Sikh leader makes no secret of his ambition to be Prime Minister of Canada

Varinder Singh
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, January 22

Canada’s ‘top Singh’ has finally made public his intention to be the Prime Minister of Canada.

The New Democratic Party (NDP)’s first Sikh leader Jagmeet Singh, known for his stylish outfits, has made his intentions clear, though it might prove a back-breaking task for him.

Singh’s assertion has opened a Pandora’s box with his opponents wondering if he would be able to win even his own Burnaby South federal seat in British Columbia.

The February bypoll will prove to be a trial by fire for Jagmeet. The pressure to win the Burnaby South constituency is huge on Singh. One of the major reasons being that no major federal party leader has ever lost any bypoll since 1942 when Conservative leader Arthur Meighen had left the Senate for an unsuccessful attempt to gain a seat in the House.

Singh, who has a huge fan-following, especially among the youth based in North and East Coasts is the lone Sikh to have created a history of sorts in 2017 by taking the top slot of one of the three national political parties of Canada.

Voters of Burnaby South constituency will cast their vote on February 25, which means that Singh has little time on his hands to make or mar his political existence in Canada’s highly competitive political arena. Outer Mont and York Simcoe besides Burnaby South are the two other constituencies going to elect their representatives in the House of Commons next month.

Jagmeet, more or less seen as a symbol of Punjabi pride in Canada, has put his political future at stake by going in for the bypoll. His NDP was placed third in Canada which has less than half the popular support as compared to the two other major political outfits--Liberals headed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Progressive Conservative Party (PCC).

So, winning a lone seat in a by-election could turn out to be an onerous task for Jagmeet. While a snap poll has put Jagmeet’s NDP in the third slot, another recent poll survey has placed him ahead of his rivals.

Jagmeet exudes confidence in public as he has kick-started his campaign. He tells people that a “lot of work has to be done” and that his main objective for having jumped into the poll arena is to make people’s lives better. During the ongoing campaign, Jagmeet is promising better housing, medication covered under the universal health care system, and investments in green jobs and technology. He also does not forget to mention that it would be he who would lead the NDP into the 2019 general election in October.

Interestingly, during campaigning and media interactions, Jagmeet never forgets to indicate that he has his eyes set on the PM’s chair. “Yes, I want to be Prime Minister,” he tells voters and asserts that he is nonchalant about his criticism.

The campaign is no bed of roses for Jagmeet as he has his share of criticism from detractors. They accuse him of being ill-prepared and “not in a capacity” to lead the party. But Singh remains nonchalant as usual.

Another set of critics say Singh could mar the party’s chances in Quebec where there is a proposal to ban wearing of all religious signs for officials holding important positions and where Singh may not be able to support the move for his own religion. “I can take the criticism easily,” Singh says, adding that he doesn’t think his being leader will hurt the NDP’s chances in Quebec.