“It’s something I’m really considering quite seriously,” Singh said Wednesday in an interview with CBC News.<\/p>\n
Jagmeet Singh talks about why he’s considering federal leadership<\/strong>0:45<\/p>\n Party activists first floated Singh as a possible candidate shortly after the NDP\u00a0leadership review pushed Mulcair\u00a0out last April. Since then, Singh’s public comments have shifted from being “open to” the idea of running, to giving it “serious consideration.”<\/p>\n “Initially I thought it was just a bit of a fluke,” Singh said. “But now I’m at the point where I’m listening to what folks are saying, I’m looking at what it would look like to run a national campaign, really mulling the idea around and thinking about it in a serious way.”\u00a0<\/p>\n So what’s holding him back? Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne’s dismal poll numbers<\/a> seem\u00a0to be a factor.\u00a0<\/p>\n “My dilemma is that provincially I think we have an extremely amazing opportunity as New Democrats to form a government,” said Singh. “I really\u00a0see a future for the party doing\u00a0amazing things provincially and I’m excited by that, so that’s part of the reason why I’ve been a bit hesitant.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Jagmeet Singh practised as a criminal lawyer before entering politics, represents a riding in Brampton, and speaks French as well as Punjabi. (Adam Litovitz)<\/p>\n Singh is a lawyer and speaks functional French (as well as Punjabi). His lack of a seat in Ottawa doesn’t faze his supporters: they merely point out that a guy named Jack\u00a0Layton\u00a0was a Toronto city councillor\u00a0when he won\u00a0the NDP leadership in 2003.<\/p>\n Party sources\u00a0say there’s a team of experienced campaign organizers ready to work for\u00a0Singh, should he decide\u00a0to run.<\/p>\n Singh\u00a0came within a few hundred votes of becoming an MP in his first political campaign, contesting Bramalea-Gore-Malton\u00a0for the federal NDP in the 2011 election.\u00a0He won the provincial seat<\/a> a few months later, helping the Ontario New Democrats grab the balance of power in a Liberal\u00a0minority government. He has served as the critic for justice and consumer services, and party leader Andrea Horwath\u00a0named him her deputy<\/a>\u00a0in 2015.\u00a0<\/p>\n Singh says his religion and upbringing has informed a big part of his political perspective<\/strong>1:05<\/p>\n NDP member Liam Bedard helped start a\u00a0“Draft\u00a0Jagmeet”\u00a0Facebook\u00a0page<\/a>\u00a0before even meeting Singh, having learned of his work with anti-poverty groups.\u00a0<\/p>\n “I discovered what a principled and articulate civil rights defender he’s been,” the Ottawa-based Bedard\u00a0said in an interview Wednesday. “He’s in a unique position to fight the rising tide of racism that is gripping western societies. He has the credibility to challenge rising income inequality.”\u00a0<\/p>\n He calls\u00a0Singh a “living embodiment of Canadian multiculturalism” and admires him for his principles and values.\u00a0<\/p>\n “The guy has both style and substance,” Bedard said. “Destiny is knocking on his door.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath named Singh her deputy in 2015. (Canadian Press)<\/p>\n In phone interviews with CBC News, several senior NDP officials spoke highly of Singh. They asked not to be identified by name because they don’t want to be seen as endorsing a candidate.<\/p>\n “Jagmeet\u00a0is a true progressive and represents a new generation of political activism in this country,” said a senior NDP organizer. He praised Singh’s sincerity and said he has “the ability to make people feel they’re being listened to,\u00a0and that what they’re saying is important.”<\/p>\n One longtime NDP\u00a0backroomer\u00a0said Singh has the “it factor”\u00a0of politics.\u00a0“People in the party outside Ontario have been eyeing him covetously,” said the official, who asked not to be named. “He’s a smart guy and a hard worker.”\u00a0<\/p>\n “He is definitely generating a lot of interest,” said another top NDP activist.<\/p>\n Singh’s backers believe he has potential\u00a0to attract a new injection of members from communities that have not traditionally been NDP supporters, and could help make the party more competitive in the 905, the seat-rich suburbs\u00a0surrounding Toronto.\u00a0<\/p>\n In Canadian history, no\u00a0major federal party has ever chosen a non-white leader.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Among the issues Singh has worked on at Queen’s Park is the controversial police practice of carding \u2014\u00a0stopping people on the street and demanding identification. Singh, who said he’s been carded 10 times<\/a>, pushed for a ban. The government outlawed arbitrary street checks last year.<\/p>\n He also advocated for limits on fees to transfer money overseas<\/a>\u00a0and for a religious exemption for Sikhs from motorcycle helmet laws<\/a>. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Jagmeet](\"http:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/RSSPoster_PRO\/cache\/78aad_jagmeet-singh-sleepover-3.jpg\")
<\/p>\n‘Draft Jagmeet’ page<\/h2>\n
![\"li-620-singh-cp01246624\"](\"http:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/RSSPoster_PRO\/cache\/78aad_li-620-singh-cp01246624.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\n