Seven Questions With Jagmeet Singh

I got to ask Jagmeet some hard questions about real, serious issues people care about.

Jagmeet at his campaign office on January 6 2019

Jagmeet Singh was elected the Leader of Canada's New Democrats in October of 2017 and is currently campaigning to become the next member of Parliament for Burnaby South (regrettably, Prime Minister Trudeau is taking his time calling the by-election created by Kennedy Stewart’s resignation on September 14, 2018.)

Called "The Most Stylish Politician In Canada By Like A Million Kilometres" by Buzzfeed and "The Incredibly Well-Dressed Rising Star in Canadian Politics" by GQ magazine, I got the opportunity to sit down with Jagmeet at his campaign office, conveniently located right next to Royal Oak skytrain station, to ask him some really super serious questions. Please enjoy…

Seven Questions with Jagmeet Singh:

1. Tell me a bit about yourself— what’s important for people to know about you?

I want people to know that for me, Love and Courage isn’t just a slogan. It’s my ethos, my way of life, my solution to the problems we are faced with. From the deepest place, I really truly believe that we have to care about one another. It comes from my mom teaching me about how we are all connected, to seeing that connection when I meet people and feeling that there is something that unites us. And then to have the courage to want to dream bigger, to think of solutions that will actually lift us up. That is how we build a better world and it’s how you can be a better human being -- be more loving and courageous. This really is at the core of my being.

Jagmeet after he answered my really difficult questions

2. What’s your favourite thing about being Leader of Canada’s NDP?

I really enjoy the opportunity to bring people into politics who have not ever felt like there is a place for them there before. A lot of people have not really felt a part of the whole system, or felt they were on the fringes or maybe felt not included. The opportunity to bring folks like this in, who have so much to offer and so much to give, but just haven’t really felt like there was a place for them. Creating space for people is what I really believe in, because once you create space for people, they grow and flourish and do amazing things.

3. What was the last book you read? Specifically, a fiction novel.

I love fantasy and sci-fi, so the last fiction book I read was a blend of those. It’s set in a world that is troubled with a lot of earth quakes, like permanently, it’s always in earthquake mode. There is also a lot of magic in it. It’s called “The Fifth Season” by N.K Jeminsin. The author is a woman of colour and broke records. She won not one Hugo award, which is a big deal for fantasy science fiction books, but actually each one of the three novels in this series won a Hugo award each year they came out. So it’s not just a good book, it’s like one of the best.

4. What’s the best piece of professional advice you ever received?

A figure who I will leave unnamed, but who was a senior and well respected politician met me when I was early on in my career. They gave me the advice of how important it is to grow as you get into your role, as a politician, or really whatever role you are taking on. You’ll almost always need to grow and learn, which means being willing to develop new skills and capacity. But amidst all this growing and developing new things, never lose the core of who you are. That authentic kernel that makes you, you. Because that is what will make people feel connected to you and able to believe in you. It’s what makes people feel they can trust you. Realness and authenticity is something you can’t ever lose in the journey that will involve changing, but just don’t change that part, don’t lose your authenticity. So that has been incredibly vital advice.

5. Who is your hero? Name a public figure, past or present, who has had a significant impact on you personally

I want to name two people for this question, one less well known, but the other one people will know.

The first one is particularly unique because it is a story that shows how anyone can step up to the occasion and do profound or amazing things, which is something I really believe in. I don’t think that only some people are destined for great things, I think that anyone can do it. And so this person really highlights this and speaks to that truth.

During a dark time in Punjab, when there were lots of human rights violations going on, there were people disappearing, literally. They were not being found and their families couldn’t find out what had happened to them. And so this one person, a banker, a regular guy, he noticed this was happening and saw what was going on, but didn’t do anything until one of his friends disappeared. Then, he made it his mission to find out what was going on and to prove the cause of it.

He found the police were doing extrajudicial killings, and the way he proved it was that when you cremate people in South Asia you go a place to obtain wood where you provide the name of the deceased before you pay for the wood. He found records, like thousands and thousands of records, that showed the police had been obtaining wood for cremations without providing the names of the deceased. He was able to connect this to communities where there was massive loss or where people had disappeared unaccounted for. So he, again, just a regular guy, no one famous, comes to Canada and tells his story to Parliament. He was offered a visa and permanent residence in Canada because what he’d discovered put his life at risk. But he turned the offer down saying he needed to return to Punjab to complete his work. He went back, and shortly afterwards, was ‘disappeared’ himself.

His name was Jaswant Singh Khalra. His heroism, the fact that he was given the opportunity to start a new life, which is the kind of opportunity many would die for, but turned it down to continue his work. He is a big inspiration to me.

The other person, folks will know, but I think it’s just an incredible journey, is Nelson Mandela. The fact that he was in jail for almost three decades, jailed as a terrorist because he wanted to build a better world and he wanted to tear down a system of oppression and inequality. The most impressive part of his journey is that even though he spent so many years in jail, he never came across as jaded or wanting vengeance. He still had that love, love for humanity, which you would think might get snubbed out facing so much hardship. But he had an enduring spirit of love and joy in the face of all that, and that has been a big inspiration to me.

Jagmeet campaign signs waiting to go on your lawn

6. What are your favourite Netflix shows?

I really enjoyed Altered Carbon, again, I’m a big science fiction fan. I also love cooking, and so a recent show I really enjoyed, because it took a different take on cooking, was Salt Fat Acid Heat. It’s so good. The host just enjoys food so much, she is so passionate, loving food and loving life, it’s really engaging. And the show has actually made me a better cook, because now whenever I cook I think about her advice. Did I add these elements? Is there salt, did I add acid? She almost approached cooking from a scientific perspective which I thought was really interesting.

And I am a pretty big fan of the 80s. I’m a quasi-80s baby, born in 1979. So of course, I really enjoyed Stranger Things as well.

7. Tell me about one of your favourite childhood memories.

Books were a major escape for me while growing up. When times were tough or when I was going through some sad things, I came to associate the library with being a safe space for me, and books were a way to escape. I also really enjoyed biking, me and my friends would spend a lot of time riding bikes together, venturing out across our neighbourhood. So combining my favourite things, I was able to bike to the library, which was far enough away to be a bit of an adventure but close enough that I could bike there, and take out a book and hang out in a park reading it. That was how I spent a lot of time in the summer. Biking in general was a big part of my childhood.

So the word on the street is that I was basically a hipster way before hipsters were cool. I’ve had a beard since forever, had a man-bun since forever because of my long hair, and I have been cycling since forever. And I am also vegetarian. Add that up and I am pretty much an original hipster.

I had a great time chatting with Jagmeet and helping out in his campaign office. You can learn more about Jagmeet here. If you’re interested in getting involved with his campaign, get in touch with his team via their campaign facebook page.

And if you live in Burnaby South, keep your eye open for Jagmeet!

Thanks for reading!