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When Jagmeet Singh took over as leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) in 2017, he became the first racialized man to lead a federal political party in Canada. It was a historic moment in a country often seen as a model of diversity, but slow to reflect that diversity in its institutions. After he announced his resignation on Monday night, following election night, some Montrealers praised his contribution to better representation of diversity.
“It's hard, but we are only defeated if we stop fighting,” Jagmeet Singh said in his speech on federal election night on Monday. We are only defeated if we believe those who tell us that we can never dream of a better, fairer, more compassionate Canada.” Wearing a bright pink turban, the politician struggled to contain his emotion as he announced his resignation as leader of the New Democratic Party. Behind him, his wife shed a few tears.
The decision seemed inevitable after his party's debacle in the federal election, in which it lost 18 seats. The NDP is now reduced to seven elected members, well below the 12 seats needed to retain its official status in the House of Commons. The New Democrats were wiped out in many regions, including their traditional strongholds. Singh himself lost his seat and, with it, some of his moral authority. The man who promised to “make Canada fairer” is leaving a party reduced to a fraction of its influence under Jack Layton in 2011, when it had 103 members of Parliament.
Jagmeet Singh's departure marks the end of a chapter in Canadian politics: that of a charismatic, ideologically firm but strategically isolated leader who never managed to translate the sympathy he inspired into a lasting electoral breakthrough. As the first minority party leader, however, he broke through a glass ceiling.
“Jagmeet Singh helped change people's perceptions of our community a little.”
Two days later, in Montreal's Parc-Extension neighborhood, some mourn the loss of the politician. Many first- and second-generation immigrants from Punjab who, like Jagmeet Singh, are Sikh, live in this working-class neighborhood. Under the spring sun that finally illuminates the city after weeks of gray skies, parents wait for their children outside Barthélemy-Vimont Elementary School.
Among them are several men wearing colorful turbans. The dastar is worn by some practitioners of Sikhism, the world's fifth largest religion, wrapped around hair that they never cut, as a symbol of their connection to the divine.
“It's a shame, but it makes sense, given the election results. I'm not very political, but it's true that Jagmeet Singh has helped change people's perceptions of our community a little,” says Amar, waving to his daughter, who is looking for him. ”Many Canadians didn't know about our beliefs and thought we were Muslims or something else. But with his election, he talked about us, he explained why he wears the dastar and beard; that's a good thing. It doesn't stop some people from being racist, but it's better than nothing.” Holding his child's hand, he then makes his way home.
A few meters from the school, across the street, is the Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar Sikh community center. Sitting on a bench, a white-bearded man is enjoying the beautiful late afternoon. “Of course I know who he is! He's done a lot of good for our community,” he says, visibly uncomfortable. The old man points to the nearby park, just behind the school: “Over there you'll find people to talk to.”
It's 4 p.m. At this time of day, the shouts and laughter of children echo through Saint-Roch Park, separated from Jarry Park by the railroad tracks. While the toddlers run and jump from one game to another, three women chat on a shaded bench. “I really think it's important to have people like us in politics. Even if we're not interested in everything that's going on at the federal level, I think someone like him understands what we're going through better,” says Bhani.
The young mother regrets his departure but hopes that others will follow. “A woman like us would be even better!” she says, triggering laughter from her two less talkative friends. Although she doesn't think it can change everything overnight, Bhani is convinced that these are steps forward that have symbolic importance.
A symbol outside her community
Leaving the Parc metro station, Noor is on her way home from work at a grocery store. After her law classes, the young woman of Pakistani origin works to pay for her studies. “When you come from a diverse background, it's not always easy to have ambitions. There aren't many role models, but Jagmeet Singh was one,” says Noor, who nevertheless voted Liberal to block the Conservatives.
Beyond politics, she hopes that racialized Canadians will gain access to more positions of power in the years to come. ”It's not just a question of politics. In businesses, in the courts, in the media, it's rare to see people who look like us in the highest positions. It's really important that this changes, because we are citizens like everyone else, and in 2025, this shouldn't even be a question,” she says.
When she was young, Noor experienced racism from her schoolmates. “Some parents say things in front of their children, and the children repeat them. It's often ignorance, but it hurt me a lot because I didn't differentiate between different skin colors,” she recalls. Today, she says she is no longer “ashamed” of her origins and dreams of a successful career as a lawyer that will pave the way for young girls in her community, who are underrepresented in the profession. A bit like Jagmeet Singh.
But other Montrealers are less enthusiastic about the politician. Several people interviewed do not know him or know very little about him and have “no opinion” on the matter.
A few blocks away, Adil is chatting with a friend at a café table. While the name Jagmeet Singh doesn't mean much to him, his photo does. “He was one of the candidates in the election!” he says proudly. “But I'm not old enough to vote yet, so I don't know the names very well,” explains the 30-year-old, who arrived from Algeria a year ago.
A mechanic and father of two, he says he appreciates the fact that Canada has politicians like Jagmeet Singh. “I have family in France, and there it's much more complicated to go into politics when you're Arab or Black, for example. I feel like here it's more open, and that's a good thing,” Adil says. Happy with his immigration, despite the “difficulties,” he wants his children to be able to become who they want to be, without barriers.
Beyond political considerations, the simple fact that Jagmeet Singh was able to become a federal party leader is a step forward for younger generations from diverse backgrounds, Adil believes.
“Seeing a member of parliament become party leader as a member of a minority group was very inspiring for me.”
“Knowing that we no longer have a federal party leader from a diverse background in Canada is sad. He was someone who was truly committed and who really wanted life to be affordable for everyone.” An activist since 2020 and NDP candidate in 2021 in the riding of Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, where she grew up, Fabiola Ngamaleu Teumeni says she saw Jagmeet Singh as an important symbol in a still very homogeneous political landscape.
“People from minority backgrounds are very underrepresented in the House of Commons, so seeing a member of parliament become party leader as a member of a minority group was very inspiring for me. This year, eight Black people were elected, so it's still a real issue,” says Ngamaleu Teumeni, who emigrated from Germany at the age of three and is of Cameroonian origin.
Despite her attachment to what Jagmeet Singh represents, the 24-year-old psychology student nevertheless believes that his departure was inevitable. “I think it's a logical decision. He ran two important campaigns, but he didn't manage to move the needle in Quebec.” The party won only one seat in the province, that of Alexandre Boulerice.
She believes the NDP leader failed in his campaign on certain crucial issues. “With everything that's been going on since Trump's election, Jagmeet Singh didn't talk enough about these threats and the fear Canadians are feeling. He didn't necessarily present himself as a third option to deal with the United States, even though that was the main topic of discussion during the campaign.” However, the young woman remained true to her values by voting for the NDP.
Fabiola Ngamaleu Teumeni now hopes to see a new generation of leaders emerge, one that is more grounded in the realities of communities and better represents the diversity of Canadians. “I'd like to see him back in the House of Commons because he's a good supporter, but as leader, I think it's time for someone new—maybe a woman,” she says with a laugh.
While Jagmeet Singh's rise to the upper echelons of power has not been without difficulty, the arrival of a woman, let alone a woman of color, would be a new milestone.
A political career marked by racist attacks
Born in Scarborough, Ontario, to a family originally from Punjab, Jagmeet Singh grew up in a society where women and minorities were even less visible than they are today. He studied at the University of Western Ontario and Osgoode Hall before becoming a criminal lawyer. Elected provincial MP in 2011, Jagmeet Singh quickly rose through the ranks of the Ontario NDP, winning the federal leadership race in 2017 in the first round.
“Kids used to beat me up because I didn't look like them. That racism shaped my childhood,” the new party leader confessed on television. Riding his bike to parliament and speaking openly about racism, Jagmeet Singh quickly gained attention and brought a breath of fresh air. By becoming party leader, he enabled diversity to finally enter the upper echelons of politics. But this symbolism is not to everyone's liking in Canada.
A few weeks before he became leader, in September 2017, a video circulated on social media. It showed a woman accusing Jagmeet Singh of wanting to “impose Sharia law” in Canada during a public NDP rally. This person was clearly confusing the Muslim religion—with which Sharia law is associated—with the Sikh religion.
This mistake highlights the ignorance of many citizens, given that Canada is home to the second largest Sikh community in the world after India. According to the 2021 census, 771,790 people identify as Sikh in the country.
True to form, the party leader responded to the attack with a message of appeasement: “We don't want to be intimidated by hatred. We don't want hatred to spoil a positive event.” He then addressed the disruptor directly. “We welcome you. We love you. We support you. We believe in your rights,” he assured her to loud applause from the audience. But the discrimination did not stop on the night of his election.
During his first national interview as the new leader of the NDP, he was questioned insistently about the 1985 bombing of an Air India flight because of his origins. The explosion of a bomb on board the aircraft, which killed all 329 passengers, was attributed to Sikh separatists. This obviously had nothing to do with Jagmeet Singh, especially since he was only a child at the time of the tragedy.
Several voices within the party and the Sikh community denounced the biased treatment, arguing that a white politician would never have been called upon to answer for crimes committed by fellow believers or citizens of the same origin.
Jagmeet Singh has been the target of racist attacks on several occasions. Another incident occurred in 2019 when a man asked him to “cut off his turban” at a rally. “Canadians look like all kinds of people, and that's what's beautiful,” the politician replied, as calm as ever.
During the last federal campaign, Mr. Singh revealed that he had considered leaving politics in December 2023 after receiving credible death threats while his wife was pregnant with their second child. “It was a really scary time. I had a knot in my stomach. For the first few days, I stayed in the basement because I was advised not to go near the windows,” the politician said at a press conference in London two days before the election, according to CBC.
The threats were taken all the more seriously given that Canadian Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was assassinated in Toronto in June 2023. The Canadian government has attributed the murder to Indian agents, which India denies.
In this context, Jagmeet Singh's decision to remain, despite being placed under police protection, is a testament to the personal sacrifices that participation in political life still entails, especially for figures from minority communities.
Influence without power?
Under Singh's leadership, the NDP has focused on a progressive agenda centered on social justice, workers' rights, and expanded social assistance. Despite failing to make inroads in the polls, the NDP leader has nevertheless been able to capitalize on the Liberal minority government. In 2022, he concluded a confidence agreement with the Liberals, securing the support of the New Democrats in exchange for concrete measures.
The defeat in 2025 was brutal. However, Mr. Singh's supporters point out that his time at the helm of the NDP helped to anchor certain social priorities in the federal political agenda. Among Jagmeet Singh's achievements are the national dental care program and progress on the issue of drug insurance. But this strategy, hailed by the left as pragmatic, has undermined his image among many voters, according to some observers. The New Democrat is said to have ceased to embody a true opposition.
His refusal to vote for a motion of no confidence against the Trudeau government, even though the Bloc Québécois agreed to do so, was seen as a desire to preserve his influence rather than force the government to fall. This decision, in December 2024, sealed his political fate, according to some commentators.
Today, as the NDP begins a new cycle of rebuilding, Jagmeet Singh's legacy remains difficult to assess. He may not have led his party to power, but he has changed the face of Canadian politics forever.
In India, several newspapers such as The Indian Express welcomed the disappearance of a “major obstacle to the reset of diplomatic relations between India and Canada,” while the television network NDTV saw the politician's resignation as “good news for India.” The country, which opposes Sikh independence, viewed Justin Trudeau's closeness to the NDP leader with suspicion.