Jagmeet Singh says he was warned about life threat in 2023, possibly originating from 'foreign government'

Two days before the election and amid predictions that the NDP will do so badly that it can lose party status, Jagmeet Singh Saturday opened up about something that happened two years ago. He considered stepping down as the leader of NDP when he was warned by the RCMP that there was a credible threat to his life.

"When I got that threat, I was floored," Singh told reporters at a campaign event in London, Ontario, on Saturday morning. "I had chills thinking about what that could mean for my wife who was pregnant at the time -- for my baby girl." The warning came nearly a year before former prime minister Justin Trudeau claimed Canada had evidence linking Indian agents to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian media reported adding that RCMP did not specify who was behind the threat but the implication was a foreign government.

Singh said he discussed with his wife whether he should keep leading the party even after the threats. "She was floored too, and she was afraid. And I thought, 'Is it worth it for us to continue given a threat to life?' And so we chatted about it," Singh said adding that he stayed on for Canada's rollout of the new dental care program.

Jagmeet Singh said he's sharing this story now because Canadians shared with him their experience with foreign interference -- during the campaign. "What about folks that are faced with these threats on a day-to-day basis? What about different community groups that constantly are living with the fear of threats to themselves, to their families?" Singh said.

Singh was one of multiple MPs and cabinet ministers given RCMP protection in 2023. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has had constant protection for more than a year. Former emergency preparedness minister Harjit Sajjan had an RCMP detail for several months in 2023 and 2024, as did Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman.