Singh’s actions, not ‘first,’ will be measuring stick

At the end of the day, Jagmeet Singh’s victory as leader of the federal NDP wasn’t all that surprising. He’s young, charismatic, well-dressed and 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.

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.

That is how we have defined him throughout the leadership race — as a Canadian-Sikh, born to immigrant parents, who 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 if not more about profile and image than about knowledge of people and processes. Almost two years in, Trudeau is still resting primarily on the laurels of his charismatic international image.

For Singh, the first person of colour elected to such a high federal office, the euphoria is distracting enough. The expectations on him also will be immense in Canada, which is currently torn between its international profile as a neutral, humanitarian and welcoming state 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 also will 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 in hopes of garnering votes without looking at the larger ramifications of such a shift.

While it is encouraging to see Singh victorious, the real challenge for all Canadians, as for Singh, will be not to view this victory as one for diversity, immigrant minorities, anti-racism, or even as a blow against Islamophobia.

The challenge is to view it simply as 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.

As an immigrant myself, I believe Singh’s job is to ensure we are all treated equally and fairly, outside of our personal notions of belonging as immigrants, minorities, indigenous peoples, LGBQT or anything else 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 recently have 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 or your ancestors were born.