Jagmeet Singh’s tenure as leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) formally came to an end, on Monday, evening as his interim replacement was chosen by the party.
The party announced that MP Don Davies has assumed charge as the NDP’s interim leader as of Monday evening.
The announcement followed a meeting of the NDP national council, in consultation with its caucus. Singh became NDP leader in October 2017, the first person of colour to head a Federal party in Canada.
However, he led his party to a historic rout in the April 28 Federal election, as it could only manage just seven seats and approximately six per cent vote share, down from 25 in the 2021 election with a over 18 per cent backing.
Singh faced personal humiliation at the hustings, as he came third in the riding of Burnaby Central in British Columbia, behind the winner, Liberal Party’s Wade Chang and the Conservative James Yan.
He announced his intent to resign once the interim leader was selected late on April 28 night as the outcome of the election became apparent and the NDP even lost its official status in the new House of Commons as it ended up with less than the requisite 12 seats.
In a statement issued on Monday night, NDP president Mary Shortall said, “While the recent election results were not what we hoped for, our commitment to building a better Canada has never been stronger.”
{{/usCountry}}In a statement issued on Monday night, NDP president Mary Shortall said, “While the recent election results were not what we hoped for, our commitment to building a better Canada has never been stronger.”
{{/usCountry}}The party will start preparing for a leadership race, which is expected in the months ahead.
The NDP’s disastrous night could, in part, be attributed to Singh’s decision to enter into a supply and confidence agreement with the minority Government of then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in March 2022. While Trudeau exited in January, Singh couldn’t shake off the association of having kept that unpopular Government in power so long.
He was first elected to the House of Commons in a by-election February 2019 from Burnaby South with about 39 per cent of the vote. He retained the seat in the subsequent Federal election the same year and in 2021.
Speaking to NDP supporters in Burnaby late on Monday night there, he said, “Obviously, this night is a disappointing night for New Democrats.”
He entered politics in 2011, when he was elected to the Ontario provincial parliament and used that as a springboard to the national scene.
The Indian Government, then led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, denied him a visa in 2013 and Singh often attracted criticism over his stance towards Khalistani extremism after he first became NDP leader.