New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh launched his party’s campaign in the riding of LaSalle–Émard–Verdun on Monday, positioning himself as the protector of citizens in the face of the “greed” of big business. The by-election, called Sunday, will take place on September 16.
“Big corporations are ripping people off and we have to stop that,” insisted the NDP leader, who claims to be the only party proposing concrete measures to address the rising cost of living. He recalled that in June he introduced a bill to cap the price of basic foods in grocery stores, while all the other parties voted against it.
Voters are “looking for change,” says NDP candidate Craig Sauvé. “We embody that change for them.” The current city councillor for the Southwest borough since 2013 appeared before the media alongside his leader. He then accompanied him to put up signs and meet voters strolling along Wellington Street on this hot summer day.
“I am really confident that we will win this election,” insists Mr. Sauvé.
The 338Canada model predicts a three-way race between Craig Sauvé, Louis-Philippe Sauvé of the Bloc Québécois and Laura Palestini of the Liberal Party of Canada. The latter, whose candidacy was imposed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, would have a 6% lead in voting intentions, which is still within the statistical margin of error.
Mr. Singh wants to use this by-election as an opportunity to “send a clear message directly to Justin Trudeau.” The Liberals must, he says, stop taking the votes of LaSalle–Émard–Verdun voters for granted, when the party in power has “done nothing” for Quebecers.
The federal riding located southwest of downtown Montreal was left vacant by the resignation of David Lametti on January 31, after the former justice minister was excluded from the cabinet during last year’s ministerial shuffle.
Considered a Liberal stronghold, it has been held by the Liberal Party since its creation during the redrawing of the electoral map in 2013. The resigning MP easily won in the last election in 2021 with 42.9% of the vote, far ahead of the candidates of the Bloc Québécois (22.1%) and the NDP (19.4%).
Campaign starts with a bang
When he was confirmed as the NDP candidate, Mr. Sauvé promised to lead “a big campaign” and “go all out”. He says he has an “extraordinary team” who have been going door to door with him for the past four months.
The duty was able to see the ubiquity of party signs, already up after just 24 hours of campaigning and dressing most of the street lamps on Wellington Street in orange. They read slogans such as “truly affordable housing” and “free health care from head to toe.”
“We are here for you, we showed it in Ottawa with examples [concrets] and we have a candidate who has a strong record, [qui] is there for the people, to defend the people of [cet arrondissement] ” said Mr. Singh, who promised to return to the neighborhood frequently to support his candidate until mid-September.
When the two politicians met them in the street, Sylvain Desrochers, a citizen of the riding, assured them that he would vote for the NDP. “He [Craig Sauvé] “It seems to be there for the people,” he notes. “Right now, it’s actually the only one you see in the county.”
Mr. Sauvé says the people he meets understand that the NDP would be a real alternative to Ottawa and that the party would be ready to fight for them. He senses “a wind of change blowing very strongly,” he concludes optimistically.