Jagmeet Singh

Biography

Jagmeet Singh Jimmy Dhaliwal MP, known as Jagmeet Singh, was born on January 2, 1979, in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada. He is a Canadian politician of Punjabi descent and a practicing Sikh. Singh has made history as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) since 2017, becoming the first Sikh and first visible minority to lead a major federal political party in Canada.

Singh’s political journey began after graduating from Osgoode Hall Law School, where he became a criminal defense lawyer and started his own law firm with his brother Gurratan. In 2011, he entered federal politics, running as the NDP candidate in the Bramalea—Gore—Malton riding but narrowly losing to his Conservative opponent. However, he concurrently won a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the same riding. Singh served as the deputy leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party from 2015 to 2017, under the leadership of Andrea Horwath.

In 2017, following a leadership review within the NDP, Singh announced his candidacy for the federal NDP leadership. He was elected leader on October 1, 2017, with a first-round vote of 53.8 percent. As the leader of the federal NDP, Singh became the first person of a visible minority group to lead a major Canadian federal political party on a permanent basis. Singh’s leadership has been marked by his progressive and social democrat ideologies.

Throughout his political career, Singh has advocated for various policies, including raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, decriminalizing personal possession of all drugs, and eliminating tax deductions for the highest-income earners.

Outside of politics, Singh has a diverse background. He attended Detroit Country Day School in Michigan for grades 6 to 12 and later obtained a B.Sc. degree in biology from the University of Western Ontario. He then earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the bar of Ontario in 2006.

Singh’s personal life has not been without challenges. He has openly discussed experiencing sexual abuse as a child and having a father who struggled with alcoholism.

In summary, Jagmeet Singh is a trailblazing Canadian politician of Punjabi descent and a practicing Sikh. As the leader of the federal NDP, he has made history and advocated for progressive policies. With his unique background and experiences, Singh continues to make an impact on Canadian politics.