OTTAWA—Guy Caron, the Quebec MP who brought the province’s contentious debate on religious symbols and secularism into the NDP leadership race, will lead the party in Parliament while newly-anointed leader Jagmeet Singh does not have a seat.

Singh and Caron made the announcement Wednesday, embracing each other in front of the cheering ranks of the party’s MPs in the foyer of the House of Commons. Singh said he tapped Caron for the job because of his “competence” as an MP, and to demonstrate the importance of Quebec, where the party has 16 of its 44 seats and achieved its historic breakthrough under Jack Layton in 2011.

Caron, who ran against Singh for the leadership and placed fourth, has made the case that the NDP has no shot at victory in a general election without winning in the majority-francophone province.

“I’m confident that we will not only be able to maintain seats there, but because of our values and our unique offer that we will have for Quebec, we will be able to grow in Quebec,” said Singh.

Singh, a Brampton MPP since 2011, has said he plans to resign his seat at Queen’s Park as soon as possible, but he has made no commitment to become a federal MP before the 2019 election.

In the meantime, Caron acknowledged that he has big shoes to fill in taking outgoing leader Tom Mulcair’s spot in the House of Commons.

“I think I’ve demonstrated what I can do in the House,” he told reporters.

“My role is to be (Singh’s) voice, to be his representative in the House, and that is a great challenge that I’m impatiently waiting to tackle.”

The choice of Caron as parliamentary leader was notable for his role in bringing a divisive debate on secularism into the NDP leadership race.

Singh, a practicing Sikh who wears a turban and ceremonial kirpan, was questioned repeatedly through the final weeks of the contest about his position on Bill 62, a proposed law in Quebec that would ban people from wearing religious face coverings when giving or receiving public services.

This became an issue after Caron released a policy platform that said, while he personally opposes the bill, Ottawa should respect the will of Quebecers on the matter. He argued that Quebec’s history with the Catholic Church, which was closely linked with government and public life until the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s, has made secularism a priority for many people in the province.

Singh came out forcefully against Bill 62. He predicted that it would be struck down by the courts and told the Star that Caron’s position showed an “inconsistent understanding” of human rights.

“Human rights shouldn’t be a matter of popularity,” he said at the time.

Martine Ouellet, the leader of the Bloc Québécois, later accused Singh of representing the “rise of the religious left,” suggesting the Sikh symbols that he wears make him too religious for Quebec.

Caron responded by proclaiming from the stage of the NDP’s leadership showcase event in Hamilton on Sept. 17 that there is a place for Singh in the NDP and Quebec. He also put out a statement slamming Ouellet’s comments on Singh, saying that “sadly, Martine Ouellet missed an opportunity to languish in her anonymity.”

But Singh’s position was also questioned by an NDP MP from the Montreal area, Pierre Nantel, who told Le Devoir in September that he would consider sitting as an independent if the next leader didn’t respect the will of Quebecers.

On Wednesday, Caron and Singh smoothed over the issue and said they’re now in complete agreement on the matter. Singh said all New Democrats “fundamentally” believe in the separation of religion and government, and also respect “all” human rights.

“We’re clear that Quebec has the jurisdiction to decide their future. At the same time, we are completely confident that we have laws that will protect human rights in Quebec,” Singh said.

Caron added that Singh “entirely” supports the Sherbrooke Declaration, a NDP policy proclamation from 2005 that enshrines the view that Quebecers have a right to decide their own future — by separating from Canada with the support of a majority of voters — without federal interference.

“It leaves us to be able to work together on this.”

Singh also said that he gave Nantel a hug during Wednesday’s caucus meeting — his first as leader — and “had a nice chat” Tuesday night when the party’s MPs went out for dinner in Ottawa.

Nantel told reporters afterwards that he is no longer concerned about any lack of respect for Quebec from the NDP leader.

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“I am reassured to know that he respects the sovereignty of the National Assembly on these questions,” he said.

“Guy Caron as a parliamentary chief: this speaks volumes to how important Quebec is to him.”

Singh scored a commanding, first-ballot win in the NDP leadership race on Sunday, with 54 per cent of voters from the party choosing him to replace Thomas Mulcair. The tally was more than double that of his nearest opponent, veteran Ontario MP Charlie Angus, who 19 at per cent was closely followed by Manitoba MP Niki Ashton, who got 17 per cent.

Caron placed fourth, with 9 per cent of the vote.

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