And just like that, Justin Trudeau got a little older and a little less cool.
Yes, there’s a new kid on the federal political scene – and, at the rate he’s going, he’s threatening to out-Trudeau the PM himself when it comes to charm, likeability and social media savvy.
We speak, of course, of Jagmeet Singh, the 38-year-old Ontario politician who won a first-ballot victory to become the new leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada.
Singh was far from a household name until a racist heckler confronted him at a campaign event in Brampton, Ont. and Singh’s gracious “love and courage” response went viral on social media.
Then, suddenly, the nation was abuzz with chatter about the fashionable dude with the magazine-worthy suits (GQ has labelled him the “incredibly well-dressed rising star in Canadian politics”) and the fuchsia turban.
Oh, and did we mention that he’s a criminal defence lawyer and does martial arts?
Face it, the guy is cool.
It’s no small feat that this Canadian-born Sikh has managed to reach the top echelons of a political system that has typically been dominated by establishment types (read: white, middle-aged, well-off).
His is one of the fresh faces that Canadian politics needs as we move forward into the 21st century.
Singh – by virtue of his skin colour, his beard and his turban – is a visible signal that Canadians embrace diversity. His leadership represents a real chance for politics to overcome the racism and fear of the “other” that have become such dominant forces in the United States.
To be sure, Singh is utterly untested on the federal scene, and it remains to be seen whether he can survive as a leader.
Plus, there’s a real danger for the Canadian left that Singh’s appeal will draw from Trudeau’s supporters, leaving the two cool guys to fight it out on one side while the much lower-profile (and much less cool) Andrew Scheer steers the Conservatives to victory on the other side.
But for the moment, we’ll take Singh’s victory as a sign of positive change.
Of a chance for optimism to win over cynicism. For passion and energy to win over apathy. For love and courage to triumph over hate and fear.
The world needs all of that, now more than ever.
