Justin Trudeau might be the darling of the political world, especially with his good deeds, handsome looks and charming personality, but he might soon be getting some serious competition from this Sikh opponent for the next election.
Name: Jagmeet Singh
Age: 38
Profession: potential to become Canada’s next PM
Yes, Jagmeet Singh, who got elected as the leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, with a whopping 53.6% of votes is the first non-white candidate to do so.
After his win, he declared that “I am officially launching my campaign to be the next prime minister of Canada.”
But let us get to know a bit more about this potential candidate who has already impressed people of Canada with his progressive views and charm.
Born and Brought Up In Canada
Jagmeet Singh was born January 2nd, 1979 in Scarborough, Ontario to immigrant parents Harmeet Kaur and Jagtaran Singh. His parents hail from Punjab, India and later on, his family moved to Newfoundland so that his father could do his studies in order to become a doctor.
Apparently, his father comes from Punjab’s Barnala district’s Thikriwal village and his mother is from the village of Ghudani Khurd near to Ludhiana.
Around the age of 7, the Singh family along with Jagmeet moved to Windsor, Ontario, where after suffering from bullying for his name, his appearance, and more Singh took up martial arts as a means of self-defence.
Singh attended the Detroit County School in Beverly Hills, Michigan, and then did a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from University of Western Ontario in 2001. In 2005, Singh completed his degree in Bachelor of Laws from the Osgoode Hall Law School of York University.
It was also noted that during his time in York University, Singh as a budding lawyer would do a lot of pro bono work and support for groups and people in need.
He continued this behavior throughout his career as a lawyer and as per an article by Toronto Star of 2012, it was his time as a criminal defence lawyer was what prompted him to enter politics more the protection of rights and more.
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Rise In Canada
Jagmeet Singh first got interested in politics when he pro bono consulted a group that was protesting the visit of Kamal Nath, then Congress leader, to Canada as he had according to news sources, persecuted Sikhs and even allegedly led armed mobs during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Singh first started by contesting election for a seat as a Member of Parliament during the federal election of 2011 as an NDP candidate in the district of Bramalea-Gore Malton. He was defeated by 539 votes by Bal Gosal the Conservative candidate.
Later that year, Singh was elected in the same district and really came into the public eye when during a campaign, he deftly and nicely handled a heckler that accused him of propagating and supporting Sharia law.
It caught the eye of many of how simply and quietly he handled the situation, talked about love and courage and how he will not be intimidated by hatred, making the video go viral.
The people of Canada were also impressed by his smart attire, especially his colourful turbans and well-fitted suits even earned him a spot in magazines like GQ and turned him into a fashion savvy politician.
His recent win, where he defeated 3 other opponents, have really cemented his popularity in Canada and the kind of support people have given him.
Jagmeet Singh, Canada’s Next PM?
His political strengths are definitely many and the sensitivity that he shows to the POC or people of colour communities along with the LGBTQ community is bound to earn him a lot of support.
His party, NDP also has immense faith in him as a candidate.
As per an article in The Guardian, a political science professor at University of Toronto, Christopher Cochrane, commented that “His skill, in being able to defuse the situation, it understandably appealed to a lot of people who ended up supporting him,” on the matter of the heckler and how Singh lead the whole situation.
He also added that the powerful ability of Singh to connect with both ethnic groups and the young population is something that can really work in his favour when contesting against Trudeau in 2019.
His time as a lawyer saw him defending many immigrants and refugees which gives him a good knowledge of their situation, their trials and how best to improve the current situation.
Although there are still hurdles to overcome on his way to the elections, Singh shows promise and could be a powerful contender for the seat of Canada’s next PM.
Image Credits: Google Images
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