Singh reveals RCMP warned him about death threat in late 2023

Jagmeet Singh says he was warned by the RCMP about a credible threat to his life and placed under police protection two winters ago — and that he considered stepping down as leader of the NDP.

"When I got that threat, I was floored," Singh told reporters at a campaign event in London, Ont., on Saturday morning. "I had chills thinking about what that could mean for my wife who was pregnant at the time — for my baby girl."

In winter of 2023-24, Singh received a "duty to warn" from the RCMP, which is how the police force notifies people they've become aware of threats to their safety.

Four officers delivered the warning to the NDP leader.

"It was definitely a scary time. I felt this knot in my stomach. For the first number of days, I just stayed in the basement because they advised me to stay away from windows," Singh said. He was placed under heavy RCMP protection for weeks.

The warning to Singh, first reported by the Toronto Star, came nearly a year before former prime minister Justin Trudeau claimed Canada had evidence linking Indian agents to the killing of Canadian Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. 

Singh, who is also Sikh, told reporters the RCMP did not specify who was behind the death threat "but the implication was a foreign government."

After being warned, Singh said he and his wife discussed whether he should keep leading the