MONTREAL -- Ahead of tonight's French-language debate, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he's confident Quebecers share his party's values.
He also released a series of French-language ads seeking to reassure voters who could be reluctant to vote for a leader who wears a conspicuous religious symbol.
Identity issues are a recurrent part of the political discourse in Quebec, which has recently passed a secularism law banning some state employees, including teachers and police officers, from wearing religious symbols at work.
Singh is a practising Sikh who wears a turban.
It was the turban that prompted a man to confront Singh as he walked through Montreal's Atwater market this morning.
The man told Singh he should cut his turban off so he would “look like a Canadian.”
Singh replied that Canadians look like all kinds of people and that's the beauty of the country.
The older man was undaunted, telling Singh that “in Rome you do what the Romans do.”
Singh told reporters that he, like many Canadians, has faced racism and systemic discrimination in communities all across Canada, but he's confident in being able to move beyond the prejudice to highlight common values.
This evening's debate will be an important moment for Singh as he attempts to hold on to 14 seats in Quebec, which recent polls suggest are all in danger.
