Federal NDP nominates Andrew Cash to run in Toronto's Davenport riding

The federal NDP formally nominated Andrew Cash to run in Toronto's Davenport riding on Sunday, making the singer-songwriter the New Democrat's first candidate in the city heading into the 2019 election.

Cash previously won Davenport for the NDP in 2011, but lost his seat in 2014 to Liberal MP Julie Dzerowicz. The Liberals swept every single downtown riding in that election.

An enthusiastic Cash wasn't afraid to look back at his time in the House of Commons in a speech to supporters Sunday.

"In our riding, we all really believe that the job of the elected rep isn't to bring the voice of parliament to the people of Davenport, it's to bring the voice of the people of Davenport to the parliament," Cash said.

'Champion for urban issues'

The NDP called Cash a "champion for urban issues," and at his nomination, he spoke about previous legislative wins like protections for unpaid interns, a ban on pay-to-play interactions and a fight to reunite immigrants with their families.

"If this is what we can accomplish in a really harsh Harper-Conservative majority government, imagine what we can do the next time around," Cash added.

"What about right now? If there were more New Democrats from Toronto in Ottawa, our MPs would not be sitting silent while Doug Ford tried to rip power out of this city."

Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was also at the Gladstone Hotel Sunday afternoon to help celebrate Cash's nomination.

"It is incredibly exciting to have someone like Andrew Cash lead the charge for us," Singh said.

"With Andrew Cash and with New Democrats you'll have fighters in your corner."

Singh faces his own electoral contest in the coming months as the party prepares for the October vote. He is currently the only federal party leader without his own seat in the House of Commons.

Singh is set to run in a February byelection in the B.C. riding of Burnaby South, though polling data suggests he faces an uphill battle. If he loses, the fate of his party leadership will hang in the balance.