In his final campaign rally this side of the Rocky Mountains, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh returned to the 905 community that launched his political career. He held a rally for several hundred supporters who heard his familiar pitch of the campaign: that only New Democrats will stand up against the rich and powerful interests that hold sway over his Liberal and Conservative opponents.

Speaking beneath the glistening chandeliers of a Brampton banquet hall Thursday night, Singh made the argument that, in the waning days of a close campaign, a vote for the NDP will mean a vote for universal pharmacare, a new dental care program, urgent action to fight climate change — all while hiking taxes on corporations and slapping the richest Canadians with a new “super wealth tax.”

Singh repeated his pledge to never support the Conservatives in a minority parliament, implying he would pressure the Liberals on his priorities if they win enough seats.

“In this riding and in ridings across Canada, New Democrats defeat Conservatives,” said Singh, during the event in the riding of Brampton East, the same area where Singh began his political career by narrowly losing the race in the 2011 federal election and then clinching a provincial seat for the Ontario New Democrats in the fall of that year.

“We will stop Conservatives from forming the government, but, on top of that, we will make sure that the wealthiest corporations and the wealthiest Canadians pay their fair share,” he said.

“In this election, you can vote for what you believe in.

Before his speech, Singh was introduced by a cast of supporters his party hopes will help catch the imaginations, and votes, of a younger generation. Among them was Noah “40” Shebib, the 36-year-old hip hop producer from Toronto who has worked with Drake, world-famous rapper, Raptors booster, and irrepressible champion of “the Six,” on all of his albums and smash singles such as 2013’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home.”

Ontario’s NDP leader, Andrea Horwath also introduced Singh, along with a selection of NDP endorsers that included WWE champion wrestler Jinder Mahal, actor Kiran Rai — a.k.a. Kay Ray — and Fateh, a rapper from Toronto.

“Jagmeet is an especially inspirational leader … straight up,” Shebib said

“There’s no more sitting back and living with the choices your parents made, or living with the choices of the 1 per cent …. Voting for Jagmeet Singh and the NDP is a vote for hope.”

The rally took place in the final stage of the federal election campaign, as a host of public polls have shown a bump in support for the New Democrats as the Liberals and Conservatives are locked in a tight race for the top spot in the popular vote.

It was Singh’s last stop before jetting to British Columbia, where he will finish the campaign touring Vancouver Island and the province’s mainland.

For weeks before the campaign, top NDP officials said they were banking on Singh’s personal affability and charisma to break through and reverse the impression that had settled onto the party: that it was in trouble, with fundraising returns that had tanked over the past four years, a host of well-known incumbents making for the door, and a slower pace of nominating candidates.

But, after generally positive reviews of Singh’s performance in the leaders’ debates, as well the uptick in the polls, the NDP is banking on the leader’s ability to speak to younger voters who turned out in droves when Justin Trudeau’s Liberals rode a wave to a majority government in the 2015 election.

The party has tried to speak directly to younger Canadians with its “New Deal for Young People,” a repackaged pitch of its election platform aimed at Generation Z and Millennial voters.

The plan includes a promise to eliminate the interest of federal student loans — this would eventually cost of about $500 million per year, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer — and provide subsidies of up to $5,000 per year for people who pay more than a third of their income on rent. The party would also ban unpaid internships in federal sectors, cap cell phone and internet bills, and spend almost $5 billion over the next five years to provide public dental insurance to people who make less than $70,000 per year.

The Liberals have also geared election promises to younger voters, promising to increase student grants by 40 per cent, give graduates more time before they have to start paying back student loans, boost Ottawa’s annual payouts to parents and put up more than $500 million for new daycare spaces.

The Conservatives, meanwhile, have promised $12 million per year on a “youth gang prevention fund,” as well as tax credits for people who enrol kids in arts lessons and sports, and the removal of federal income tax on parental leave payments.

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NDP spokesperson Mélanie Richer points to increased voter turnout at on-campus advance polling stations — Elections Canada says turnout at these stations jumped 59 per cent from 70,000 in 2011 to more than 111,000 last weekend — as well as the students who swarmed around Singh during an impromptu campaign stop at Ryerson University last week, as evidence their message is breaking through.

“We’re seeing something special with young people gravitating towards Jagmeet. They’re looking for someone genuine and authentic that shares their values and they’re finding that in Jagmeet,” Richer said Thursday in an emailed statement.

“Those who were able to vote in the last election were hopeful that Justin Trudeau would act to help give them a brighter future, and were left disappointed when he didn’t,” she said.

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