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Q: Were you bothered by the fact that Peter Julian endorsed Jagmeet Singh after he dropped out of the race? In some ways, your policies aligned most closely with Julian’s. Presumably, you must have been hoping that he would endorse your campaign.

A: I mean, I was surprised. Many people from his team came to work with us right after he left, or soon after he left. In fact, two of the MPs that endorsed him then came to endorse our campaign. In terms of the team, many people came on board with us because they shared common values with our campaign. Ultimately, at the end of the day, I will say that I respect everybody’s choice to choose how they’ll vote in this leadership, and the same applies to him.

Q: Your pregnancy has gotten a lot of attention throughout this campaign. How do you feel about the way it’s been covered?

A: I find it troubling, the volume of media attention that my pregnancy has received, as opposed to the bold policies we’ve put forward. I’ve fielded a number of interview requests and done a number of interviews where my pregnancy comes up, leaving less time to discuss policy. We’ve certainly noticed a pattern where the media’s all too happy to talk about Jagmeet Singh’s clothes or my pregnancy. Google searches show that it comes up far more than substantive policy discussions or campaign-related discussions. And I will say, that is often the experience of women in politics, where we talk about their personal lives or what they look like, rather than what they stand for.

Q: This is your second leadership bid. Would you run for the leadership again if you don’t win this time?

A: I would say that for me, it was very important to get involved at this point, because we’re at a crossroads as a party, as a country. I have a lot of things to look forward to in life in the next while. My effort has been focused on taking a stand here and now, not later. One never knows where politics will go, but I certainly don’t intend on running again for the leadership. For me, the time is now.

• Email: mforrest@postmedia.com | Twitter: MauraForrest