Armed guards, no biking and exit strategies: Jagmeet Singh’s life under RCMP protection

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) said Wednesday countries, including India, "leverage" criminal gangs to allegedly conduct "threat activity" on Canadians soil.

In December 2023, Jagmeet Singh posted pictures of his wife holding their newborn baby. Singh, then the leader of the federal New Democrats, gazed lovingly at the baby girl as his wife, Gurkiran Kaur Sidhu, cradled her.

Not pictured in Singh’s social media accounts was the retinue of armed RCMP officers stationed outside the hospital room, there to ensure the federal politician and his young family’s safety after the national police force determined Singh’s life was under imminent threat.

“(During) the time in his life when it should be nothing but joy … he needed an armed presence to keep his family safe,” said Jennifer Howard, Singh’s longtime chief of staff, in a recent interview with Global News.

“Nobody should have to go through that. That is a price too high, I think, for any politician to pay.”

Anxiety comes easily to new parents, but Singh had more to worry about than sleep deprivation or feeding schedules. Global News reported last week that Singh was notified in late 2023 that his life was in danger, and police put tight security around his homes.

Singh revealed during the recent general election that he considered stepping away from politics after receiving the warning. He would go on to lose his seat in that election, and resign as NDP leader.

What was not publicly known, and not disclosed to Singh at the time, was that he was being closely tracked by an agent believed to have ties to a transnational criminal gang and allegedly connected to activities directed by the Indian government.

Citing unnamed sources, Global reported that the agent had detailed information about Singh’s travel, daily routine and family. He allegedly had ties to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, a crime syndicate the Indian government has been accused of using to commit violence on Canadian soil.