38-yr-old Sikh man set to lead major party in Canada
Tuesday, 03/10/2017
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Toronto: Jagmeet Singh, a 38-year-old Sikh criminal lawyer, was on Monday elected the leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party, becoming the first non-white politician to head a major party in the country. Singh, the Ontario provincial lawmaker, was elected on the first ballot to lead the party into the 2019 election against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals.
He won the decisive first-ballot victory over three other candidates by receiving 53.6 per cent of the vote. “Thank you, New Democrats. The run for Prime Minister begins now,” he tweeted after the election. “That is why today, I am officially launching my campaign to be the next Prime Minister of Canada,” he added. Trudeau congratulated Singh and said he looked forward to speaking with him soon and working together for Canadians.
Singh, who has penchant for colourful turbans, is the first member of a minority community to lead a major federal political party. He now has the difficult task of rebuilding the party that lost 59 seats in the 2015 election. “This race has renewed excitement in our party,” Singh said, calling the win an ‘incredibly profound honour.’ The New Democratic Party is currently at the third place in Canada’s Parliament, with 44 of 338 seats. The party has never held power.
Key DETAILS
In the 2011 general election, the New Democratic Party made historic gains only to lose almost a million votes.
During the leadership campaign, Singh raised far more money than his competitors did.
Born in Scarborough, Ontario, to immigrant parents from Punjab, Singh grew up in St John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador and Windsor, Ontario.
Sikhs account for roughly 1.4 per cent of Canada’s population.
