By Spencer Sterritt

NDP’s Charlie Angus hoping to bring fresh attitude to federal leadership race

Mar 31, 2017 | 4:32 PM

NANAIMO — Federal NDP leadership hopeful Charlie Angus revealed his approach to running the party during a visit to Nanaimo on Friday.

He regaled several dozen supporters at the MGM restaurant before listening to their thoughts and concerns.

He said the enthusiasm from Nanaimo and B.C. crowds is encouraging because it means people want to be engaged in politics.

“They want to talk about the raw log exports, they want to talk about the fact communities are not able to develop the way they should be able to,” he said.

Vancouver Island is typically an NDP stronghold, voting entirely NDP in the 2015 federal election after several elections worth of support.

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Angus said he plans to expand the NDP’s reach beyond the island, and come back from a withering defeat in 2015, by fearlessly campaigning in every part of the country.

“I’m going to go from NDP strongholds to Conservative strongholds to Liberal strongholds to say to people ‘We’re the party that’s got your back. We’re going to speak to your issues’ and we’re also going to have fun doing it.”

Highlighting the fun portion of the campaign, a supporter brought out a guitar for Angus to sign and play with once his speech was over.

Being a fun leader doesn’t always get things done, however.

Angus said he plans to keep all of his promises by prioritizing them and not over-extending the party, which he accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of doing.

“We’re going to deal with the economic uncertainty that’s facing students and young people coming out, we’re going to take on the issues of jobs being shipped out to Mexico. We’re going to deal with the environmental crisis and we’re going to set the clear limits of the production of greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.

If elected, Angus said he wasn’t concerned about opponents such as Trudeau or Conservative candidates Kevin O’Leary and Kelly Leitch. Regarding the increased media attention they bring, Angus told them to bring it on.

“The harder they come, the harder they fall,” he said.

Nanaimo-Ladysmith MP Sheila Malcolmson sat with constituents at the diner.

She said her presence at the talk didn’t mean she was putting her weight behind Angus, but she is watching him closely.

“I’m looking for a leader who reflects what they hear on these tours, that can reflect the national priorities but also be able to tell those stories back in a compelling way to the broader country,” she said. “We need someone who’s a good storyteller, that’s a good communicator and has wide open ears to hear the best advice.”

The election for a new NDP leader will happen sometime in October 2017.

spencer.sterritt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit