OTTAWA—Veteran New Democrat MP Charlie Angus says the surprise resignation of party leader Jagmeet Singh’s chief of staff is “the beginning of a big reset” as the NDP tries to gain traction with voters ahead of next year’s federal election. The party announced Thursday that Willy Blomme submitted a letter of resignation and will step aside as Singh’s chief of staff for undisclosed “personal reasons” after her replacement is chosen. Angus, the long-serving MP for Timmins—James Bay, said he has “enormous respect” for Blomme, who worked for former NDP leader Jack Layton and the left-leaning Broadbent Institute before joining Singh’s office last January. Angus said he believes her resignation is part of a wider shake-up in the party as Singh and his team try to shift focus to the 2019 general election. “I don’t know how the decision was made, and I think Willy has probably recognized that she’s done good work in terms of working with the leader. But we’re at a point where we’re now moving into a whole other realm and we need to pick up our game really fast,” Angus told the Star.“I think the leader, like the coach of a team, is shaking up the line a little bit so we are focusing on where we’ve been weak, and getting our caucus in a direction for next September,” he said. “I do believe this is part of the beginning of a big reset and starting to move us into much more of an electoral mode, and much more of a team that is able to respond to issues as they arise.”The NDP’s standing in polls has stalled far behind the Liberals and Conservatives since Singh won a commanding victory in last fall’s leadership race, defeating Angus and fellow MPs Niki Ashton and Guy Caron. Singh has encountered a series of challenges in his first year on the job, including questions about his appearances at Sikh nationalist events, allegations ...
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