Local NDP vote to allow Weir to seek federal nomination

The Regina-Lewvan NDP are disappointed in how federal leader Jagmeet Singh has handled the Erin Weir situation.

Back in May 2018, Singh expelled Weir from caucus after harassment allegations. While the constituency wrote to Singh about getting more information and proposing reinstatement, Singh announced in September 2018 he would not allow Weir to run as an NDP candidate without responding to the association.

“There’s a great amount of disappointment in the way things have gone,” said Steve Lloyd, who was the campaign manager for the Regina-Lewvan NDP in the 2015 election.

“I can only speak for myself, but Jagmeet was placed in a relatively difficult position when all this happened. That being said, there’s been a number of junctions along the way where it could’ve been handled differently or better and it’s just disappointing it hasn’t been.”

On Wednesday, the Regina-Lewvan NDP Electoral District Association voted to allow Weir to seek the NDP nomination.

Jim Holmes is a member of the association. He said it worked hard to get Weir elected in the first place, with no one working harder than Weir himself.

“We’re not very happy about them being removed from the caucus and us being told he can’t run again,” Holmes said.

In a written release, the association called out Singh for not visiting the province in over a year. It also said he contacted them back in December through a conference call – that he was an hour late for – and he refused to provide meaningful answers.

Holmes said there’s been a lot of frustration due to the lack of dialogue between the association and Singh.

Lloyd also said Weir would represent the best chance of holding the riding — one they only won by 138 votes.

He noted it took a full year of door-knocking and campaigning by Weir to get that win for the NDP. Now about six months away from an election, none of that has been done, except by Weir who is still talking to people as an MP.

“I think he’s the only one that I think realistically has a chance of winning,” Lloyd said.

If Weir does win the nomination, Singh would need to sign his papers to run as a member of the NDP.

If Singh doesn’t sign the papers, Holmes said there would be a real problem going forward.

“He cannot run under the NDP without Mr. Singh signing off on that, and that’s going to be a real problem for a whole lot of people who have been NDP members for their whole life and have put their efforts and their hearts into those campaigns, if it’s not the candidate that the local constituency chose.”

The association said Singh has not allowed for an appeal and has continued to deny requests for one.