St. Joseph Communications uses cookies for personalization, to customize its online advertisements, and for other purposes. Learn more or change your cookie preferences. By continuing to use our service, you agree to our use of cookies.<doc-sep>BURNABY (NEWS 1130) – A right-wing, anti-abortion and anti-SOGI candidate carved a surprising 10.6 per cent of the vote out of Monday’s byelection in Burnaby-South and that has some political analysts warning a rise in populist ideals could split the vote on the right in the federal election in the fall. While the win went to the NDP’s Jagmeet Singh, 2,420 votes were cast for People’s Party of Canada candidate Laura Lynn Tyler Thompson. University of the Fraser Valley political scientist Hamish Telford says it’s unclear if the party will be able to reproduce those kinds of results in the fall but if they continue to gain popularity it may split the vote on the right. “That’s a very strong result for them,” he says. “If that result is replicated in other ridings I think we could see how it could cause problems for the Conservatives.” The PPC didn’t fare as well in Quebec’s Outremont riding or in Toronto’s York-Simcoe area which also held by-elections on Monday. There the PPC picked up less than two per cent of the vote. Star candidate Part of the right-wing party’s success in Burnaby may have been in part thanks to the charisma and “star” status of Tyler Thompson, says Christo Aivalis, a postdoctoral fellow and assistant professor in the history department at the University of Toronto. Tyler Thompson, a well-known Christian radio host, recently wrapped an unsuccessful campaign for Burnaby’s school board in 2018. “She has higher name recognition than most PPC candidates will have so maybe she’s not representative of what the results will be in a bigger election,” says Aivalis. On top of that, the PPC was able to focus its resources in British Columbia on one small riding. “In a general election they won’t necessarily have that luxury,” points out Aivalis, adding that running candidates in 300 plus elections will prove more challenging. Still, he was surprised to see so much support for a party he says is running “largely on an ideology of hate and exclusion.” Scheer in the middle The leader of the Conservative Party of Canada should pay attention to the party that’s popped up to its right and, Telford warns, avoid making similar signals that would appeal to potential far-right voters. “There is some appetite for that kind of politics in some markets and some people, I think, in Canada feel emboldened by this sort of rhetoric and public stance; politically incorrect posturing of President Trump,” says Telford. But he points to the failure of Kellie Leitch whose far-right politics were rejected by Maxime Bernier and Andrew Scheer during the CPC’s leadership debate. Now, he says, we see Bernier wholeheartedly embracing his new role as a critic of multiculturalism. Telford says Andrew Scheer is stuck right in the middle of divisive identity politics. “Multiculturalism is shaping up to be an issue,” in the federal election which is set to happen in eight months. “If [Scheer] wants to win the election he can’t go down that road that Maxime Bernier is going, but on the other hand a lot of his voters might be attracted to the message from Maxime Bernier,” Telford says.<doc-sep>The riding was vacated by former MP and now-Vancouver mayor Kennedy Stewart This is unlike provincial and municipal elections, where polls close at 8 p.m. The polls in Burnaby-South are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. BURNABY (NEWS 1130) – All eyes are on Burnaby-South as the federal byelection gets underway. But if you have yet to vote, Elections Canada warns polling stations are closing earlier than usual. “We’ve been emphasizing that 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.,” says Natasha Gauthier with Elections Canada. “We realize that’s a bit of a change but it will align the results here. As you know there are two other by-elections happening in other parts of the country.” This is unlike provincial and municipal elections where polls close at 8 p.m. But that’s not the only thing residents need to keep in mind Gauthier adds, noting people will only be allowed to vote at their designated polling station. “If you notice there’s a polling station near your office and you think ‘oh I could just stop by at lunch’ no, sorry you can’t do that you have to vote at the polling location assigned to you based on your home address,” she says. A win for NDP candidate Jagmeet Singh would mean a seat in the House of Commons for the New Democrats leader. Singh has been leading the federal NDP since October 2017 but has yet to sit in the House. B.C. Liberal candidate MLA Richard Lee was a latecomer to the race. Lee was brought in after Karen Wang was forced to resign following an attempt to rally Chinese voters to her cause while highlighting Singh’s race. The Conservatives have lawyer and political newcomer Jay Shin. Laura-Lynn Thompson is running for the People’s Party of Canada, while Terry Grimwood and Valentine Wu are running as independents. WATCH: Voters go to the polls in Burnaby-South by-election The riding was vacated by former MP and now-Vancouver mayor Kennedy Stewart. The two other federal byelections being held on Monday are in eastern Canada, one in the Ontario riding of York–Simcoe, the other in the Quebec riding of Outremont. Results on those byelections are expected to come in around 7 p.m. Pacific Time.<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has earned a seat in the House of Commons and all it took was a move across the country. Singh won the Burnaby South byelection on Monday night, nearly 18 months after winning the federal NDP leadership. The 40-year-old captured 39 per cent of the vote. Liberal candidate Richard T. Lee finished second with 26 per cent and Conservative candidate Jay Shin was in third with 22.5 per cent. Laura-Lynn Thompson of the People’s Party of Canada finished fourth with 10.6 per cent. WATCH: Jagmeet Singh one-on-one with Global BC’s Richard Zussman 3:33 Jagmeet Singh one on one interview with Global News following byelection win Jagmeet Singh one on one interview with Global News following byelection win – Feb 26, 2019 “It’s a new day,” Singh told a crowd of supporters following the win. Story continues below advertisement “Friends, we made history today. When I was growing up I could have never imagined someone like me ever running to be prime minster. But guess what, we just told a lot of kids out there that, yes you can.” While victory tightens Singh’s shaky grip on the reins of the NDP, the challenge ahead was underscored by the simultaneous loss of the Montreal riding that launched the NDP’s orange wave that swept Quebec in 2011. In Outremont, Liberal contender Rachel Bendayan held more than 42 per cent of the vote with two-thirds of the riding’s polls reporting results, with the NDP’s Julia Sanchez running second with just over 25 per cent. WATCH: Jagmeet Singh’s full victory speech 20:15 NDP leader Jagmeet Singh FULL victory speech following byelection win NDP leader Jagmeet Singh FULL victory speech following byelection win – Feb 26, 2019 The campaign has been an eventful one. Singh was put under pressure to run for the NDP in a byelection and was ultimately convinced to move to B.C. Story continues below advertisement In January the race took a bizarre twist when Liberal candidate Karen Wang resigned after pressure from the party. She had made controversial comments on a Chinese-language social media platform suggesting voters should vote for her as a Chinese-Canadian, and singled out Singh as being “of Indian origin.” Singh’s political roots are in Ontario. He grew up in Metro Toronto and served as a Member of Provincial Parliament in Bramalea—Gore—Malton. He decided to move west for a chance at getting into the House of Commons before October’s provincial election. WATCH: NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh wins Burnaby South byelection 2:14 NDP leader Jagmeet Singh wins Burnaby South byelection NDP leader Jagmeet Singh wins Burnaby South byelection – Feb 26, 2019 “I love it here. The winters are pretty amazing,” Singh said before Monday night’s win. “But more importantly I love the people here. They are incredible folks. It is a testament of how incredible our country is from coast to coast to coast. We have incredible people that call Canada home, folks that really want to take care of one another and I really am tapping into that energy to lead a party that really wants to make people‘s lives better.” Story continues below advertisement Globalnews.ca coverage of the Burnaby South byelection Singh is expected to take his seat soon once the results from Monday’s vote are made official. The NDP has been trailing both the Liberals and the Conservatives in the national polls and will now have an opportunity to push Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on crucial issues in Question Period. WATCH: Jagmeet Singh: ‘We are all connected to one another’ 2:47 Jagmeet Singh: ‘we are all connected to one another’ Jagmeet Singh: ‘we are all connected to one another’ – Feb 26, 2019 The SNC-Lavalin scandal involving Trudeau and former minister Jody Wilson-Raybould made national headlines during the campaign. Singh is calling for an independent public inquiry into alleged attempts from the Prime Minister’s Office to pressure Wilson-Raybould into dropping charges against SNC-Lavalin. Story continues below advertisement Singh said he has a lot of work to do ahead of October’s federal election. “We have eight more months to let the people know that they can choose a government that stands up for people not for corporations, that doesn’t give handouts to SNC-Lavalin, but stands up for everyday Canadians.” — With files from Jon Azpiri and The Canadian Press<doc-sep>
Share this Story: Recap: Jagmeet Singh wins the Burnaby South byelection Recap: Jagmeet Singh wins the Burnaby South byelection Singh says many Canadians are falling behind, despite working hard, and they are starting to become fearful for themselves and their children. Photo by Jason Payne / PNG Article content The results Singh has 38.7 per cent of 20,346 votes counted, enough to be declared the winner. There are 76,204 registered voters in the riding. 181 of 196 polls have been counted so far, representing 92 per cent of the vote. Singh was up against Liberal Richard T. Lee, Conservative Jay Shin, independent candidates Terry Grimwood and Valentine Wu, and People’s Party of Canada candidate Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson. In the 2015 federal election, the NDP won with 35 per cent of the vote, with the Liberals taking 33.9 per cent, the Conservatives 27.1 per cent, Greens 2.8 per cent and 1.1 per cent for the Libertarian party. Lee has 26 per cent of the votes counted so far. The right-wing vote appears to be split, with Shin so far holding 22.7 per cent of the vote and Thompson with 10.9 per cent. Thompson is the first candidate seeking a seat for former Conversative Maxime Bernier’s newly formed PPC. “Singh, Singh, Singh!” Postmedia News reporter Matt Robinson said Singh supporters broke out into spontaneous chants of “Singh, Singh, Singh”, prior to Singh taking the podium at the election night party at the Metrotown Hilton. Vancouver-Kingsway MP Don Davies has earlier taken the mic with an optimistic: “Welcome to the victory party.” Peter Julian, MP for New Westminster-Burnaby, said with voters giving Singh the seat, “they’re saying they want a fighter. They’re saying they want someone who will stand up when the government makes bad choices.” Article content Jenny Kwan, a former and longtime MLA and now MP in Singh’s party, said “it’s a very exciting night. It’s one we’ve been waiting for for a long time. I know that Jag is so looking forward to going to Ottawa. “We need a voice in the House of Commons that is on the side of the people and we haven’t had that with the Liberals and not with the Conservatives.” Second place for Lee Postmedia reporter Dan Fumano was with supporters of Liberal candidate Lee at the Delta Hotel. Harjit Sajjan, the Liberal MP for Vancouver South an the Minister of National Defence, was at Lee’s event Monday night. Sajjan said he was happy to support Lee, who he described as a “humble, great person” and “I’ve had the opportunity to go door-knocking with him as well,” Sajjan told Postmedia. “His compassion that he has for his community, that’s what really, I think, sets him apart.” Photo by RICHARD LAM / PNG #BurnabySouth By-Election: People are starting to filter in now at Liberal candidate Richard T. Lee’s event, about 25 or 30 supporters here so far. pic.twitter.com/aFtjqRMLPt — Dan Fumano (@fumano) February 26, 2019 Share this article in your social network Vancouver Sun Headline News Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Vancouver Sun, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. The next issue of Vancouver Sun Headline News will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again Trending