ADVERTISEMENT

Sikh lawyer to head Canada party

October 02, 2017 11:00 pm | Updated 11:00 pm IST - Toronto

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.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Mr. Singh is the first member of a minority community to lead a major federal party in Canada.

This is a Premium article available exclusively to our subscribers. To read 250+ such premium articles every month
You have exhausted your free article limit.
Please support quality journalism.
You have exhausted your free article limit.
Please support quality journalism.
The Hindu operates by its editorial values to provide you quality journalism.
This is your last free article.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT