Jagmeet Singh, the leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP) and a pro-Khalistani extremist, announced on April 29 that he will step down as party leader. This comes after the results of the 45th federal election, in which Jagmeet Singh not only lost his parliamentary seat of Burnaby Central in British Columbia—finishing third—but also saw his party lose its official status after failing to win the minimum 12 seats required in the House of Commons.
Under Jagmeet Singh, the NDP has faced its sharpest decline, culminating in the loss of national status, a rare political collapse for a party in Canadian history. Jagmeet Singh has been a vocal pro-Khalistan advocate and has frequently spoken on behalf of Khalistani extremists in Canada.
Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Liberal Party are projected to retain power, winning enough seats in the 45th federal election to form the government. Carney had taken over from Justin Trudeau, who resigned towards the end of his term after losing support within his party.
Notably, after the 2021 election, Justin Trudeau’s Liberals held 160 seats—short of the 170 needed for a majority. Jagmeet Singh’s NDP, with 25 seats, signed a confidence-and-supply agreement in March 2022 to support the Liberals until 2025. However, the NDP withdrew its support from Trudeau’s minority government in September 2024, effectively ending the agreement.
Under growing pressure from within his own party, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stepped down on January 6, 2025, ending his nine-year tenure as leader. It is widely believed that Trudeau supported Khalistani elements for his own political gain.
Trudeau’s tenure was also marked by deteriorating relations with India, especially after he alleged that the Indian government was involved in the killing of NIA-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar was a separatist leader who actively propagated the demand for Khalistan. India has accused Nijjar of involvement in several violent incidents, including the 2007 bombing of a cinema in Ludhiana and an attempted murder in 2021. The National Investigation Agency has named him in the case related to the attempted murder of Hindu leader Kamaldeep Sharma.
Jagmeet Singh was denied a visa to India in 2013 and again in 2018 due to his associations with anti-India and pro-Khalistani groups. Following the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023, Jagmeet Singh supported the Canadian government’s assertion that Indian agents were involved in the assassination. He further called for sanctions against Indian diplomats and a ban on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
A year after Nijjar’s assassination, on July 5, 2024, it came to light that the Khalistani extremist had donated money to Jagmeet Singh and his New Democratic Party (NDP) in 2017.
The revelation was made by investigative journalist Mocha Bezirgan in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on July 5.
“Elections Canada records show that a Hardeep Nijjar, with a postal code of V3W 0J4, donated to the NDP and to Jagmeet Singh in 2017. A simple Google search revealed that the postal code is associated with Nijjar Plumbing & Heating Ltd, Nijjar’s plumbing company where his son Mehtab Nijjar works, as per LinkedIn records,” Bezirgan pointed out.
Although the donation from Hardeep Singh Nijjar to Jagmeet Singh and the New Democratic Party (NDP) in 2017 was legal and officially recorded, its public revelation in July 2024, one year after Nijjar’s death sparked major controversy during the federal election campaign.
Many political opponents accused Jagmeet Singh of indirectly supporting violent separatism. This criticism was largely based on his refusal in 2017 to denounce Talwinder Singh Parmar, the mastermind behind the 1985 Air India bombing
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The fact that Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s donation occurred shortly after Jagmeet Singh’s refusal to condemn Parmar raised serious concerns. Critics argued that the timing of the donation suggested ideological alignment or sympathy with pro-Khalistani elements.
Jagmeet Singh’s pro-Khalistan stance and his refusal to condemn Talwinder Singh Parmar, severely damaged his image in the eyes of Canadian voters is believed to have contributed significantly to the NDP’s poor performance in the 2025 federal election. Meanwhile, Mark Carney has publicly advocated for improved relations with India and notably extended his condolences after the Pahalgam terror attack.
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