New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh has a fuzzy understanding of the right to self-determination. Either that, or the trained lawyer sees a political advantage in leaving his position on the right to secession, and the ease with which it can be exercised, open to interpretation as he courts Quebec and Sikh separatists in his bid to become prime minister.

Either way, the new NDP Leader needs to come clean on whether he supports the creation of an independent country for Sikhs in the Punjab region of India or simply the right of Sikh separatists to non-violently express their desire for one without facing persecution by the Indian government. If it's the latter, that's fine and Mr. Singh will have no further explaining to do.

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The problem is that his support for the creation of a theocratic Sikh state known as Khalistan is not the only question Mr. Singh has danced around since recruiting thousands of Sikhs as NDP members and winning a first-ballot leadership victory this month. His failure to clearly condemn the glorification of the alleged mastermind of the 1985 Air India bombing by militant Canadian Sikhs who support an independent state suggests Mr. Singh isn't as clear about his own principles as he makes out.

CBC journalist Terry Milewski, who spent years covering the investigation into the Air India bombing, was criticized (by Mr. Singh and others) for his admittedly aggressive questioning of the NDP chief about the veneration of Talwinder Singh Parmar. The latter, the prime suspect in the bombing who was killed by police in India in 1992, is seen as a martyr by many militant Sikhs in Canada. Mr. Milewski wanted to know whether Mr. Singh thought that was okay by him.

It was a touchy, but not inappropriate, question. As a CBC spokesman later pointed out, seeking to clarify Mr. Singh's personal position on a topic that bitterly divides the Sikh community in Canada was entirely legitimate. Many Canadian Sikhs (many of whom undoubtedly supported Mr. Singh's leadership bid) hold militant views. Asking Mr. Singh where he stands on those views is no different than CBC asking Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer whether he is beholden to the social conservatives who backed his own successful leadership bid.

Mr. Singh did denounce the bombing as a "heinous" terrorist act. But added: "I don't know who was responsible. But I think we need to find out who was truly responsible. We need to make sure the investigation actually results in a conviction of someone who was actually responsible." Since posthumous convictions are almost unheard of, this suggests the NDP Leader is unwilling to pin any blame on Mr. Parmar, conveniently letting his worshippers off the hook.

Like Justin Trudeau, Mr. Singh acts as though he thinks he can coast to power on the basis of his sunny disposition alone. And maybe he can. Gender and racial equality, fighting climate change, First Nations reconciliation and electoral reform are the motherhood and apple pie issues of 21st-century politics. The devil is in the policy details, on which Mr. Singh is as vague as he is smiley.

In Quebec, where the NDP ate heavily into Bloc Québécois support to sweep the province in 2011, Mr. Singh has been upbeat in seducing separatists. If a mere majority of those who participate in a future referendum vote to secede, no biggie. "To me, Quebec is a nation and [Quebeckers] have the right to decide their future, to decide what they want to do," he has said. "So, I agree with that and I will immediately work to support [their] decision."

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This kind of wink-wink encouragement for Sikh militants and Quebec separatists alike is really no different than the dog-whistle politics of some conservatives. It allows Mr. Singh to pander to his intended audience without the rest of the population cluing in or taking notice. All they see is the smiley turban-wearing hipster preaching "love and courage" as the solution to all our ills.

I do admire Mr. Singh, a victim of racism who chose to draw on personal experience to make Canada a better place. I believe he is sincere in his commitment to social justice. And I'm grateful to live in a country where an observant Sikh and member of a visible minority such as him can become the leader of a major political party.

But telling people you don't want to upset what they want to hear is not a sign of leadership.