You might have come upon the video of the Ontario politician being confronted by a woman clearly confusing Sikhs (not Muslims) and Sharia law (Muslims but not all Muslims). She was as wrong as she was loud.
Jagmeet Singh's reaction of "love and courage" to her confrontation was why the video went viral.
Now that Ontario politician is the new federal leader of the New Democratic Party, winning 53.8% of the vote on the first ballot. Singh, 38, replaces Tom Mulcair as the party leader.
Singh, a MPP from Ontario, ran against MPs Charlie Angus (Ontario), Niki Ashton (Manitoba); and Guy Caron (Quebec).
People who didn't know the NDP or Canadian politics watched this video. In a race where there was little coverage and no toxic personalities (no equivalent to Kevin O'Leary or Kellie Leitch), the video made an impact. Singh was well ahead of his more-established rivals in fundraising.
With #LoveAndCourage pic.twitter.com/eRbuvOWNJX
— Jagmeet Singh (@theJagmeetSingh) September 10, 2017
"We know you're in bed with Sharia. We know you're in bed with the Muslim Brotherhood. We know by your votes," the woman in the video said.
"We don't want to be intimidated by hate. We don't want hatred to ruin a positive event," Singh said on the video. "Let's show people how we would treat someone with love."
| NDP federal leadership race vote totals | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |||||||||||||||
| Jagmeet Singh | 35,266 | 53.8% | |||||||||||||||
| Charlie Angus | 12,705 | 19.4% | |||||||||||||||
| Niki Ashton | 11,374 | 17.4% | |||||||||||||||
| Guy Caron | 6,164 | 9.4% | |||||||||||||||
The new election was pushed as as result of Mulcair losing a confidence vote 52%-48%, forcing a new leadership election.
Singh has been the deputy party leader since 2015 and has represented the Bramalea-Gore-Malton riding since 2011.
Becoming a party leader when your party is in 3rd place is a bit easier. Singh will need to get a seat in Parliament; he won't be able to confront the Prime Minister or Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer without having a seat in Ottawa. Even with the video, Singh will have to introduce himself and his ideas for Canada.
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Tom Mulcair was a good floor leader especially in opposition to the Harper Government. Mulcair wasn't able to translate that to the polls in the 2015 election.
Caron pointed out during the campaign that Quebecers wouldn't vote for a person who is visibly religious. Bill 62 before the Quebec assembly would deny essential services to people wearing religious identifiers.
"I think it is important to acknowledge that there is going to be a disproportional impact on people of different faiths, and, specifically, it is going to disproportionately impact Muslims. … That is why, as an act of solidarity, I think it is important to acknowledge that the Muslim community is facing a very significant amount of hate and Islamophobia, and it is up to all of us to stand in solidarity with the community," Singh said in August.
"That is part of why I am opposed to it," he added. "This is disproportionately going to impact Muslims. That is not cool."
The woman upset about the prospect of Sharia law could be one of those conservatives revved up by M-103, a motion to condemn Islamophobia in Canada and "all forms of systemic racism and religious discrimination."
Those flames were stoked by Ezra Levant and his Rebel Media Web site, both of whom have spouted anti-Muslim rhetoric.
This is the reality that Singh is inheriting, even in Canada. He seems to have good skills but will need to use those skills quite often.
"Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear."
Singh is replacing Mulcair as party leader but he would do well to call up the legacy of Jack Layton. The NDP did as well as the party did in 2011 because Layton articulated what was important that the NDP would do to help Canada. "Love and courage" has a path back to the Layton quote above. If Singh can pull that off, his background will become less important.
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The Conservatives are thinking about 2019. The NDP need to think well past 2019. This is a brand-new journey for Singh. The past will help but Singh needs to think of a modern NDP.
Though their stories are very different, Wab Kinew became the leader of the Manitoba NDP and the opposition leader in the province last month. Young and also a visible minority, Kinew brings a new spirit and energy to the conversation, albeit with some personal baggage.
We will be very curious to see where this goes for Singh and the federal NDP. He will need a lot of love and courage along the way.
video credit: YouTube/SinghStation News
Twitter capture: @theJagmeetSingh
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