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Angus sat down with the National Post’s John Ivison and Maura Forrest to talk about the race. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: If you hate politics, would you stay on if you don’t win the leadership?

A: I went (to Ottawa) to represent people who had no voice. And that’s what this should be about. If you’re a social democratic party, it’s got to be about standing up for people being written off the political and economic maps. That’s why I’ve been here from the beginning. I still don’t do the shrimp and cocktail circuit and I don’t plan on starting.

Q: But to some degree, politics requires an element of playing the game.

A: Well, yes and no. I think I’m well-behaved here. I keep a smile on my face. But I think you can never forget why you’re (in Ottawa). I see a lot of politicians, after six months, they actually think they were born to be here. I always know where I’m going home to. And I think that that’s what politicians have become disconnected from.

I'm more than willing to get something done with Justin ... there's a lot of things we can get done

Photo by Chris Donovan/The Canadian Press

Q: You’re offering to be that authentic voice for social democrats. Do you think you could win against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as that foil?

A: New Democrats are really good at fighting the last election. We fought the 2015 election by fighting the Michael Ignatieff campaign, and now we think we’ll run the 2015 Justin Trudeau campaign (in 2019). I think Trudeau is an extraordinarily popular, likable politician. But I believe 2019 will be about the voice for authenticity and speaking truth and being straight up. I think there’s a real opportunity. For me, I’m not just there to score points. If Trudeau says something off the cuff on the mic, I don’t care. I don’t think most Canadians care. They want to see that I can get something done with Justin. I’m more than willing to get something done with Justin — there’s a lot of things we can get done. But I’m also there to be a voice to say to Justin, “Rhetoric ain’t going to cut it.”