Author: David Thurton

In the dying days of the federal election campaign, senior New Democrats made a desperate, last-ditch attempt to save Jagmeet Singh’s Burnaby, B.C., seat. Some say it was unwinnable.At least 20 staff from the party’s Ottawa headquarters packed the leader’s campaign plane just days before the April 28 election, hitching a ride to the West Coast with a mission to door-knock on his behalf. This was after a small team were sent to Burnaby Central earlier in that month.The cross-country venture was a waste of resources when the party was fighting for its life in other, closer races, according to three, frustrated sources within the party, who spoke to CBC News on condition they not be identified because they were not authorized to speak publicly.Singh placed a distant third in Burnaby Central, losing to Liberal Wade Chang by more than 12,000 votes.  The party as a whole lost 17 of its 24 seats. But there were eight other incumbent ridings — where NDP candidates placed second and obtained a greater vote share than Singh — which, sources say, the party had a better chance of retaining. In the riding neighbouring Singh’s, New Westminster Burnaby–Maillardville, incumbent MP Peter Julian lost by less than 2,000 votes, for example.Pollster Éric Grenier says the NDP made some bad decisions by not putting more effort into other incumbent or battleground provinces.