In the final stages of the federal election campaign, senior members of the New Democratic Party (NDP) made a last-minute effort to secure Jagmeet Singh’s seat in Burnaby, British Columbia, which many considered to be a challenging win.
Approximately 20 staff members from the party’s Ottawa headquarters joined the leader’s campaign plane just days before the April 28 election. Their primary objective was to conduct door-to-door canvassing on Singh’s behalf in Burnaby, following an earlier visit by a small team to the area.
Despite facing tough battles in other crucial races, the decision to allocate resources to Singh’s riding was questioned by frustrated party insiders who preferred focusing on more winnable seats. Singh ultimately finished third in Burnaby Central, trailing behind Liberal candidate Wade Chang by a significant margin.
While the party suffered losses in 17 out of 24 seats overall, sources highlighted that there were eight incumbent ridings where NDP candidates performed better than Singh and had a higher chance of retaining their seats. For instance, in the adjacent riding of New Westminster Burnaby-Maillardville, incumbent MP Peter Julian lost by a narrower margin of less than 2,000 votes.
Pollster Éric Grenier, known for CBC’s Poll Tracker, criticized the NDP’s decision-making, suggesting that resources could have been better utilized in other competitive ridings like Winnipeg’s Elmwood Transcona or Skeena-Bulkley Valley in northern British Columbia, both of which were lost in the election.
Grenier emphasized that focusing on Burnaby Central, where the gap between Singh and Chang was substantial, was a strategic misstep. He highlighted the importance of prioritizing efforts in key battlegrounds and incumbent ridings to maximize electoral success.
Jennifer Howard, the NDP’s national campaign director, defended the party’s resource allocation strategy, stating that every effort was made to support incumbent campaigns across the country. She emphasized that Singh’s riding did not receive preferential treatment and decisions were made based on careful evaluation of campaign needs.
The party’s campaign headquarters organized a screening of a political video featuring Singh, signaling a shift in focus towards electing more NDP representatives rather than aiming for government formation. Staff members were briefed on this revised strategy, with an emphasis on protecting incumbents and battleground seats.
Despite the intensive efforts in Burnaby Central, it became evident through door-knocking interactions and data analysis that Singh’s victory was unlikely. The decision to concentrate resources on his riding in the final days of the campaign raised concerns among party members, who believed that other ridings could have benefited from additional support.
Critics within the NDP cautioned against over-reliance on leader-centric campaigning, highlighting the need for a more collective approach to political strategies. Avi Lewis, an unsuccessful NDP candidate in Vancouver Central, expressed reservations about the party’s trend towards centralizing power around individual leaders, signaling potential risks to the party’s democratic processes.
While the NDP’s efforts to secure Singh’s seat were questioned, Grenier suggested that the focus on his riding might have been misguided considering the broader implications for the party’s leadership dynamics. Regardless of the election outcome in Burnaby Central, the emphasis on Singh’s seat was viewed as potentially shortsighted given the larger context of party leadership transitions.