Jagmeet Singh rises as a game-changer in Canadian politics
The day I landed in Toronto in May, a friend drove me to Brampton's Bombay Palace in the evening.
It was crowded. Young and middle-aged Canadians of diverse origins had assembled at the venue for a 38-year-old son of Indian immigrants due to announce his bid for the leadership of the New Democratic Party (NDP).
When Jagmeet Singh, a member of Ontario's provincial legislature, arrived at the podium, he stirred the race to lead the NDP, Canada's left-leaning political group, the country's third largest.
Singh, sporting a flowing beard and a kirpan under his suit, addressed his supporters in fluent French, English and Punjabi.
He spoke about equality, love and justice for all.
"Leadership that will bring people together to build a Canada that is truly inclusive and where everyone can realize their dreams," he told his multinational, multiethnic audiences packing the banquet hall.
"That is why, my friends, today I am proud to announce that I am running to be the leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada," he said to a rapturous applause.
A lawyer from the Toronto area, Singh is a social-media star in Canada. He's known for his taste in clothing and for colourful turbans.
At Brampton's Bombay Palace, he demonstrated his appeal and ability to connect with his constituency, mostly young and from under-represented backgrounds.
His speech embodied aspiration.
"We must champion a politics of love to fight the politics of hate," said Singh.
The dapper lawyer walked the talk last month when he came across bigoted remarks at one of his town-hall meetings.
"When is your Shariah going to end? ...We know you are in bed with the Muslim Brotherhood!" screamed a white woman at a campaign event.
Singh's response to the anti-Muslim slur was disarming.
"We welcome you. We love you. We support you," he told the heckler. "Everyone in this room loves you... this room is filled with people who are loving," he said.
Singh did not seek to clarify he was not a Muslim.
"My response to Islamophobia has never been 'I'm not Muslim,'" he said in a statement later. "It has always been and will be that 'hate is wrong.'"
"Once allowed to grow, hate doesn't pick and choose, it spreads like fire," Singh wrote.
His reply jacked up his stature. And on Sunday, he became the first non-white politician to head one of Canada's major political parties.
Brought up in Newfoundland and later in Windsor, Jagmeet Singh's crowning as the president of the NDP is an astonishing achievement for the Sikh minority, which makes up less than 1.5 percent of Canada's population.
"Thank you, New Democrats. The run for prime minister begins now,” he tweeted after the results of the NDP vote were announced at a party meeting in Toronto.
In fact, the real challenge for Jagmeet Singh starts here as he prepares to unseat prime minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals in the 2019 federal elections.
For that, he has to win over the centre-left vote-block which elected Trudeau to power in 2015.
Challenges are momentous.
The yelling of one irate woman he encountered at his campaign last month may grow into a supremacist chorus, given the rise of aggressive far-right in global politics.
Also, many Quebecers already see overt symbols of faith as antithetical to their province's secular polity.
Too much of a media hype over Singh's distinct - and visibly glaring - Sikh identity could boomerang in the federal fray.
The new NDP president is a game-changer in international politics.
But it's no cakewalk. He'll be walking a tightrope instead.
He must stay clear of identity politics in his journey to the office of Canada's PM.
Singh's identity is his asset. But his critics might use it as a tool of racial politics against him.
The new NDP chief came out as a composed man when he encountered disparagements by his heckler in September.
He may now face many more questions about his culture and his competence to lead Canada.
Many more disrespects might be hurled at him for what he wears. The sky's the limit if he stays above them, as always.
Also read: Why Khalistani narrative about Canada is a disservice to Sikhs