Ottawa, April 29 (IANS) Jagmeet Singh, once a powerful figure in Canadian politics and also regarded as a Khalistan sympathizer, has announced his resignation as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) following a humiliating personal defeat and a devastating loss for his party in the latest federal elections.
Singh had long influenced Canadian politics by propping up former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s minority Liberal government. His departure signals the end of an era in which he held significant sway in Parliament.
This election, however, marked a major setback for both Singh and the New Democratic Party (NDP). From holding 24 seats in the last House of Commons, the party’s presence has now shrunk dramatically to just seven projected seats—four confirmed wins and three leads.
We didn’t win as many seats as we hoped, but I remain proud of our movement, Singh told his supporters during his speech. He confirmed he will step down once a new party leader is chosen.
In a stinging personal loss, Singh came third in his Burnaby Central constituency in British Columbia, finishing behind candidates from both the Liberal and Conservative parties.
A former lawyer, Singh rose to prominence in 2017 when he took the reins of the NDP. He was elected to Parliament in 2019 and chose to support Trudeau’s minority government without formally joining the cabinet. His strategic alliance was crucial in keeping Trudeau’s administration afloat.
However, in 2024, Singh withdrew that support, triggering a political crisis that led to Trudeau’s resignation after he failed to secure a majority and risked losing a confidence vote.
At the start of the year, the NDP polled at 17.4% according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. But the party’s popularity took a nosedive amid U.S. trade tensions under Donald Trump’s presidency and national security concerns. As Canadian voters rallied behind the Liberals, NDP support plunged to 8.1% by election day.
Singh also stirred controversy last year when he urged Trudeau to impose sanctions on India, blaming the Indian government for attacks on Khalistani elements and calling for diplomatic retaliation. Trudeau responded by expelling six Indian diplomats.
Following an attack on a Hindu temple in Brampton by Khalistani extremists, Singh doubled down, saying, “We need to end the violence and take a strong stand against the Indian government.”
Now politically sidelined, Singh leaves behind a fractured party struggling for relevance and a legacy intertwined with divisive foreign policy stances and declining electoral fortunes. (Edited)
