Anointed the ‘Most stylish politician in Canada by like a million kilometers’, Jagmeet Singh has served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) since 2017. is the first turban-wearing Sikh to sit in Queen’s Park; who commutes to work by bike and is often featured on his Instagram (702.5K followers). As a brown-skinned, long-haired boy with a funny name like Jagmeet, Singh says he faced some significant racism as a kid growing up with a unique identity in a small Canadian city with little diversity. He says that his personal style became a way for him to extend his platform as a politician. His colorful turbans and well-cut suits disarm people’s stereotypical notions of the turbaned image. Showing himself as a confident person, he says it is a tool to talk about things like unfairness, injustice, poverty, and inequality in the public sphere. He celebrates his articles of faith by having them made of high quality. He sports a beautiful, nice-quality Kara (bracelet) and a well-crafted Kirpan that’s made in the U.S. accompanied by a decorative Gatra (kirpan strap) with unique embroidery.
More About Jagmeet
Since 2017, Jimmy Dhaliwal (Jagmeet Singh) has led the New Democratic Party (NDP) in Canada. Since 2019, Singh has served as the Burnaby South Member of the Parliament. In 2011, he was elected to represent Bramalea—Gore—Malton in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. As an Indo-Canadian of Punjabi descent, Singh is the first person of minority background and the first Sikh elected to lead a major federal political party in Canada.
Life and education (1979-2006)
Singh was born on January 2, 1979, in Scarborough, Ontario, to Indian parents Harmeet Kaur and Jagtaran Singh. His mother is from Ghudani Khurd, Punjab, India, while his father is from Thikriwala, Punjab, India. An activist who promoted Indian independence, Sewa Singh Thikriwala was his great-grandfather. Hira Singh, another great-grandfather, served in the Sikh Regiment of the British Indian Army during World War I and World War II. In his early years, Singh lived with his grandparents in India, before moving to Windsor, Ontario as a young child. During his childhood, Singh was sexually abused by a martial arts coach, and his father had a drinking problem.
Singh's two younger siblings, Gurratan and Manjot, were born during the family's time in Newfoundland. During the 2018 Ontario election, Gurratan Singh won the Brampton East riding for the Legislative Assembly.
In Beverly Hills, Michigan, Singh attended Detroit Country Day School from grades 6 to 12. Afterward, he earned a degree in Bachelor of Science in Biology from Western Ontario University. He graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University in 2005 with a Bachelor of Laws degree. In 2006, he became a member of the Ontario bar.
Early career: An overview (2006-2011)
Before entering politics, Singh worked as a criminal defense lawyer. His first job was at Pinkofskys, then he established Singh Law with Gurratan. According to a Toronto Star article published on January 9, 2012, Singh's background in criminal defense helped him decide to enter politics. His work advocating for the protection of rights enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is especially noteworthy.
Federal politics
Singh provided a free consultation to an activist group protesting Kamal Nath's visit to Canada. As the head of the Indian trade ministry, Kamal Nath was alleged to have led armed mobs during the 1984 Delhi Riots. As a result of Singh failing to get his and the views of the activist group heard, he was inspired to run for office to better represent the interests of the group.
As the NDP candidate in the riding of Bramalea—Gore—Malton in the 2011 federal election, Singh began his political career. Even though he lost out to Conservative candidate Bal Gosal by a margin of 539 votes, Singh finished ahead of incumbent Liberal MP Gurbax Singh Malhi by 539 votes.
During the election, Singh stopped using his surname, Dhaliwal (which is associated with caste), to express his disapproval of caste inequality. Instead, he decided to use the surname Singh, mandated in the late 17th century by Guru Gobind Singh for Sikhs as a rejection of caste-based prejudice.
Provincial Politics ( 2011 – 2017)
An overview of the first term (2011-2014)
In the 2011 Ontario provincial election, Singh defeated Liberal incumbent Kuldip Kular by 2,277 votes. Singh became the first New Democrat elected to represent Peel Region as well as the first turban-wearing Member of Parliament. Singh served as the NDP critic for the attorney general and consumer services portfolios during the 40th Parliament of Ontario. In addition, he served as the deputy house leader of his party.
Further Activities :
In addition, Singh demanded that Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) be strengthened through legislation. In 2011, he criticized the attorney general after the Ombudsman's report found the province had undermined the SIU(Special Investigations Unit).
Singh introduced a private member's bill, "An Act to Amend the Insurance Act", in March 2012. By passing this bill, the industry would have stopped based insurance rates on the location of the company. As a result of numerous complaints that it would raise rates in rural and northern areas, the bill failed to pass the second reading.
The bill he introduced in May 2012 addressed high fees for overseas money transfers by amending the Consumer Protection Act, 2002. As the legislature was prorogued in September 2012, the bill died on the order paper.
In March 2013, Singh introduced a motion calling for a 15 percent reduction in auto insurance premiums. According to Singh's motion, the 15 percent reduction was to be included in the Liberal government's 2013 budget.
The Ontario legislature passed legislation in December 2013 that designated April as Sikh Heritage Month.
Currently the leader of the New Democratic Party (2017–present)
Leadership Election
On October 1, 2017, Singh won the leadership election of the federal NDP with 53.8 percent of the vote. After Singh was elected as leader, he appointed his rival Guy Caron as parliamentary leader.
Burnaby South by-election (2019)
Singh announced on August 8, 2018, that he would run in a by-election to replace Kennedy Stewart as a member of parliament. To make a successful run for Mayor of Vancouver, Stewart resigned from his position as mayor. With 38.9 percent of the votes, Singh won the election in Burnaby on February 25, 2019.
The Federal Election (2019)
Singh was re-elected to Burnaby South on October 21, 2019. Compared to the 2015 election, the NDP won 24 seats. While the incumbent Trudeau Liberal government failed to maintain its majority, the NDP shared power in Parliament. This was the lowest seat count for the NDP since 2004, and it was passed by the Bloc Québécois as the third-largest party in Parliament. There was only one seat left in Quebec for the NDP. In light of the Quebec ban on religious symbols, Singh's Sikhism may have been negatively received by voters.
The 43rd Canadian Parliament
During the afternoon of June 17, 2020, Singh was expelled from the House of Commons for the rest of the day after he called Bloc Québécois MP Alain Therrien a "racist" and refused to apologize. When Therrien was the only member to prevent unanimous consent on a second motion concluding systemic racism and discrimination within the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) before the completion of the public inquiry from Singh's first motion.
Campaign for the federal election in 2021
In the 2021 federal election campaign, Singh was the only leader with a plan to mandate Covid-19 vaccinations for employees employed under collective bargaining contracts. In addition to promising $1 billion in targeted vaccination programs, he also promised to create a national vaccine passport system, which would increase pandemic support, and to strengthen laws protecting health care workers from harassment and attacks. Other party leaders supported him, including Justin Trudeau and Erin O'Toole.
An overview of the personal life of Jagmeet Singh
In addition to Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Singh also practices martial arts.
In January 2018, Singh announced his engagement to Gurkiran Kaur Sidhu, a fashion designer and co-founder of Jangiiro, a Punjabi clothing line. He and his wife were married on February 22, 2018. In August 2021, he announced that he was expecting a child. The couple was blessed with a baby girl on the 3rd of January. They have named her Anhad Kaur.
The World Sikh Organization of Canada recognized Singh as the first turbaned Sikh MP in Ontario in their 2012 list of honourees. Singh was denied a visa to India in 2013 for raising the 1984 Sikh massacre issue. It was the first time a Western legislator was denied entry to India.
Jagmeet says that his Sikh spirituality influences his political style. Being a Sikh, he strongly believes in social justice as an element of the founding philosophy—that there is one energy and that we are all connected, kind of like the force. He believes in the mantra that roughly means “we wish for the betterment of all humankind.” It is this that motivates him to help build a world that’s fair and equal.