B.C. premier urges support for federal NDP as former leader Tom Mulcair calls party 'an afterthought'
British Columbia's New Democrat premier, David Eby, is urging voters to cast their ballots for NDP candidates in the upcoming federal election.
The message comes as the party slumps in the polls, and former federal New Democrat leader Tom Mulcair calls the party "an afterthought" in the current election.
In an op-ed published in BNN Bloomberg, Mulcair argues that given the threats to Canada's economy and sovereignty posed by U.S. President Donald Trump, the election is a "race between the ruling Liberals and the Opposition Conservatives, with little room to spare for the others."
"If you can't seriously say you're going to form a government that can take on Trump, then get out of the way and let the only real contenders have at it," he wrote, specifically naming the NDP, Green Party and Bloc Quebecois.
But in his message, posted to Singh's X account, Eby argues the federal NDP used its sway over the federal Liberals to deliver programs that help everyday Canadians, including dental care and pharmacare programs providing access to affordable medications.
"Be sure to re-elect NDP MPs to make sure they're out there advocating for Canadians every day," he said.
Liberals, Conservatives eating into NDP numbers
The call comes as the federal Liberals, whose rise has eaten into support for the NDP, continue to ride high in public opinion polls.
CBC's poll tracker currently projects the NDP winning a maximum of one seat in British Columbia, compared to the 13 it held following the 2021 election.
Poilievre's Conservatives, meanwhile, are also targeting ridings currently held by the NDP in B.C., including six ridings on Vancouver Island and Skeena-Bulkley Valley, on the province's North Coast.
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Speaking to reporters at a sawmill on the Island during a campaign stop in Nanaimo Friday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said the NDP hitched its wagon to the governing Liberals in the last Parliament, and a vote for it this time is a vote for another decade of Liberal "darkness."
While Eby's message endorses the work done by the federal NDP, he's also said he will be meeting with the Liberals' Mark Carney in the days ahead to discuss issues that matter to British Columbia when it comes to trade with the United States.
"It's important for the prime minister to understand the unique impacts of the president's actions on British Columbia," he told reporters Thursday.
"So, my message to the prime minister will be that you have to be on top of issues in Western Canada and in British Columbia. Your response, whether they support workers or industries or whatever it is, needs to include British Columbia."
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