Federal New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh is expected to announce he will run in the byelection in the riding of Burnaby South, sources tell Global News.
Singh, who was elected leader last October but doesn’t have a seat in Parliament, says that Kennedy Stewart, who vacated the seat in June, and several interest groups have encouraged him to run in Burnaby South, a riding where the contentious Kinder Morgan pipeline is considered a major issue.
He is expected to make the announcement later this week, sources said.
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On Sunday, an NDP spokesperson would not confirm that a decision has been made, but said “a lot of people in Burnaby have been encouraging Mr. Singh to run in the upcoming byelection because they want a strong voice to represent them and their issues.”
“Jagmeet has said he is very moved by the support and will make a decision in the near future,” said the NDP spokesperson.
In the last federal election, the NDP’s Stewart narrowly defeated the Liberal candidate by fewer than 600 votes.
A date for the byelection has not been announced.
— With files from The Canadian Press