On Oct. 1, 2017, Jagmeet Singh won the leadership of the federal New Democratic Party (NDP) on the first ballot, signalling a watershed moment for both the NDP and Canadian politics alike.
The good
Singh’s election makes a bold statement at a time of profound xenophobia both at home and abroad. To see a brown, turbaned politician leading a federal party represents a renewed promise of democracy to Canadians, most of all to visible minorities. On this note, Singh’s role as NDP leader has also brought into the limelight some uncomfortable, yet urgent, questions in Canadian society on the topic of race.
In the months during the leadership campaign, pundits often speculated whether Singh could adequately win the votes of Quebecers in 2019. Bill 62, which would bar Quebec’s government employees from wearing religious face veils, is on its way to becoming provincial law. For Quebec’s Official Opposition party, Parti Québécois, the bill doesn’t go far enough in banning all religious symbols, according to VICE News.
Quebec, once under the intense authority of the Catholic Church, underwent a secular, “Quiet Revolution,” which is alleged to be the origin of today’s infatuation with religious headwear. Yet, despite the rhetoric of a secularized Quebec, a Duplessis-era crucifix still hangs on the wall in Quebec’s National Assembly. Earlier this year, public outcry forced a hospital in Montreal to restore a crucifix taken down for the purpose of “religious neutrality.”
Given these most absurd hypocrisies, Canadians are forced to ask if it is Singh’s skin colour rather than his faith that disadvantages him in Quebec.
The bad
The inherent danger of a leader ripe with as much symbolic appeal as Singh is one played over and over again for left-leaning parties. It was not long ago that the United States elected its first black president, Barack Obama, supposedly ushering America into a golden post-racial age of social justice.Only nine years later, the populist and racist zeitgeist that is Donald Trump’s presidency has abolished this vision of America.Although the results of running a campaign based on hope, change, and the cult of personality brought success to both Obama and Singh, the lesson learned from the Obama presidency is that identity politics will crumble without the support of a broad-coalition movement. In the early days of his presidency, Obama established a diluted commitment to the labour movement through his abandonment of pro-union laws such as the Employee Free Choice Act.
If the purpose of the NDP as a third party is to provide Canadians with a true alternative to the centre/right binary, then substance must come before style. In a recent op-ed for the Ottawa Citizen, former communications director to Stephen Harper, Andrew MacDougall, seemed gleeful over what he views as the superficial competition of “Charisma Olympics” between Trudeau and Singh. This, MacDougall believes, presents an “interesting opportunity for Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer.” The man has a point.
The unknown
Despite the skepticism of the NDP within leftist factions, many have voiced support for a clean-slate with Singh. Labour Leader Sid Ryan urged New Democrats not to “pre-judge” their new leader before Singh has the chance to actually propose policies.
Based on proposals made during the campaign, many reasons for both excitement and skepticism under Singh have been revealed. For example, policies such as Singh’s tax rebates for investment in green technology rely on market-oriented solutions. This stands in stark contrast to his leadership opponents’ calls for an accountable crown corporation to promote sustainable development without profit-driven incentives. However, Singh’s proposals, such as eradicating the ban on homosexual blood donors, gives him considerable ground against the failings of Trudeau’s outwardly-progressive Liberal government.
Both the NDP in parliament and the NDP as party members need to make a decision about whether they are prepared to invest their hopes in a single leader (just as Democrats under Obama did), or whether they are prepared to stay fortified and hold the fresh face of Jagmeet Singh to account.
Photo courtesy of The Star via CC0