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Jagmeet comme vous ne l’avez jamais vu.



Il est prêt à se battre pour vous, pour affronter l’urgence climatique et pour que les plus riches paient leur part.



Découvrez-le dans cette toute nouvelle vidéo où il se présente aux https://t.co/OKRCmc5M1g! 🔽 pic.twitter.com/qEVnoQeiGL — NPD_QG (@NPD_QG) September 3, 2019

In the English-language ad, Singh tells viewers he’s “different from the other leaders,” because he doesn’t “work for the wealthy and well-connected.” He promises to invest in health care and fight climate change. The spot shows him chatting with voters and playing soccer with a group of children.

But the 30-second French-language ad is quite different, opening with a shot of Singh with his long hair down, followed by a glimpse of him winding a turban around his head. “Like you, I’m proud of my identity,” he says in a voiceover. The images send a clear message about Singh’s values to a province that has recently passed a ban on religious symbols for some public sector workers. Under Bill 21, Singh would not be able to work as a teacher or police officer in Quebec unless he removed his turban. The law is popular in Quebec, and the importance of secularism in the province has led to concerns about whether the NDP leader will be able to reach Quebecers.

“I think we want to say to Quebecers that of course he’s wearing religious signs because it’s part of his identity and he’s proud of that,” said Montreal MP Alexandre Boulerice, the party’s deputy leader. “But it’s also to say it’s not the end of the world and he can show his head without a turban and it’s not a big deal.”

Karl Bélanger, former national director of the NDP, said the party is making the best of the cards it’s been dealt. “There is no point in not talking about the elephant in the room,” he said. “Short of him losing the turban altogether, which I don’t think is in the cards, they have to deal with it. Bill 21 is not going to disappear, and so they are trying to make of his difference an asset.”