This week, Jagmeet Singh was in Ladysmith to meet with NDP supporters at Transfer Beach.
Initially, Singh was told that 50 people had RSVP鈥檇 to the event, so he was surprised to see more than 100 in attendance, all masked up and practising physical distancing.
鈥淚t was way more people than we expected, and we were overwhelmed with the support,鈥� said Singh in a phone call on Tuesday.
I tried to get an interview with Singh in October 2019 after seeing a clip that went viral of him speaking about the importance of Indigenous communities having clean drinking water.
In the clip, a reporter asked an off-the-cuff question about how much it would cost to accomplish.
Singh replied: 鈥淚f Toronto had a 颅drinking-water problem, if Montreal had a drinking-water problem, would you be 颅asking the same question?鈥�
The clip was filmed at Grassy Narrows First Nation in Ontario, where community members were being poisoned by mercury in the water, Singh said.
In my work in Indigenous relations, I聽always say that it should not only be 颅Indigenous people speaking up on 颅Indigenous issues. When I saw this video of Singh, I saw a display of courage.
鈥淚t hit me in my heart, because people ask how much it will cost when it is for 颅Indigenous people. I don鈥檛 think they mean to, but in that moment, I knew they wouldn鈥檛 ask if it was for a city,鈥� Singh said.
A lot has changed since 2019. With the discovery of unmarked graves at 颅residential-school sites across Canada, many allies and supporters have been speaking up for Indigenous issues and in support of Indigenous people.
I鈥檝e written before that people in 颅Indigenous communities have known for decades that there were missing children, and it鈥檚 now becoming mainstream news.
鈥淭his is something that shouldn鈥檛 be a 颅surprise,鈥� said Singh. 鈥淚鈥檝e spoken with 颅people who attended these residential 颅institutions, and they remember areas that were off limits.
鈥淭here are settlers who knew residential schools were bad, but didn鈥檛 know how bad. Now they are all forced to confront what happened at residential schools.鈥�
As someone who walks in two worlds, I聽take pride in my work bringing different groups together in hopes of strengthening our community.
I鈥檝e always been intrigued by Singh 鈥� he has a different background and culture than most political leaders, and I鈥檝e felt that he used his humility to share who he is, as in the commercial where he had his hair down and was explaining his turban.
I鈥檇 never heard that point of view before.
Singh told me that he was bullied and assaulted as a child by his peers because he looked different.
I鈥檝e heard similar stories from other 颅leaders of colour.
鈥淚 found that defending myself wasn鈥檛 enough. I learned that people had 颅misconceptions about me because they didn鈥檛 know about me, so I learned to share who I am. I believe in radical empathy and that means that we are all one.鈥�
When I heard him say 鈥渨e are all one,鈥� my brain jumped to the Lekwungen word N茅tsama谩t, which also means 鈥渨e are all one.鈥�
Singh鈥檚 mother taught him the phrase 鈥淓k聽Onkar鈥� in Punjabi, which he said means 鈥渨e are all a part of one energy.鈥�
It鈥檚 interesting the commonalities we can find with people of different cultures and backgrounds when we stop to have a 颅conversation.
