Jagmeet Singh

Jagmeet Singh MPP
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament for Bramalea—Gore—Malton
Incumbent
Assumed office Octobr 6, 2011
Preceded by	Kuldip Kular
Personal details
Born	thumb (1979-01-02) January 2, 1979 Scarborough, Ontario
Died	thumb MPP Jagmeet Singh at his annual community BBQ in 2014
Resting place	thumb MPP Jagmeet Singh at his annual community BBQ in 2014
Political party	New Democrat
Parent	thumb MPP Jagmeet Singh at his annual community BBQ in 2014
Residences	Brampton, Ontario
Profession	Lawyer

Jagmeet Singh (born January 2, 1979) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is Deputy Leader of the New Democratic Party and member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who was elected in 2011. He represents the riding of Bramalea—Gore—Malton.

Early Life and Education

Singh attended high school at the Detroit Country Day School, in Beverly Hills, Michigan, graduating in 1997. He obtained his B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Western Ontario in 2001 and his LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University in 2005. He was called to the Bar of the Law Society of Upper Canada in 2006. He speaks English, French and Punjabi.

Singh worked as a criminal defence lawyer at Pinkofsky's law firm, from 2007-2008, which at that time was one of the largest criminal defence law firms in Toronto. Singh would go on to open his own private practice serving the GTA with a focus on the Peel Region.

During his time as a lawyer he offered free legal rights seminars across Ontario and provided pro bono legal counsel for people and community organizations. In a Toronto Star article published January 9, 2012, Singh stated that his background in criminal defense contributed to his decision to enter politics, particularly his work advocating for the protection of Charter rights.

In January 2012, the Toronto Star named Singh one of Toronto's "top 12 personalities to watch in 2012", calling Singh "a trailblazer in Ontario politics". Singh was recognized by the World Sikh Organization of Canada in their 2012 list of Honorees, for being the first turbaned Sikh MPP in Ontario.

Personal life

Singh is a mixed martial arts specialist who has competed in the U.S. and Canada in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Singh has been recognized for his fashion and style sense in Canadian magazines and publications. Singh was named by Toronto Life magazine as one of the five youngest rising stars, featured in the top 10 best dressed of 2013 and most recently one of the 10 style icons featured in the 50th anniversary of Yorkdale Mall. Toronto Life also recognized Singh as one of the top 25 most stylish personalities in Toronto in 2013.

In January 2012, the Toronto Star named Singh one of Toronto's top 12 personalities to watch in 2012, calling Singh a trailblazer in Ontario politics. Singh was recognized by the World Sikh Organization of Canada in their 2012 list of Honorees for being the first turbaned Sikh MPP in Ontario.

Political Beginnings

Singh began his political career with his decision to run for Member of Parliament in the 2011 federal election as the NDP candidate in the riding of Bramalea—Gore—Malton.

Singh would lose to the Conservative candidate Bal Gosal by 539 votes.

2011 Ontario General Provincial Election

Later that year, in the provincial election, he ran as the provincial NDP candidate in the same riding. During the election, he organized a tribute bicycle ride to Jack Layton who had recently died. The ride attracted many youth. He said that his campaign headquarters was a "safe haven for young people... what I realized is there are not a lot of services like drop-in centres or places for kids to kind of get together. It’s a safe environment and a positive one as well." He won the election defeating Liberal incumbent Kuldip Kular by 2,277 votes. He faced Kular again in the 2014 election, this time defeating him by 5,627 votes.

Provincial Politics

As of 2015, Singh is the provincial NDP critic for issues concerning the Attorney General of Ontario and the Ministry of Consumer Services, and also serves as the Deputy House Leader for the party.

In April 2015, Leader of the provincial NDP , Andrea Horwath, appointed Singh as Deputy Leader of the provincial NDP, making Singh the first Deputy Leader of the provincial New Democrats in over a decade.

Auto Insurance

In March 2012, Singh introduced a Private member's bill called "An Act to Amend the Insurance Act" to address high auto insurance rates. Singh wanted to remove the industry practice of basing insurance rates on geographic location. The bill failed to pass second reading.

In March 2013, Singh introduced a Motion to the Ontario Legislature calling on the Liberal Government to reduce auto insurance premiums by 15%. Singh's motion was accepted by the Legislature, and the 15% reduction would be included in the Liberal Government's 2013 Provincial budget.

In November 2014, Singh voted against the Liberal Governments Legislation entitled "Fighting Fraud and Reducing Automobile Rates Act", after revealing major shortcomings in the legislation regarding the driver's right to sue auto insurance companies. Singh said "Removing more protections for people is not the right way to go," said NDP critic Jagmeet Singh. "It's a significant loss of our rights, and this is not a good bill."

Tarion Home Warranty

in November 2015, Singh introduced a Private Member's Bill to the Ontario Legislature regarding the private corporation, TarionHome Warranty. Tarion was created by the provincial government in 1976 to be the provincial regulators of the provinces new home building industry.

Singh's proposed legislation would allow the Ontario Ombudsman the jurisdiction to investigate the practices of the private corporation, as well as force Tarion to produce a detailed track record of their builds, while also including all of their employees who make over $100,000 on the Ontario Sunshine list. The proposed legislation would also subject Tarion bylaws to the approval of the provincial government.

Police Carding

In 2011 Singh called for greater police accountability, and for the provincial government to draft legislation to strengthen Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU). He criticized the Ministry of the Attorney General following the release of a report by Ombudsman André Marin that found the province had undermined the SIU. Singh said, "The comprehensive failure of the ministry to address concerns about the SIU and give it a proper mandate is simply unacceptable, and I expect immediate action from the new Attorney General."

In October 2015, Singh stood in the legislature and delivered a member's statement on the negative consequences of arbitrary police street checks, a practice commonly referred to as 'carding' in Ontario, and highlighted the disproportionate effect these practices have on racial minorities. Singh introduced a non-binding motion in the Ontario legislature, calling for a ban on all arbitrary police street checks, a practice commonly referred to as 'carding' in Ontario. The motion was successful and passed unanimously.

One week after Singh's motion unanimously passed in the Legislature, the Ontario Liberal government would introduce comprehensive legislation aimed at banning arbitrary street checks by police in the province on Ontario.

Sikh Heritage Month

In December 2013, legislation introduced by Singh to have the month of April recognized as Sikh Heritage Month in the province of Ontario was passed by the Legislature. In a statement after the passing of this legislation, Singh stated that “This will be an opportunity to remember, celebrate and educate future generations about Sikh Canadians and the important role that they have played and continue to play in communities across Ontario,”

Ornge Air Ambulance

Singh was a critic of the province’s handling of the Ornge Air Ambulance service and called for greater oversight of the agency. Ornge was the subject of an investigation that found the air ambulance service paid a $1.4 million salary to its president while failing to provide timely emergency services. Singh said, "No more flying blind at Ornge.... The people of Ontario have been paying the bills at Ornge with scarce health dollars. They deserve the facts about what's happened. A key first step is making executive contracts immediately available to the public."

Overseas Money Transfers

In May 2012, Singh introduced a private member's bill called "An Act to amend the Consumer Protection Act, 2002" to address high fees on overseas money transfers. The bill died on the order paper when the legislature was prorogued in September 2012.

Payday Loans

In December 2014, Singh exposed a common practice by payday loan companies, in which gift cards can be exchanged for cash, with high fees attached to the transaction for the consumer. As provincial NDP critic to the Ministry of Consumer Services, Singh would raise these concerns during Question Period. After much controversy, payday loan provider Money Mart would go on to suspend their controversial 'gift cards for cash' program.

Human rights activity

On March 26, 2012, Singh issued a statement opposing the Government of India’s position on the death penalty Balwant Singh Rajoana. In the statement Singh called for Canada and Ontario to urge India to abolish the death penalty, stating that “With a $1.3 Billion annual trade between Ontario and India, this government should demand our trading partners uphold the same humanitarian values as us Canadians.” In June 2014, the Indian government turned down Singh's application for a visa to visit India.

In June 2012, he gave a statement in remembrance of the 1984 Sikh-Genocide and Operation Blue Star in Amritsar by the Indian government. criticized what he claims are human rights violations committed by the Sri Lankan government. He has advocated for the rights of Tibetan people in China, and spoken against the actions taken against the Falun Dafa practicing community by the Chinese government.

External links

• Official website
• Ontario Legislative Assembly parliamentary history (archived)