Singh made a quick campaign stop to meet UVic students before rally in Victoria
Ahead of the Federal Election on Monday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh made a quick campaign stop at UVic on Friday afternoon before heading to a rally at the Dave Dunnet Community Theater that night.
A crowd of over 100 students and a couple dogs gathered outside the SUB to take selfies with Singh for about an hour. The campaign stop wasn’t a rally or platform speech — Singh did not make any comments to the wider crowd or reporters and the energy was laid back.
In a tweet following the event, Singh said UVic left him feeling “an overwhelming sense of hope,” and commented “young people are going to change the world for the better.”
This brief stop at UVic follows his stops this morning in Brampton, Ontario before heading to the West Coast for stops in Port Alberni, Nanaimo, and a short walk through Cathedral Grove, where Singh talked about his respect for Vancouver Island’s old growth forests.
With the party’s popularity rising in the polls, it’s not surprising that Singh wanted to spend time on the island — where the NDP is doing particularly well. The ridings in Greater Victoria around UVic are projected to be close, with the NDP leading or in a close second in multiple ridings.
The Martlet reached out to a spokesperson for Victoria Candidate Laurel Collins ahead of Singh’s event at UVic. Our request for an interview with Collins or another candidate was initially granted, but then cancelled after the UVic event.
Across Canada, the NDP are polling at 18.2 per cent. In a minority government situation, this could give Singh and the NDP caucus a great deal of power over whether or not the government can pass bills.
In the Canadian House of Commons, 170 seats are required for a majority. According to CBC’s Poll Tracker at the time of writing, there is only a 12 per cent chance of either the Conservatives or Liberals winning a majority of the seats on Monday. That means that some type of cooperation will be necessary.
Singh responded to questions from reporters Friday morning about the Liberal’s stance on the Transmountain pipeline and whether that issue would be a point of contention in coalition negotiations with the Liberals. According to Global News, although Singh restated his party’s disapproval of the project, he did not specifically say that the NDP would dissolve a Liberal government over this issue.
Canadians will head to polls open on Monday, October 21. In Victoria, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Students can vote with a photo I.D. and proof of address, such as a lease. For more information, visit elections.ca.
