Andrew Cash, the former New Democratic MP for the Toronto riding of Davenport, announced on social media Thursday afternoon that he would be running to reclaim his old seat in the House of Commons in the 2019 federal elections.

In a statement, Cash called the federal Liberal Party a “disappointment” and called them out for not “raising hell every day on our behalf.

“Together we accomplished a lot the last time Davenport had an NDP Member of Parliament,” he said. “We built a strong local movement for change, and that voice was heard loudly in the corridors of power in Ottawa. They couldn’t ignore us!”

He added: “These days? Not so much.”

Cash was elected in 2011 with 53.7 per cent of the vote, defeating Liberal MP Mario Silva, who had represented the riding since 2004. Cash was ousted from his position in 2015 by Liberal Julie Dzerowicz, a former bank executive.

Davenport had remained in Liberal hands since 1963, until Cash swept the district. In his time in parliament, he served as the opposition critic for multiculturalism and consumer protection and chaired the NDP’s Toronto caucus. Previously, he was an award-winning singer and songwriter, and wrote for NOW magazine.

Since leaving parliament, Cash co-founded the Urban Worker Project in March 2016. The Project is an organization that aims to advocate for people in precarious work, and has called on the government to improve the rights of contract workers.

In his campaign announcement, Cash pointed to NDP achievements as opposition, including labour protections for unpaid interns.

“I think we need to have voices in parliament that have different work expriences than your typical politician,” Cash said in an interview with the Star. “No slight on them, but they’re largely called from academia, business, many of them are lawyers. A lot of them don’t have the experience that so many workers have of both precarious and unstable work.”

Cash is holding a nomination meeting on December 9 at the Gladstone Hotel. He told the Star that he was “excited” going into campaign season. “There’s a real need for a strong progressive voice the NDP can provide,” he said.

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