EDITORIAL: Jagmeet Singh, a likable guy
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The joke on talk radio for the longest time was “Jagmeet Who?” It spoke to what all political observers had been feeling for months.
After the NDP leadership race, winner Jagmeet Singh seemed to go into hiding. He did little to rally his party and the polls at times showed the NDP almost tied with the Greens.
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That was then, this is now. Ever since the election began and Jagmeet Singh hit the national stage and introduced himself to Canadians, people are liking the man they meet.
Singh comes across as a down-to-earth, likable Canadian. During the official English language leaders’ debate, he was the most easygoing on stage.
Even when Singh is disagreeing with people, he does so from a position of humility. Talk about classic Canadian style.
A video recently surfaced of Singh walking down the street in Montreal. The TV cameras were already following Singh and so he had a microphone on. A man approached him to shake his hand but also whispered as an aside that Singh should remove his turban.
The NDP leader’s response was firm that the beauty of Canada is that people can look and dress different ways, and that he shouldn’t have to be asked to remove his turban.
What was interesting in the exchange is that Singh stood firm for what he believed in and disagreed with this man but did so in a positive way, one that stood a better chance of winning the man over than getting into an argument with him.
Contrast that with Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, who frequently chastises people as intolerant and then we learn that he is the one who wore offensive blackface multiple times over a number of years. Talk about hypocrisy. It certainly makes you question Trudeau’s sincerity.
Singh’s social democrat policies will not bring positive benefits to the Canadian economy and would be disastrous for our oil and gas sector. Canadians considering voting for him should think long and hard about whether these policies are right for our country.
But is Singh’s demeanour and charm something we need more of in Canadian politics? Absolutely. Kudos to him for keeping this campaign positive.
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