Search the Community

An Open Minded Canada Could Generate It’s First Sikh Prime Minister By Sikh24 Editors - January 5, 2017 A Genuinely Open Minded Canada May Be Ready To Truly Embrace Diversity OTTAWA, Canada—Sikh MPP, Jagmeet Singh, is currently the Deputy Leader of the NDP (New Democratic Party), for the Ontario region of Canada. As the federal (national) NDP sees it’s leadership position up for grabs, a very real rallying call for Jagmeet Singh begins to gain momentum. A Facebook campaign entitled Draft Jagmeet Singh has surfaced, which runs the slogan “It Can Be Done” as it’s tagline. An online petition to draft Jagmeet Singh has also been initiated to show support behind the campaign to have him vie for the position. There are no real candidates going for the open vacancy currently, as the previous leader, Tom Mulcair, lost the position after a leadership review. The official election for the position takes place in October 2017 and so it seems that there is ample time for Jagmeet Singh’s support campaign to begin snowballing. If Jagmeet Singh wins the leadership position, this then begs the question… should the NDP wil the general election in 2019, could the next premier of Canada be a Sikh Prime Minister? This might be a far-fetched thought, but one that certainly doesn’t seem beyond the realms of reality. Speaking with Sikh24, Jagmeet Singh shared that the Canadian value system and ethical outlook tallies with his own personal beliefs that he has adopted through the teachings of Sikhi. “I’ve always been an activist. The philosophy of Ik Oankaar (there is BUT one God), the idea that we’re all one connected energy, regardless of gender or sexuality – we’re all equal. And not just people, but it also connects us to the planet too. So we don’t have the right to exploit it or live in a way that is unsustainable. Encouraging society to be fair and equitable. It all falls from that same philosophy.” He went on to describe the general attitude of the Canadian people, which are renowned for being open-minded and accepting. “Though there are elements that are xenophobic, there is misogyny that exists, we have to acknowledge it, but the beauty of Canada is that there is an openness to this idea of celebrating diversity.” When asked if he thought Canada was ready for a Sikh prime minister, Jagmeet Singh replied, “Given the current government portfolio, with such high profile visible Sikhs, I think it’s definitely opened up the minds of people in Canada in considering somebody with this identity at a higher level, at that level of leadership. “The notion of having a society that’s mosaic, with diversity that’s built of people of different backgrounds, that’s something that’s pretty well accepted in Canada. There will be exceptions, but in most urban centres, because it’s something that people believe in, they look to someone who has the qualities of a leader, and if a person exhibits those qualities and able to inspire people, I think Canada is prepared for racialized people to be in a position of power.” Source - https://www.sikh24.com/2017/01/05/an-open-minded-canada-could-generate-its-first-sikh-prime-minister/#.WG_e4OuXeK0