'You get a fighter,' NDP candidate Brian Masse says launching re-election campaign

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 25, 2025 6:41 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

NDP candidate Brian Masse kicked disconnected his re-election run Monday by telling supporters astatine his Walker Road run office that helium gets things done.

"When you put successful a New Democrat, you get a fighter," said Masse, the incumbent. 

"We've got the Gordie Howe bridge. We got the parkway, Ojibway Urban Park — even though it's not precisely the mode we privation it close present — a full slew of car investment, different things, due to the fact that we partner."

Masse, archetypal elected successful 2002, is seeking his ninth word of bureau successful the national election scheduled for April 28. The predetermination comes astatine a time erstwhile enactment for his enactment has plummeted — as polls show a resurgence for the Liberals, nether caller person Mark Carney.

He is facing disconnected against the Conservative Party's Harbinder Gill, Green enactment campaigner Louay Ahmad, the People's Party's Jacob Bezaire and the Communist Party's Joey Markham. The Liberals person yet to corroborate a campaigner successful the riding. 

The run comes aft the predetermination of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has imposed tariffs connected Canada that interruption the Canada U.S. Mexico escaped commercialized agreement, threatened further tariffs, and repeatedly threatened to annex Canada by economical force. 

Masse told reporters Monday that the stakes are antithetic successful the existent predetermination compared with erstwhile ones due to the fact that of the threats from Canada's largest trading partner.

"And I perceive it connected the doorstep that radical bash person anxiousness astir what's taking spot now," helium said.

But helium said politicians similar him besides request to combat to marque definite caller improvements to the societal information net, like childcare and pharmacare, don't get rolled back.

"All I've heard successful the past twelvemonth successful Ottawa is astir austerity," helium said.

"And it's cuts — not due to the fact that they would chopped things to marque consciousness connected anything. It's due to the fact that they chopped retired of ideology."

Masse touted his grounds of advocacy for the riding, including pushing backmost against plans to crook the E.C. Row Expressway into a motortruck way and pushing for a caller cross-border span alternatively of twinning the Ambassador Bridge.

Focus volition beryllium connected dynamics with the United States

Julie Simmons is simply a prof of governmental subject astatine the University of Guelph. 

She says Masse is well-positioned arsenic a longtime MP to support his spot for the NDP, but besides said it's shaping up to beryllium a two-person contention astatine the nationalist level. 

"The much that astatine the nationalist level this becomes a two-person contention betwixt Mr. Poilievre and Mr. Carney, past the much radical who mightiness beryllium consenting to see voting Green oregon for the Bloc Québécois… oregon successful immoderate cases the NDP, the much they mightiness see throwing their votes down 1 of those 2 starring governmental parties truthful that they person a relation to play successful determining the outcome."

While it's acold from the lone contented a caller authorities volition look — she noted kid care, housing, migration and ostentation arsenic others — who Canadians privation successful negotiations with overseas governments, particularly the United States, volition instrumentality centre stage.

"If the provincial predetermination is immoderate indication, our absorption volition beryllium connected dynamics that truly person been created southbound of the borderline and however we tin champion respond to them and who we deliberation is champion capable to correspond our interests successful that response," she said. 

Simmons added that she expects the NDP to run heavy on the enlargement of dental and pharmacare, arsenic good arsenic stress their transportation with unionized workers who volition beryllium deed hard by imaginable tariffs. 

Masse, for his part, described his supporters arsenic being portion of "the affirmative authorities that's nether siege close now."

"Thank you," replied 1 protagonist successful the crowd. 

"What I judge we person to beryllium a bastion of is not being connected the cruel, vindictive, hatred and societal media attacking broadside that we spot others going to," Masse said.

"I ever retrieve Jack Layton … And helium ever ensured astatine our caucus meetings that we retrieve that contempt our challenges, we went distant with that vision."