Jagmeet Singh

Jagmeet Singh is easy to like. He is personable, well-presented, and brings a face to Canadian federal politics that many communities had never seen represented at that level. That visibility matters, and it should not be dismissed. But representation alone is not leadership. The NDP under Singh has had moments of genuine leverage — opportunities to extract meaningful concessions for working Canadians — and the results have been modest relative to the power he held. Canadians who look to the NDP for a real counterweight to corporate and establishment politics deserve more than a sympathetic voice. They deserve outcomes. Singh communicates the right values. The question that remains unanswered is whether he has the political will and strategic sharpness to turn those values into lasting change. At this point in his tenure, he feels more like a presence than a force — important to have in the room, but not yet driving the room. Canada benefits from diverse leadership. It deserves diverse leadership that also delivers.

Singh kept the Liberals in power for years. What did regular Canadians actually get? Dental care that barely anyone can use, while housing became impossible and groceries went through the roof. The NDP should have fought way harder for the things that matter most to working people. They had real leverage and I'm not convinced they used it the right way. People deserved better from that arrangement.

Jagmeet Singh kept the Liberal government alive for years through the supply and confidence agreement and Canadians got very little in return. Housing got worse, affordability collapsed, and the NDP was patting themselves on the back for dental care while people couldn't make rent. I respect what he's trying to do but the strategy of propping up Trudeau was a mistake that ordinary working Canadians paid for. The NDP needs to be a real opposition.

Jagmeet Singh became NDP leader in 2017, making history as the first person of colour to lead a major federal party in Canada. He was re-elected to Parliament in 2019 and 2021, the latter producing 24 NDP seats and enabling the party to negotiate a supply-and-confidence agreement with Trudeau's Liberals — the most formal federal power the NDP had held in decades. Singh used that leverage thoughtfully. The agreement produced pharmacare legislation, dental care coverage for uninsured Canadians, and anti-scab labour legislation. These were tangible policy wins. Singh's personal popularity often outpaced his party's numbers, and his communication style — direct, warm, and principled — was broadly respected even by political opponents. The 2025 election was devastating. The two-party squeeze between Liberals and Conservatives left NDP voters facing a stark choice, and many switched. The party fell from 24 seats to 7, losing official party status for the first time since 1993. Singh himself lost his Burnaby Central riding, finishing third. He announced his resignation on election night, April 28, 2025. The outcome reflected structural forces more than personal failures. But leading a party to historic losses, however understandable the conditions, is part of a leader's record. Singh leaves with a legacy of policy impact and personal dignity — and a party that will need years to rebuild.