Four Quebec MPs have endorsed Peter Julian in his bid to become the next leader of the federal NDP.
A rally was held in Sherbrooke, Que. on Monday by NDP MPs Pierre-Luc Dusseault, Brigitte Sansoucy, François Choquette and Robert Aubin, to announce their support for the New Westminster-Burnaby MP.
“This is something that doesn’t happen very often, that you get that kind of endorsement from back east for a B.C. candidate running for the NDP leadership,” Julian told the NOW. “To have 10 per cent of our caucus stand up, even before they know who the other candidates are, it tells me we’re very much on the right track.”
Julian, who’s bilingual, moved to Quebec in 1987 as a young student in order to learn French. He went on to campaign for the Quebec NDP and helped build the party’s structure there during the ’90s, according to a press release.
Julian’s platform includes ending tuition fees at post-secondary institutions, opposing pipelines like Trans Mountain and Keystone XL, and creating affordable housing.
“I feel very strongly that there’s a bubble in Ottawa that needs to be popped because regular families are not being taken into consideration,” he said. “The very clear push that I’ve made for affordable housing and making sure every Canadian and everybody in the Lower Mainland actually has a roof over their head is another thing people have been very positive about.”
The NDP will choose a new leader in October. Even though Julian is the first MP to announce his candidacy, a number of others have expressed interest.
The first leadership debate is set for March 12.
