By Canadian Press

‘Beyond appearance’: Singh makes pitch to Quebec voters on shared values

Oct 16, 2019 | 9:56 AM

HUDSON, Que. — NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he has seen a more welcoming attitude from Quebec voters towards him as the campaign has rolled along.

He says there is a spirit of openness that can be ignored in Quebec because of the focus on the province’s contentious secularism law, known as Bill 21.

That bill bans many public servants from wearing religious symbols or garments at work, and would cover Singh if he ever wanted to work in the province as a teacher, for instance, because he wears a turban and a kirpan as symbols of his Sikh faith.

The bill is popular in Quebec, and raised questions about its influence on how Quebec voters would see Singh, particularly after a man in Montreal suggested the NDP leader get rid of the turban to look more Canadian.

Singh says Quebecers see past his appearance as he has talked more about his values and how they align with voters in the province.

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The NDP leader is spending today trying to woo as many of those voters as possible ahead of election day by spending time in the area where former party leader Jack Layton was raised.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Oct. 16, 2019.

The Canadian Press