Jagmeet Singh may have resigned as the head of NDP but he is likely to be around in Canadian politics. However, one can still analyse his legacy as head of the NDP.
In terms of electorally reviving the NDP and taking it to the position it had gained in 2011 under James Layton, Jagmeet Singh’s tenure would not be termed as a success.
However, many would argue that he did manage to influence a number of key policy decisions especially during the NDP’s confidence and supply agreement with the Liberals from 2022.
This included a national dental care program for low income Canadians, progress towards a national pharmacare program, labour reforms for federally regulated workers, and new taxes on financial institutions.
So when it comes to influencing policy, Jagmeet Singh was probably more successful than some of his predecessors in the NDP.
Interestingly, one issue that he was unable to push through, was getting Canada to recognise the 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom in different parts of India as a “Genocide”. Both Liberals and Conservatives didn’t support the resolution and Jagmeet Singh accused them of “letting down the Sikh community”.
Remember in 1914, the Komagata Maru ship carrying 376 Indians (337 Sikhs, 27 Muslims and 12 Hindus) was sent back by Canadian authorities due to immigration laws that discriminated against Indians. When the ship came back to Budge Budge in Bengal, they were fired upon by the British police, killing at least 20 (For more on that incident, watch the recently released Punjabi film Guru Nanak Jahaz).
Almost exactly 100 years later, the British Columbia Regiment, which was involved in the expulsion of the Komagata Maru from Vancouver, was commanded by a Sikh, Harjit Sajjan, from 2011 until 2014. He later became Canada’s Minister of National Defence.
In 2016, PM Justin Trudeau issued a detailed apology for the tragedy.
From that incident to having a Sikh PM candidate from a mainstream party over 100 years later, Canada has come a long way.
Jagmeet Singh may have lost but certain successes in Canadian politics made by Sikhs are now irreversible.
The political representation of Sikhs is increasing and now cuts across party lines. The Canadian parliament has more Sikhs than the Indian parliament at present.
Due to the efforts of Sikh human rights groups, there is now considerable awareness across the political spectrum in Canada regarding atrocities in Punjab and the 1984 pogrom.
Unfortunately, in India, many observers outside of Punjab, view Jagmeet Singh from the point of view of the Indian state. They resent him for the fact that his views on Punjab, especially the events of the 1980s and 1990s, are different from the dominant Indian narrative and critical of the Indian State and that he is vocal about them.
From the fact that he wears a Dumala (a Sikh turban traditionally associated with warriors) to his public statements, Jagmeet Singh became one of the most scrutinised non-Indian leaders in India.
These biases have little to do with Jagmeet Singh and more to do with New Delhi’s view of Sikhs and Punjab.
