Cullen says he’s not concerned about Singh’s lack of seat in House of Commons
OTTAWA — Veteran New Democrat MP Nathan Cullen is shrugging off the fact Jagmeet Singh is in no hurry to sit in the House of Commons, choosing to endorse the member of the Ontario legislature in his bid to lead the federal NDP.
Cullen, who himself ran against eventual winner Tom Mulcair in 2012, said Wednesday he is confident the NDP’s current team of MPs — 44 all told, including three running against Singh — can hold the Liberal government to account until 2019, if necessary.
While Singh has said he’d be inclined to wait until then to run in the federal election, he has left the door open to running earlier in a byelection, adding that he’s open to ideas on “where it makes sense to run.”
Even though the NDP was cheered for its work in the Commons prior to the election, Justin Trudeau triumphed nonetheless, despite having spent little time on the floor of the House, Cullen said.