After losing his seat at Burnaby Central, Jagmeet Singh has announced he will be stepping down as NDP leader.
Singh made history as the first racialized federal party leader. He was also a constant advocate for social justice and progressive policies, particularly in regards to the environment and healthcare. After maintaining enough seats to prevent a Liberal majority in 2021, Singh entered into a confidence-and-supply agreement with the Liberals that saw the implementation of the Canada Dental Care program, with hopes for a universal pharmacare program in the future.
However, critics point to Singh’s leadership lacking political teeth. Singh failed to capitalize on the opportunity to turn on the Liberals through a non-confidence vote last year, when the Trudeau administration was at it’s most unpopular, and he was instead thrown into an election this year where he faced high Liberal opinion polling. The 7 NDP seats Singh leaves behind are a far cry from the 103 they held at Jack Layton’s death, and after losing official party status the NDP now face an uncertain future.