Gurratan Singh

Gurratan Singh
Singh in 2021
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament for Brampton East
In office June 7, 2018 – May 3, 2022
Preceded by	Riding established
Succeeded by	Hardeep Grewal
Personal details
Born	(1984-05-13) May 13, 1984 St. John's, Canada
Political party	Ontario New Democratic
Spouse	Satvir Kaur Lachhar ​ (m. 2018)​
Children	Maha Kaur
Relatives	Jagmeet Singh (brother)
Alma mater	McMaster University York University
Occupation	Criminal defense lawyer

Gurratan Singh (born May 13, 1984) is a Canadian former politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2018 provincial election. He represented the riding of Brampton East as a member of the Ontario New Democratic Party. He was defeated in the 2022 Ontario general election.

Early life and education

Born on May 13, 1984, in St John's, Newfoundland, Singh is the brother of federal New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh.

Singh holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and religious studies from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

Later, Singh attended Osgoode Hall Law School at York University in Toronto and graduated with the degree of Juris Doctor in 2010.

Controversy

Singh ignited controversy days before the 2018 election when a photo of him holding a poster reading "Fuck the Police" in a 2006 Facebook post surfaced. NDP leader Andrea Horwath defended Singh and allowed Singh to remain a member of the NDP, saying "That's a sign that's despicable,". "Gurratan has actually said so as well. He's very regretful that he held that sign a number of years ago." Horwath said that Singh is a different person now compared to when he held up that sign at a 2006 rally. "When I was 20 there's things I probably did that I regret," she said. "It's not on Facebook though, there wasn't Facebook when I was 20." "Gurratan Singh is a person that turned his life around. He went to law school. He now upholds the law in the justice system," Horwath added. "People make mistakes when they're young."

Singh issued a statement apologizing "unreservedly to police officers, their families and the policing community", saying he was "deeply ashamed" of his actions. "I deeply respect the sacrifices police officers make in service of justice and public safety, and realize the importance of community-building with officers," he said.

Then-Premier Kathleen Wynne called a photo of Singh holding the sign a "very disturbing and divisive image." "As leaders, we all have to answer for the beliefs and the behaviour of our candidates," she said. "This is a very disturbing situation and Andrea Horwath is going to have to explain how she can continue to support a candidate in that position. I would not be able to support his candidacy."

Electoral record

2022 Ontario general election: Brampton East
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive Conservative	Hardeep Grewal	12,552	43.30	+9.80
	New Democratic	Gurratan Singh	8,940	30.84	-16.08
	Liberal	Jannat Garewal	6,140	21.18	+4.56
	Green	Jamaal Blackwood	557	1.92	+0.56
	Ontario Party	Paul Stark	509	1.76
	New Blue	Michael Bayer	288	0.99
Total valid votes			28,986
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots
Turnout				36.18	-15.49
Eligible voters			80,121
	Progressive Conservative gain from New Democratic		Swing		+12.94
Source: Elections Ontario

2018 Ontario general election: Brampton East
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	New Democratic	Gurratan Singh	17,606	46.85
	Progressive Conservative	Sudeep Verma	12,631	33.61
	Liberal	Parminder Singh	6,245	16.62
	Green	Raquel Fronte	500	1.33
	Libertarian	Daniele Cerasoli	472	1.26
	Trillium	Gurdeep Dhothar	125	0.33
Total valid votes				100.0
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots
Turnout
Eligible voters			71,695
Source: Elections Ontario