Newly chosen NDP candidate Jim Hughes was back on the campaign trail Monday after winning a solid majority in the nomination for NDG-Westmount Sunday night.
“It's clear this is the NDP's time, so I think a lot of people – good quality people – jumped into the running to say, ‘I can be a great candidate.’” said the former director of the Old Brewery Mission, who beat out five other hopefuls for the candidacy.
His first official day on the trail, Hughes has already laid out his priorities for a riding that now stretches from Cote-des-Neiges to Montreal West.
“Everybody's talking about jobs and having an economy that produces jobs, especially for young people. We hear a lot about affordable housing. Affordable daycare is a big issue in the riding, public transport, especially with the Turcot Interchange. It's a big issue here,” he said.
Hughes briefly served as deputy minister for social development in New Brunswick, an experience he finds relevant for the NDP.
Liberal incumbent Marc Garneau won the riding with a 700-vote majority in 2011. With the new boundaries, 70 per cent of NDG is now part of the Westmount riding. The NDP feels that means they finally have a chance to win this time around.
Marc Garneau disagrees. Entering his fifth campaign, the former astronaut said that by his own calculation, the new borders will work in his favour.
“Our calculation show that we would have won by 1300 and 1400 votes. So we have different numbers than Mr. Hughes. We did our homework,” he said.
Expect the two to fight for every vote by focusing on local issues.
“Housing is important; I've been talking about that for years. Homelessness is an issue even in a downtown riding such as this one, public transportation,” said Garneau.
