Local NDP candidate Aisha Jahangir might have lost to incumbent MP Lloyd Longfield, but she doesn’t feel it to be a total loss.
Jahangir said regardless of what the voting numbers were, she felt her campaign was positive and helped bring change.
Just after midnight, Jahangir had 21.9 per cent of the votes cast based on the results of 195 of the 247 polls.
“I am so, so, so pleased with all the energy and the momentum that we felt,” said Jahangir who watched the election results live in her house along with her husband Azam, her son, Yousaf, her campaign manager and her daughter Noor Jahangir.
“We had incredible volunteers come forward wanting to help out turn Guelph orange.
“I had people reaching out to me, appreciative that I had raised issues that they too are very concerned about such as mental health and health care. The fact that I kept on raising affordability issues and housing here in Guelph specifically,” said Jahangir.
She placed fourth place in the 2019 federal election with 12 per cent of the votes.
Jahangir was acclaimed as the local NDP candidate late February and was the first candidate from any party to announce candidacy for this federal election.
Jahangir, a nurse by profession, had earlier stated that she ran for a second time because she saw firsthand how personal health is influenced by social determinants. She said working in the front lines during the pandemic made her acutely aware of the need for change and her key election issues were the recognition of the history of residential schools, the climate crisis and wealth inequality,
Jahangir said if she had the support from local citizens in the future, she would definitely run again.
“There's so much that still needs to be done,” said Jahangir.
Guelph has never elected an NDP MP.
