NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh elected in Burnaby South

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BURNABY, B.C. (NEWS 1130) – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has been elected in his British Columbia riding of Burnaby South.

Singh, formerly deputy leader of Ontario’s provincial NDP, became the federal party leader and was then elected to Burnaby South in a byelection earlier this year.

The byelection was held after Kennedy Stewart, now the mayor of Vancouver, vacated the post to take up his new role.

Singh became the first racialized party leader to sit in the House of Commons, and has repeatedly addressed issues of race during this campaign. Earlier this month, he was confronted by a man in Montreal who told him to “cut off” his turban.

The NDP leader ran on a platform that emphasized Pharmacare, affordable housing and dental care for Canadians. He has also been adamantly against the Trans Mountain pipeline, as was Stewart.

Singh’s party began the race in a distant third place, but as the campaign unfolded it began to gain traction, drawing over 1,500 people to the leader’s rallies in the final days.

Elizabeth May, Justin Trudeau, Andrew Scheer and Singh all spent significant time in British Columbia this election, and all spent their final day of campaigning on B.C. soil. The leaders made repeated stops, over the course of the campaign, in the province’s contested ridings where polling showed close races.

The focus on B.C. was not without reason. In 2015, the Trudeau Liberals only sealed their majority after the ballots were counted in B.C. and jumped from two seats in the province that election to 17.

In 2019’s election, the Liberals took 11 ridings, tying with the NDP. As of 10 p.m., one riding had still not been declared.

Singh addressed hundreds of NDP supporters at a hotel in Burnaby after the results came in.

“It’s been an incredible campaign and an incredible journey,” he said, adding he had spoken to Trudeau earlier in the night and offered his congratulations.

“I let him know we will be working hard to deliver the priorities Canadians have.”

Singh said he wants to work with the minority Trudeau government to make NDP promises, including national Pharmacare, a priority.

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