OTTAWA—In his biggest political gambit yet, federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is relocating to the West Coast to run for a soon-to-be-vacant seat in Burnaby, B.C. The former Brampton MPP, whose political life began when he spearheaded a suburban GTA breakthrough for the Ontario NDP seven years ago, said he is committed to the citizens of Burnaby South — regardless of whether he runs in a byelection or has to wait for the 2019 general election to vie for a seat in the House of Commons. “This government hasn’t done what people need,” Singh said, speaking to reporters at a rally in the suburban city east of Vancouver. He attacked the Liberal government in Ottawa on a number of fronts, accusing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of “betrayal” by breaking his promise to change the electoral system, and of failing to address income inequality, a lack of affordable housing and the need for universal pharmacare. “We dare to believe that this is not as good as it gets,” Singh said. “It starts here. It starts today.” Singh’s announcement ends months of repeated questions about when and where he would try to win a seat. Over the 10 months since he won the NDP leadership, Singh has said he is comfortable on the sidelines of Parliament, as he toured Canada and held a series of events dubbed “JagMeet and Greets.” Pressure mounted, however, during a challenging stretch for the NDP this year. Two NDP MPs were accused of inappropriate behaviour, Singh was forced to address a controversy over rallies he had attended, and the party’s standing in the polls stalled.The opportunity to run in Burnaby South emerged when the incumbent MP, Kennedy Stewart, announced he will resign his seat in September to run for mayor of Vancouver. Singh said Wednesday that he wants to win the seat to push the government on issues such as the environment and affordable housing, rather than as an effort to boost the NDP ...
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