Article content

Jagmeet Singh was declared the new leader of the NDP in a decisive victory after a single round of voting ended on Sunday.

The Ontario MPP was named leader with 53.8 per cent of the vote at a Toronto convention centre, during the finale of a drawn-out leadership campaign that began after current leader Tom Mulcair lost a vote on a leadership review in April 2016.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or A 'game-changer': Jagmeet Singh 'kicks the door open' and wins NDP leadership Back to video

Singh, who is Sikh, is the first non-white leader of a major federal party in Canada. He is also only the third NDP leader to have been elected on the first ballot, after Tommy Douglas, the party’s first leader, and Jack Layton.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or

In his victory speech, Singh said he ran a campaign focused on inequality, climate change, reconciliation and electoral reform. “To make progress on these issues, to truly make Canadians’ lives better, we owe it to Canadians to form government. We owe it to them,” he told a cheering crowd.

Singh’s perceived rival, Ontario MP Charlie Angus, finished well behind him, with just 19.4 per cent of the vote. Manitoba MP Niki Ashton won 17.4 per cent, while Quebec MP Guy Caron finished in last place, with 9.4 per cent of the ballots cast.