Jagmeet Singh Jimmy Dhaliwal (born 2 January 1979), known as Jagmeet Singh, is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who led the New Democratic Party from 2017 to 2025. A turbaned Sikh, he was the first person from a visible minority to lead a major federal party in Canada. For two and a half years his party’s support kept Justin Trudeau’s minority government in office.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Jagmeet Singh Jimmy Dhaliwal |
| Born | 2 January 1979, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada |
| Age | 47 |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Indian roots | Parents from Punjab |
| Education | University of Western Ontario (B.Sc., 2001); Osgoode Hall Law School (LL.B., 2005) |
| Party | New Democratic Party |
| Offices | Leader of the NDP (2017–2025); MP for Burnaby South (2019–2025); Member of the Ontario legislature (2011–2017) |
| Spouse | Gurkiran Kaur Sidhu (m. 2018) |
| Children | 2 |
Early Life
He was born in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto, to parents who had emigrated from Punjab. His father, Jagtaran Singh, was training to be a psychiatrist, and as a baby Jagmeet was sent to live with his grandparents in Punjab for a year. The family later moved to Newfoundland and then to Windsor, Ontario.
In his memoir, Love and Courage, he wrote of being bullied at school for his long hair and brown skin, of being sexually abused by a martial arts coach, and of his father’s alcoholism. He learnt to fight, and later competed in submission grappling.
Education and Law
He studied biology at the University of Western Ontario and law at Osgoode Hall in Toronto. He practised as a criminal defence lawyer in the Toronto area, and gave free legal advice to community groups and activists.
Career
Ontario
In 2011 he was elected to the provincial legislature of Ontario for a seat in Brampton, becoming the first turban-wearing Sikh to sit there. He became deputy leader of the provincial New Democrats. His tailored suits and bright turbans made him a favourite of fashion magazines.
Federal leader
On 1 October 2017 he won the leadership of the federal New Democratic Party on the first ballot. He entered the House of Commons through a by-election in Burnaby South, British Columbia, in February 2019.
The party lost seats in the 2019 election but held the balance of power. In March 2022 he concluded a “supply and confidence” agreement with Trudeau’s Liberals, promising support in exchange for policies. Its results included:
- a national dental care programme for people on lower incomes
- the first stage of a public scheme to pay for prescription medicines
- a law against the use of replacement workers during strikes
He ended the agreement in September 2024.
Defeat
In the general election of April 2025, held in the shadow of a trade dispute with the United States, left-leaning voters moved to the Liberals. The New Democrats were reduced to seven seats, their worst result, and Singh lost his own. He announced his resignation as leader on election night.
India
In 2013 India refused him a visa, after he had spoken out about the anti-Sikh violence of 1984. He has rejected accusations of sympathy with Sikh separatism while defending the right to self-determination in general terms.
Personal Life
He married Gurkiran Kaur Sidhu, a fashion designer, in 2018; they have two daughters. He is a vegetarian, speaks French and Punjabi as well as English, and cycles to work.
Featured image: Jagmeet Singh at a campaign event in Brantford, Ontario, May 2022. Photo by Ben P., licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
