THE CHALLENGE SINGH FACES
At the end of the day, Jagmeet Singh’s victory as leader of the embattled federal NDP wasn’t all that surprising. He’s young, charismatic, well-dressed, of minority origin (read non-white). That last one was probably more of a clincher than we would like to admit, given his relatively average performance in defining his mandate. And he probably had Justin Trudeau to thank a little, what with all the groundwork the prime minister laid through his “because it’s 2015” and “diversity is our strength” slogans.
Political clichés aside, Singh’s victory is a first for Canada. But with it comes the immense responsibility of carrying the weight of all of Canada’s “diverse” minorities. Because Singh does not just represent the Sikh community in Canada; he represents, by default, the entirety of its immigrant population — particularly the South Asian diaspora whose members probably feel vindicated after years of being in the political shadows.
Because that is how we have defined him throughout the leadership race. As a Canadian Sikh, born to immigrant parents, who practises his culture with pride and stands apart from the majority of Caucasian Canadians, both by skin colour and by ancestry. And here lies the conundrum.
In judging any leader, it is his or her political and national performance that remains the benchmark. Politics today, however, is as much about profile and image as about knowledge of people and processes, if not more so. Almost two years in, Trudeau is still resting primarily on the laurels of his charismatic international image.
Singh risks a similar situation, in part because his positioning as the first person of colour elected to such a high political office. The euphoria is distracting enough. The expectations on him will also be immense in Canada, which is currently torn between its international profile as a neutral, humanitarian and welcoming state (particularly against the current harshness of its southern neighbour) and its domestic battles to provide equitable employment, accept Indigenous Peoples and strengthen social services.
Singh demonstrated his penchant for peaceful inclusion with his famous response to a racist heckler last month. But leadership politics works differently, particularly in multicultural societies such as Canada, where the “immigrant vote” can either make or break you depending on how you position yourself.
Singh will also run the political gauntlet on the plight of Indigenous Peoples, which has never openly been an item of priority among the immigrant diaspora, whose members have been far too immersed in their own issues. He will have to avoid rapid shifts toward courting particular groups and viewpoints in hopes of garnering votes without looking at the larger ramifications of such shifts.
While it is encouraging to see Singh victorious, the real challenge for all Canadians, indeed for Singh himself, will be not to view this victory as one for diversity, immigrant minorities, antiracism, or even as a blow against Islamophobia, for that matter. The challenge is to view it as simply the victory of a young, charismatic politician, who will (hopefully) breathe new life into a party that, at least in theory, can realize Canada’s ideals of political centrism. In short, selfies need to be clearly avoided.
As an immigrant myself, I believe Singh’s job is to ensure that we are all treated equally and fairly, outside of our personal notions of belonging as immigrants, minorities, Indigenous Peoples, LGBQT or anything else non-white we choose to identify as. Neither Singh nor the rest of Canadians should view the NDP now as a party that will be a saviour for minorities or immigrants, but instead as one that believes in social justice regardless of race. Because it is just too easy to get swept away in the tide of “firsts,” as we have recently seen.
In this context, Singh’s victory should not mean anything specific for Canada’s immigrant minorities. If anything, it should mean that there is still room for anyone and everyone to be involved in political and social reform in Canada, no matter what colour you are or where you were born.