds, an electrician who didn’t reply to requests for comment from the Free Press, is in a too-close-to-call race with Dance.

“If it’s a (win) for the Conservatives, it will matter a lot to them and it will show that Poilievre is able to reach into different parts of our society, but if the NDP loses the seat, I think it’ll be a blow to the NDP,” said Chris Adams, an adjunct professor of political science at the University of Manitoba.

“If they lose this, it will be of concern to Jagmeet Singh’s supporters,” he said.

At the Chalmers Community Centre polling station Friday, voter Jacki Quay said despite her disappointment in the NDP, she voted for the party anyway.

“(Singh) has kind of changed right over the years,” Quay said. “Originally, I thought he would be really good, but now it seems more all about him trying to be prime minister instead.”

“I was 50/50 on the agreement (with the Liberals) before, but I’m glad it’s over now.”

Singh and Trudeau reached the supply-and-confidence agreement in March 2022, which forced the Liberals to implement several NDP priorities in exchange for the NDP supporting the government on key votes.

The Liberals need the support of at least one other party to pass legislation and keep it alive in non-confidence votes.

On Wednesday, Singh announced the deal was dead in the water.

“Canadians are fighting a battle. A battle for the future of the middle class. Justin Trudeau has proven again and again he will always cave to corporate greed,” Singh said in a social media video.

On Friday, another voter at Chalmers, who declined to give his name, said he was pleased the “undemocratic” agreement was dead and supports Conservative Poilievre’s call for an early election.

“The Liberals are even farther left (leaning) than the NDP now, and I’m done with it,” the voter said. “I’ve always been socially liberal, but now it’s just gotten out of hand.”

Reynolds has tried to use the NDP’s association with the Liberals to his advantage; his campaign signs read, “Vote against sellout Singh, NDP-Justin Trudeau carbon tax.”

Dance said she supports the agreement’s demise.

“The NDP has already shown that they’re willing to vote against Justin Trudeau and any agenda that favours corporate greed,” Dance said.

“There are people who were very disappointed in the Liberal government and upset about some of the broken promises, feeling that he wasn’t keeping up his end of the deal.”

Adams said he isn’t convinced the deal’s cancellation will influence the byelection.

“The average voter in Elmwood-Transcona won’t really be watching this story closely,” he said.

While the riding has generally voted NDP, Adams said Reynolds might get a boost from supporters in the working-class area after Trudeau dealt with contract disputes involving the Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City by mandating binding arbitration on Aug. 24.

“It will come down to who’s got the better campaign machine for getting people to the polls,” he said.

The seat was vacated by New Democrat Daniel Blaikie earlier this year when he took a job with the new Manitoba government of Wab Kinew.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca