With love and courage, we can build a better Canada.
Jagmeet Singh grew up in Scarborough, St. John’s, and Windsor, and served as an Ontario MPP from 2011 until 2017 when he became leader of Canada’s NDP. Guided by values rooted in his experiences growing up, Jagmeet is building a fairer, more just Canada where everyone can realize their dreams.
Jagmeet’s parents came to Canada to build a better life. His family worked hard to make ends meet so that Jagmeet and his younger siblings could follow their dreams and believe that anything is possible.
Like others who stand out, Jagmeet faced a lot of bullying in school and felt like he didn’t belong. But even then he realized he wasn’t alone.
Jagmeet’s early experiences are what shaped him and fuel his passion for justice. He developed a sensitivity to the unfairness that others experience, and in solidarity, committed himself to fighting injustice in all its forms.
Jagmeet has been fighting for fairness ever since. At university, he was an outspoken activist who fought against raising tuition fees. He studied law so he could support community organizations fighting poverty, keeping tuition affordable, and advocating for equal access to justice for marginalized communities.
But the people and communities Jagmeet fought for needed an ally in government – so he decided to run. Right from the start, Jagmeet was told that a New Democrat could never win a seat in the Peel Region. He refused to believe the cynics.
By mobilizing young people and providing a space for them to take on leadership roles in their own community, Jagmeet and his team proved the critics wrong and won – and Jagmeet went straight to work.
Jagmeet used his platform as an MPP and Deputy Leader of Ontario’s NDP to fight for a fairer society. He took on the discriminatory practice of arbitrary police checks known as carding. He spoke up repeatedly on the need for good jobs and an end to precarious work. And he fought for the protection and expansion of public ownership over our utilities and public infrastructure.
Jagmeet ran to be leader of the NDP because he believes that Canada can be a place where everyone can succeed, together. He believes that if we lift up the people around us, we all rise.
As leader, Jagmeet is putting everything he has into building that Canada. That means fighting for good jobs to combat growing inequality. It means a real plan for our environment that includes workers and their families. It means pursuing true reconciliation with Indigenous communities. And it means addressing our electoral system to ensure that our democracy truly represents the will of all Canadians when it comes time to vote.
Jagmeet believes that it takes an act of love to realize that we’re all in this together and an act of courage to demand better, dream bigger, and fight for a more just and inclusive world.
Host: John Andras