Jagmeet Singh

Birth Name: Jagmeet Singh Jimmy Dhaliwal

Place of Birth: Scarborough, Ontario, Canada

Date of Birth: January 2, 1979

Ethnicity: Punjabi Indian [Sikh]

Jagmeet Singh is a Canadian politician and lawyer. He has been Leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), since October 1, 2017, and a Member of Parliament for Burnaby South (BC), since February 25, 2019. He was previously a Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament, from October 6, 2011 to October 20, 2017.

He is a turban-wearing Sikh.

His parents, Harmeet Kaur and Jagtaran Singh, are Punjabi Indian emigrants. His father is from Thikriwala, in Barnala, and his mother is from Ghudani Khurd, in Punjab’s Ludhiana district. His brother, Gurratan Singh, is also an NDP politician, who has been a Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament, since 2018. Jagmeet spent a year in India during his childhood. He was raised in St. John’s, and then Grand Falls-Windsor, both in Newfoundland and Labrador, and also in Beverly Hills, Michigan, U.S.

Jagmeet is married to fashion designer Gurkiran Kaur Sidhu. She co-founded the Punjabi clothing line jangiiro. The couple has two children.

Jagmeet is the first person of colour to lead a major federal party in Canada. Annamie Paul, who led the Green Party, from 2020 to 2021, is the second. She is of Dominica and Saint Kitts and Nevis descent.

One of Jagmeet’s great-grandfathers was named Hira Singh. Hira served in WWI and WWII in the Sikh Regiment of the British Indian Army.

Jagmeeet’s great-grandfather was named Sewa Singh Thikriwala (born Sewa Singh Dhaliwal). He was a leader of the Praja Mandal movement in Patiala, and was a revolutionary who fought against British rule in India.