Article content

OTTAWA — Two weeks before Jagmeet Singh was elected leader of the federal NDP, his predecessor, Thomas Mulcair, told reporters on Parliament Hill that it would be “a heck of a lot better” if his replacement had a seat in the House of Commons.

It seemed like a direct shot at Singh, the only one of the four leadership candidates who hadn’t been elected to Parliament. Then again, it was a reasonable enough opinion from a politician who, himself, excelled at the cut and thrust of Commons debate.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Is Thomas Mulcair trying to undermine Jagmeet Singh? Back to video

But recently, since taking on a new role as a political commentator after he resigned his seat last summer, Mulcair has made headlines for remarks that seem designed to needle his successor.

Earlier this month, he told CTV’s Power Play it would be “extremely difficult” for Singh to stay on as leader if he were to lose the byelection in Burnaby South, set for Feb. 25. Singh has said he will lead the party into the 2019 election.