Sunday, May 12, 2024
ADVT 
National

Jagmeet Singh Invokes Memory Of Layton As Federal Leaders Make Final Pitch In Quebec

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 16 Oct, 2019 06:27 PM

    OTTAWA - New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh is invoking the legacy of his venerated predecessor, hoping that the memory of Jack Layton — the principal architect of the NDP's best-ever showing in a federal election — would help separate him from a pack of rivals wooing voters in Quebec.

     

    The province's volatile electorate could swing in any direction when Canadians cast their ballots Monday, with polls suggesting tight races between the Liberals and Conservatives and a Bloc Quebecois on the upswing.

     

    Every federal leader save Elizabeth May began Wednesday in Quebec, with Singh making a pilgrimage to Hudson, Que., where Layton was raised, before heading for a walkabout in Montreal's working-class Hochelaga neighbourhood and a rally just blocks from the botanical garden.

     

    Standing alongside Layton's widow, Olivia Chow, Singh said he wanted to build on Layton's legacy in the province, acknowledge the work the late leader did — some of it better than Singh's own, he admitted — and capture some of that 2011 magic for the party, which polls suggest could be down to one or two seats in Quebec after election day.

     

    "The support that we're receiving on the ground is going to translate to support at the polls and I'm confident that people will see that we will fight for them," Singh said.

     

    "We care about them, we share the values of Quebecers and we're going to make sure that they can count on us to fight for them in the next Parliament, no matter what the Parliament looks like."

     

    Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau started their day around the Montreal area as well — a rare campaign confluence where major party leaders were in the same area at the same time, and a clear sign of where strategists are focusing their efforts with less than a week to go.

     

    During a morning stop at Montreal's botanical gardens, Trudeau urged Quebecers to support the Liberals so they can have a voice in progressive government, not a progressive opposition.

     

    "That choice is a very stark choice. It is a very, very pivotal moment for Canada and for Canadians," Trudeau said.

     

    Trudeau is campaigning hard in Quebec, making numerous stops to try to personally shore up his party's standing in his home province. He was scheduled to make his way east to Sherbrooke, pausing in a Legion hall, cafes and pubs with local candidates along the way.

     

    Scheer stopped by a Tim Hortons in one of Montreal's northern suburbs with one of his star candidates, former Olympic champion Sylvie Frechette, after spending Tuesday barnstorming the province before moving on to southwestern Ontario, another vital battleground.

     

    May, the Green party leader, is promising an announcement in Victoria, near her home riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands in B.C., while People's Party Leader Maxime Bernier focuses on keeping his own Quebec seat in Beauce.

     

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Man Steals Richmond RCMP Cruiser, Then Goes On Collision Spree, Seriously Injuring One

    Police in Richmond, B.C., say officers were called to a local hospital for a report that a male patient, who was not permitted to leave the premises, had fled on foot.

    Man Steals Richmond RCMP Cruiser, Then Goes On Collision Spree, Seriously Injuring One

    Trudeau Heads To The North As Scheer And Singh Make For Toronto After Debate

    OTTAWA - Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is touting his party's climate-change policies in Iqaluit today, the first party leader to go to the North in this federal election campaign.    

    Trudeau Heads To The North As Scheer And Singh Make For Toronto After Debate

    More Details Needed In Manitoba Response To Tina Fontaine Report: Advocate

    More Details Needed In Manitoba Response To Tina Fontaine Report: Advocate
    "Awareness is the first step," says Daphne Penrose of her report released in March into Tina Fontaine's death.

    More Details Needed In Manitoba Response To Tina Fontaine Report: Advocate

    Lawsuit Settled In Fatal Wheelchair Accident At New Brunswick Train Crossing

    MONCTON, N.B. - Three years after a Moncton man in an electric wheelchair was struck and killed by a freight train at a level crossing in the city, a lawsuit stemming from his death has been resolved.    

    Lawsuit Settled In Fatal Wheelchair Accident At New Brunswick Train Crossing

    Quebec Man Sofiane Ghazi Seeking To Withdraw Plea For Killing Unborn Child Seeks Legal Help

    MONTREAL - A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing his unborn child will have a legal aid lawyer study his attempt to withdraw his plea.    

    Quebec Man Sofiane Ghazi Seeking To Withdraw Plea For Killing Unborn Child Seeks Legal Help

    Climate Protesters Shut Down Bridges In Canadian Cities As Part Of Global Action

    Protesters shut down traffic on major bridges across Canada on Monday as part of an international movement meant to galvanize governments into taking more urgent action against climate change.    

    Climate Protesters Shut Down Bridges In Canadian Cities As Part Of Global Action