Ottawa– Jagmeet Singh, leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP) and a known supporter of the Khalistan movement, announced his resignation on Tuesday following a major defeat in the federal election.
Seeking a third consecutive term, Singh lost his Burnaby Central seat in British Columbia to Liberal Party candidate Wade Chang. Singh captured just 27 percent of the vote, while Chang secured a commanding victory with over 40 percent.
The loss marks a devastating setback for Singh and the NDP. Under the leadership of Mark Carney, the Liberal Party won more than 160 seats, while the NDP’s representation in Parliament shrank dramatically to just seven seats out of the 343 contested — a steep drop from the 24 seats the party secured in the previous federal election. The NDP’s national vote share also plunged to a mere 2 percent, putting the party at risk of losing its official national party status, which requires holding at least 12 seats in the House of Commons.
While Carney’s Liberals have retained power, they fell short of winning an outright majority, according to projections by Canadian public broadcaster CBC and other media outlets.
Reacting to the election results, Singh posted on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “I know this night is disappointing for New Democrats. But we are only defeated when we believe those that tell us we can never dream of a better Canada… I am disappointed that we could not win more seats. But I am not disappointed in our movement.”
Singh, who became NDP leader in 2017, made history as the first ethnic minority politician to lead a major federal political party in Canada.
Singh’s close association with the Khalistan movement — which seeks to establish an independent Sikh state — has long drawn sharp criticism from New Delhi. Tensions between India and Canada escalated sharply last year when Ottawa accused Indian officials of involvement in the killing of Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. Singh publicly supported former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the diplomatic standoff, even as India firmly rejected the allegations as “baseless,” citing a lack of evidence from Canadian authorities.
However, Singh’s political stance shifted later in the year. In September, the NDP became the last of Canada’s three major opposition parties to sever its alliance with Trudeau’s government, with Singh accusing the former prime minister of capitulating to corporate interests and abandoning progressive commitments. (Source: IANS)
