THE FEDERAL NDP MAKES HISTORY BY PICKING JAGMEET SINGH AS ITS LEADER, THE FIRST MEMBER OF A MINORITY TO LEAD A NATIONAL PARTY. THIS SETS UP AN INTERESTING ELECTION BATTLE WITH JUSTIN TRUDEAU.
When we look in the rear-view mirror in late October 2019, the election of Jagmeet Singh as the new federal NDP leader could well have been pivotal.
In April, the Liberals won a comfortable victory in the Markham-Thornhill byelection, in large measure because the NDP won just 3.5 per cent of the vote.
If the New Democrats remain so moribund in the suburbs of Canada’s big cities, we will likely see the next Trudeau generation inherit the family business before we see a change of government.
But Singh’s election, with 53.8 per cent of the vote, feels historic. Indeed it is historic — he is the first ever visible minority federal leader.
It can only be good for the country to have an Obamalike leader, who has interpreted his race as a social construct, not a biological reality.
His victory cracks that fabrication, as surely as Obama’s nomination did in the U.S.
Beyond his ethnicity, though, Singh has the potential to shift the political landscape.
Trudeau currently holds the support of more than 50 per cent of left-of-centre voters. Singh has focused his campaign in areas where the Liberals have disappointed progressives — electoral reform, opposition to pipelines and Aboriginal reconciliation.
As he said in an interview with Postmedia, broken Liberal promises on electoral reform are “ripe territory” for the new leader.
If he can re-energize existing, lapsed and potential NDP supporters, particularly in ridings in and around his power base in Brampton, it will be good news for the New Democrats and Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives.
There are still doubts about whether Singh is all pink turban and no perspicacity.
Charlie Angus, who came second with 19 per cent of the vote, will not thank me for reminding people that he expressed his own misgivings last week.
He said the NDP needed to opt for a more authentic candidate, rather than “run the 2015 Justin Trudeau campaign in 2019.”
But Singh has not given his detractors much to work with.
From his display of compassion when he was verbally accosted by a protester at a campaign event — a video viewed by 35 million people — to his gracious acceptance speech in Toronto Sunday, where he invited the losing candidates to take the stage with him, he has been flawless.
Niki Ashton “pushed the boundaries” by being “unapologetically progressive”; Guy Caron is a “true visionary”; Charlie Angus’s commitment to Indigenous justice is “inspiring,” he said.
Singh showed resolution while campaigning and magnanimity in victory. He now leads a seasoned team of parliamentarians that also includes supporters like Peter Julian and Nathan Cullen.
Singh’s first-ballot victory was so overwhelming that there appear few grounds for internal dissent. He appears to understand that keeping the party united requires an acknowledgment of the source of the power he wields.
Brands are more important than leaders when it comes to winning elections, and Singh needs to build on past NDP policies, traditions and geography. But challenges await. For one, he will not be in the House of Commons to lead his team. He has already downplayed the prospect of running in the imminent Scarborough-Agincourt byelection, following the recent tragic death of Liberal MP Arnold Chan.
Singh told the Post he’d rather emulate leaders like the late Jack Layton, who did not have a seat when he won and spent his time touring the country.
But the new leader will find it easier to combat hate with love and courage from a perch in the House of Commons, where he might get his face on the evening news every so often.
The second big concern is the fate of the party in Quebec, with its vocal opposition to religious symbols.
It is assumed, certainly by the Liberals, that the NDP is a spent force in Quebec and that the province provides the best bet for a renewed Liberal majority mandate.
But Singh speaks well in French and has been clear that he is 100 per cent committed to the principle of separation of church and state.
As he points out, Quebec is one of the most progressive provinces in Canada and has proven in the past it cannot be taken for granted.
Given that fact, Quebecers may yet embrace an NDP leader promising more radical redistributive policies than any leader in recent history — two new tax brackets for high earners; an increase in the capital gains inclusion rate; corporate tax increases; a new estate tax — all to help pay for a tripling in support for lowincome workers, in the form of an income-tested wage subsidy.
None of this is good news for Justin Trudeau. The GQ election is on.