A 38-year-old Sikh criminal lawyer was elected the leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party on Monday, becoming the first non-white politician to head a major party in the country.
Jagmeet Singh, an Ontario provincial lawmaker, was elected on the first ballot, to lead the party into the 2019 election against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals.
He won the decisive first-ballot victory over three other candidates, by receiving 53.6% of the votes. “Thank you, New Democrats. The run for Prime Minister begins now,” Mr. Singh tweeted. “That’s why today, I’m officially launching my campaign to be the next Prime Minister of Canada.”
Mr. Singh is the first member of a minority community to lead a major federal party in Canada.
