NDP pivots messaging to strategic voting over leadership race

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is urging voters to support his party and avoid what he’s suggesting will be a Liberal “super-majority.”

Recently, the party has moved away from suggesting it has any chance of success in the upcoming federal election and is focusing on a ‘strategic voting’ message.

The party’s advertising in formerly NDP-stronghold ridings like Vancouver East, Kingsway, and New Westminster Burnaby Mailliardville directly encourages ‘strategic voting.’

Hamish Telford, political science associate professor at the University of the Fraser Valley, says the NDP losing seats in those ridings would come as a shock, but says the election has become a one-issue vote.

“Canadians are focused on one big question — and they’re looking at one of two leaders to handle it — that is Donald Trump,” said Telford.

“And I think a lot of Canadians are thinking about how to vote strategically. However, when many Canadians are making that calculation, they’re looking at the national picture rather than the picture in their riding. And in some ridings, the Liberals really are not contenders. And if people do vote Liberal in ridings that are held by the NDP, that might actually make it easier for the Conservatives to steal some seats there.”

Singh says polls showing waning support for his party and a difficult race in his own riding aren’t reliable.

Results of a survey by ResearchCo published Monday show the NDP holding 8 per cent favourability with decided voters — well behind the Conservatives and Liberals.

But Singh says voters shouldn’t put too much stock in polls. Polling for NDP support in Ontario, Singh told OMNI News, wasn’t an accurate estimate of the province’s last election results.

“We were said to lose all support and the leader was going to lose their seat, but the party was able to win Official Opposition status in Ontario just a couple months ago,” said Singh, referring to Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles’ achievement in February after polls showed her party far behind the Ontario Liberals.

Telford says he would be surprised if national polls were way off the mark with their current predictions but says an NDP upset still remains an unlikely outcome.

“It’s possible that the polls are underestimating Conservative strength, and we could be in for a tighter election next Monday than we’re anticipating. If that’s the case, though, a lot of polling companies are going to have some explaining to do.”

Election Day is Monday, April 28.