The challenge for Singh

By choosing Jagmeet Singh as their new leader, the federal New Democrats have taken a risk. They have selected a candidate with no experience in federal politics, without a seat in the House of Commons, with headgear that could prove a political liability in crucial Quebec and elsewhere.

Yet if the party is going to contribute to the political conversation, or have any chance at forming government in the years to come, it could not have made a better choice. None of his rivals is so well-positioned to hold government to account from the left or to put to Canadians the benefits of a social-democratic alternative.

Singh seems almost to have been engineered to neutralize Justin Trudeau’s political advantages. The prime minister ran in part on his youthful charisma, but Singh, at 38, is seven years younger (as is Andrew Scheer).

The richest vein of swing voters in Canadian politics lies on the progressive side of the continuum. This creates an opportunity for Singh, not just electorally, but also to shape the political conversation in opposition.

But to force these issues onto the agenda, and to distinguish himself from Trudeau, Singh will have to show a seriousness about public policy that seemed to elude him during the leadership race. He will have to explain how government, through policies and programs, can make “love and courage,” his viral political slogan, palpable.

Planks in Singh’s leadership platform, if pursued effectively, could force Trudeau to confront issues he ought to confront, but might prefer to ignore.

Singh has the power to ensure that the battle for the progressive terrain over the next two years is a rich policy competition, not a contest between nice suits and empty slogans.