Ottawa, Canada—This past weekend, the New Democratic Party in Canada held a leadership convention to select a new leader to replace the late Jack Layton—an immensely popular figure in the Sikh community. He spoke out on the genocide of Sikhs in India and was a fearless proponent of the right of Sikhs to wear a kirpan.
Seven candidates ran to succeed Jack Layton, including an Amritdhari Sikh, Jarnail Singh (more commonly known as Martin Singh). Jarnail Singh is a convert to Sikhi who took amrit nearly two decades ago. Jarnail Singh was new on the scene and lacked political experience as compared to his rivals.
As a result, he finished sixth among the seven candidates at the convention. However, his showcase to the convention on Friday received widespread accolades amongst commentators and pundits on TV who were reporting on the convention. Many consider Jarnail Singh an up-and-comer in the New Democratic Party and potentially see him as a future leader.
Jarnail Singh is married to Amandeep Kaur, originally from Amritsar. They have 3 children, twin boys and a girl. Jarnail Singh has four university degrees and is a successful businessperson. He ran his leadership campaign on 4 policy plans: healthcare, the environment, the economy and leadership.
