NDP Rally Fills Bain Mathieu to Close Quebec Campaign

Jagmeet Singh Greeted a Crowd of Candidates, Volunteers, and Voters Wednesday Night

NewsApril Tardif Levesque — Published October 18, 2019

Beginning with a land acknowledgment by Hochelaga candidate Catheryn Roy-Goyette, Laurier–Sainte-Marie candidate Nimâ Machouf greeted the crowd in her riding.

Machouf said she’s spoken to many people who were “sick of the Liberals, sick of the Conservatives, and sick of the climate crisis not being taken seriously.”

Singh, after taking the stage, echoed the concerns of the citizens he had spoken to on his campaign trail.

“People are struggling and can’t wait four years for concrete action,” Singh said. “People need action as of now.”

The issues of universal dental care, universal prescription medication insurance, and affordable housing were at the forefront of the discussion, along with climate action and Indigenous rights.

“Despite the choices [Trudeau] made, he will tell you you have no choice in this election,” Singh said. “I want to be clear, you have a choice. […] You can vote for what you believe in.”

On government ties to big industries and corporations, Singh said to the crowd, “I don’t choose them, I choose you.”

Many among the cheering crowd had chosen him as well.

“He has a lot of energy, the campaign has good momentum and there is a great deal of support,” said Sean Illman-White, Campaign Manager for NDG-Westmount Candidate Franklin Gertler. “Jagmeet is a very genuine and very effective storyteller on behalf of people who are struggling.”

“The NDP is more in line with progressive values this time around, for things people actually need, like better public transit and denticare,” Illman-White continued. “The support for the NDP candidates has also been grassroots. The volunteers, as well as the candidates, care deeply about their communities and not simply the well-connected among them.”

For Parvin Zarsav of Westmount, “I started helping my friend, Nimâ Machouf, with her campaign. I learned of the humanist ideas the party stood for and I now want to vote for them in Westmount, as my friend is not running in my riding.”

When asked about why the humanist platform of the party was of interest to her, Zarsav said she wishes to see the quality of life of all Canadians improve.

This also reflects the sentiments of high-school teacher Neala Popowich.

“The platform aligns with my heart,” she said. “Many of my students fall below the middle class or come from single-parent households. How can I look at the future generation, that I am teaching, and not want to vote to support their future?”

“My students, like all Canadians, deserve consistent access to a dentist, access to medication, and affordable housing,” said Popowich. “I have the privilege of shelter, food, safety. What more could I want? I want to share. Greed is precisely what is destroying our world and our futures.”