Campaigning With Jagmeet

Featuring Jagmeet Singh
Lawyer, Politician, Leader
November 28, 2017
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
The story
Jagmeet Singh was born in Ontario and raised in Newfoundland and Labrador. His father was trained as a psychiatrist in India and attended medical school there but worked as a security guard in Canada.
In his youth Jagmeet was bullied, so he took up martial arts to learn to defend himself. He went on captain to his high school wrestling team and won the Toronto championships in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Before winning the leadership of Canada’s federal New Democratic Party in October 2017, he was a criminal defence lawyer.
He speaks fluent French and Punjabi.
Fun facts
Jagmeet was born in Scarborough, Ontario, to immigrant parents from the Indian state of Punjab.
During his time as a lawyer he offered free legal rights seminars and provided pro bono legal counsel for people and community organizations in need.
When he was elected as leader of Canada’s federal NDP, Jagmeet became the first person of a visible minority group to lead a major Canadian federal political party on a permanent basis.
He practices Brazilian jiu-jitsu,
He was also the first turban-wearing Sikh to sit as a provincial legislator in Ontario.
GQ magazine has called him an “incredibly well-dressed rising star in Canadian politics.”