One week until high-stakes Burnaby-South by-election
Posted February 18, 2019 9:46 am.
Last Updated February 19, 2019 5:40 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – It is one week until voters will go to the polls for the Burnaby-South federal by-election.
And while the vote won’t have implications for the balance of power in Ottawa, it could mean a lot for the leader of the federal NDP.
In many respects this by-election is a test of whether Jagmeet Singh has the stuff to credibly lead one of our country’s major parties.
While he insists his intention is to lead the New Democrats into this year’s federal election regardless of how he performs in this vote, there have been reports he will be pushed out if he fails to win the seat.
David Moscrop thinks Singh will win the byelection, but only by a handful of points. He says Singh isn’t trying hard enough when it comes to what job he’s vying for.
“He’s probably trying too hard to be the second coming of Justin Trudeau, but I don’t think he’s trying too hard to take the job seriously,” Moscrop says. “In fact, I think it took a little bit too long for him to take the job seriously.”
Moscrop believes it’s still early days and that Singh can turn things around.
The campaign has been an interesting one for more than just Singh’s involvement.
It’s been a bit of an adventure for the Liberals as well. They’re running former B.C. Liberal MLA Richard Lee. He was a latecomer to the race after Karen Wang resigned following an attempt to rally Chinese voters to her cause, while highlighting Singh’s race as well.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s party is also under major pressure due to the ongoing SNC-Lavalin scandal.
Rounding out the major party contenders, the Conservative are running Jay Shin, a lawyer and political newcomer.
Laura-Lynn Thompson is running for the People’s Party of Canada, while Terry Grimwood and Valentine Wu are running as independents.
Monday is the last day to cast an advance ballot.
