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Opinion: This photo of Burnaby's Jagmeet Singh says a lot

NOW reader Diane Smithers emailed this photo in from Saturday’s Vancouver rally for the NDP. There’s a lot going on in it. You can see the prime location that Burnaby MLAs Janet Routledge and Katrina Chen were given behind party leader Jagmeet Singh.
jagmeet singh rally
Burnaby South MP and federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh at a rally in Vancouver on Saturday. Diane Smithers photo

NOW reader Diane Smithers emailed this photo in from Saturday’s Vancouver rally for the NDP.

There’s a lot going on in it.

You can see the prime location that Burnaby MLAs Janet Routledge and Katrina Chen were given behind party leader Jagmeet Singh.

You can see Burnaby North-Seymour candidate Svend Robinson on the right.

You also see Singh’s signature pose, with his right hand over his heart. Campaigns need signature moves and Singh's has resonated with people.

Singh has been campaigning, it seems, forever – going way back to when he was fighting for his political life in February’s Burnaby South byelection.

Then, once winning a seat as an MP, Singh has been racing across Canada ever since. Things have not been easy. The NDP’s polling was flat and sitting at anywhere from 10-15% if you even believe polls.

Now the NDP is sitting at about 18% depending on the poll, but far higher in B.C. One poll even has the NDP in second place behind the Conservatives in B.C.

Even better news for Singh is his personal approval rating, which has gone from 37% at the start of the campaign to 46%, according to Abacus Data. Read more here.

Although most pundits at first declared "no winner" of the main televised campaign debate, it seems pretty clear that Singh won it because his numbers seem to skyrocket after it. Singh showed his political chops, both in stating policy and firing off zingers.

As a side note, some of the polling bump comes from how Singh has handled rampant racism towards him on the campaign trail – like one white clown telling him to take off his turban to be “more Canadian.” It’s sad and pathetic to think that is what has sold some Canadians on Singh, but here we are.

This photo shows the “Singh surge” or the “UprisSingh” in full bloom, although I try not to put too much stock in rally crowds as a sign of political results.

Monday night is going to be crazy. Tuesday and the months ahead will likely be even crazier for Canada.

Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.