Canada's Jagmeet Singh becomes 1st non-white politician to lead major party

Singh will now focus on rallying supporters and targeting centre-left voters who helped propel Trudeau's Liberals to a decisive victory in 2015

Jagmeet Singh, an Ontario provincial lawmaker and practicing Sikh, was elected on Sunday as leader of Canada’s left-leaning New Democrats, becoming the first non-white politician to head a major Canadian political party.

The 38-year-old lawyer, whose penchant for colourful turbans and tailor-made three-piece suits made him a social media star, was elected on the first ballot to lead the New Democratic Party into the 2019 federal election against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals.

“Thank you, New Democrats. The run for Prime Minister begins now,” Singh tweeted.

Singh secured 54 per cent of the vote, defeating three rivals to become the new