With eight months to go before Canadians head to the polls, the leader of the New Democrats is poised to take his seat in the House of Commons.
Jagmeet Singh was sworn in as a member of Parliament in a ceremony in Ottawa on Sunday.
Singh told the audience he was “humbled by” the confidence his B.C. constituents put in him and delivered a campaign-style speech that outlined some of the NDP’s policy priorities, including housing and education affordability, First Nations reconciliation and the environment.
Singh also mentioned the New Zealand mosque shootings, saying that the root causes of hate, including fear, must be addressed.
Singh says they must speak out against hateful language
“We, of course, denounce hate, but I’m going to ask us to go beyond that,” he said.
Singh was elected in a byelection in Burnaby South on Feb. 25 after being named successor to Thomas Mulcair in a 2017 leadership contest. Prior to that, he served as deputy NDP leader in the Ontario legislature.
More than a dozen NDP MPs, including high-profile B.C. member Nathan Cullen, have said they will not be seeking re-election.
WATCH: NDP celebrate ‘historic’ moment of first racialized national leader taking seat in House of Commons