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New Delhi:
Jagmeet Singh, the head of Canada's New Democratic Party & a notable pro-Khalistan advocate, has lost the 2025 Canadian federal election. His defeat is perceived as an opportune moment for India & Canada to reestablish diplomatic & trade relations that had been frozen due to allegations made by Mr. Singh and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, saying that "agents" of India were involved in the assassination of Hardeep Nijjar.
Mr. Singh—who has repeatedly made such claims without any proof—failed to retain his Burnaby Central seat in British Columbia, losing to the Liberal Party's Wade Chang.
Predictions from Canadian media indicated that Mr. Singh's NDP, regarded as a potential 'kingmaker' in this closely contested election, would finish in a distant 4th place. The party secured 7 seats, majorly trailing behind Yves-Francois Blanchet-led Bloc Québécois, which holds 23 seats, & Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives with 147.
The decisive rejection of Mr. Singh's politics & leadership was further elaborated when he announced his resignation as the party leader just hours later, leading to the NDP losing its status as a national party. Under Canadian law, a political party must hold a minimum of twelve seats in the House of Commons to maintain that status.
The 46-year-old expressed his sadness at the NDP's failure to secure more seats.
In a post on twitter, he stated, "It has been the honour of my life to lead the NDP, and to represent the people of Burnaby Central. Congratulations to Prime Minister Carney, and to all the other leaders on a hard-fought campaign. I know this night is disappointing for New Democrats." The Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Mark Carney, is expected to come out victorious, having navigated the controversy generated by his predecessor Justin Trudeau's unproven allegations regarding India's involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani terrorist.
Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was shot dead outside a Vancouver gurdwara in the year 2023. As the relationship between the 2 nations soured—having bilateral trade exceeding $9 billion in 2023—New Delhi & Ottawa both expelled senior diplomats & recalled their envoys.
In January 2025, a report from a Canadian commission validated the Indian government's stance, saying that "no definitive link" with a "foreign state" in the killing of Nijjar could be "proven."
Throughout these events, Jagmeet Singh was one of the most vocal critics of India and its government, even calling for bans on the RSS, the ideological guide of BJP.