Yesterday was a bit of a day for NDP leader Jagmeet Singh. After the Globe and Mail published a piece that showed him at a 2015 rally of Sikh separatists in San Francisco under a banner featuring the armed extremists leader of the group that prompted the raid on the Golden Temple in Punjab, Singh put out a statement saying that he was there as a “human rights activist” and that he condemns terrorism – but was vague in just whom he was denouncing, which raised yet more questions.

Here’s the backdrop at the Sikh rally where Jagmeet Singh spoke in San Francisco in 2015. (This screen capture is from a wide shot of the stage when another speaker is talking.) Note the big poster behind the podium that reads: “Sovereignty Rally.” pic.twitter.com/vW4LlQHkA0

— Steven Chase (@stevenchase) March 14, 2018

The long and the short of it: if he’s against separatist violence, he has a funny way of showing it. https://t.co/7ikOgwVvZY

— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦🇮🇱🇬🇪🇲🇩 (@acoyne) March 14, 2018

“I condemn all acts of terrorism in every part of the world, regardless of who the perpetrators are or who the victims are.”
Regardless of who the perpetrators are. Which is a tactful way to avoid actually naming any. https://t.co/erCn1xfiwa

— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦🇮🇱🇬🇪🇲🇩 (@acoyne) March 14, 2018

https://twitter.com/acoyne/status/973936126397329409

https://twitter.com/jonkay/status/973936060286754826

Since then, more information came to light by the National Post which showed Singh at a 2016 panel devoted to Sikh sovereignty along with a particular leader who advocated violence, and another organizer later said that he appreciated Singh not denouncing the architect of the Air India bombing when he was on Power & Politics, essentially feeding the conspiracy theories that said architect was set up. And since even then, Ujjal Dosanjh has come out with video where Singh has denounced him as an opponent of Khalistani separatists. So, it looks like Singh could be in for a difficult time ahead as more questions get asked, and we’ll see if his comms team remains as cagey as they have been so far.

Here is video 2010/11. @ about 10 min Mark @jagmeetsingh @NDP attacks me at this public meeting of adhoc Committee of separatists called to denounce & defeat me for my opposition to separatism and extremism. #NDP #Khalistan #cdnpoli #jagmeetsingh https://t.co/q9HTfEcNEa

— Ujjal Dosanjh (@ujjaldosanjh) March 15, 2018

https://twitter.com/jonkay/status/974139506369507329

Paul Wells notes that Singh’s half-answers and the lengths to which he’ll go to give clear answers demonstrates that he is, after all, a lawyer. Martin Patriquin notes that Singh will have a hard time saying that he can support Sikh separatists with regard to Khalistan while opposing Quebec separatists in Canada.

Good reads:

• While continuing his steel and aluminium tour, Justin Trudeau stated that Canada won’t be “bowled over” by American demands in the NAFTA negotiations.
• Donald Trump’s newest economic advisory is a proponent of NAFTA – but refers to Trudeau as a “left-wing crazy guy.”
• Trump, incidentally, bragged about making up facts to Trudeau while giving a fundraising speech.
• Chrystia Freeland has condemned the suspected Russia poisoning in the UK.
• Freeland is standing behind our High Commissioner to Barbados, who is accused of election interference for suggesting that the country is ready for a female PM.
• Mélanie Joly says that web giants like Google and Facebook need to do more to foster local journalism.
• Amarjeet Sohi has concluded the bilateral infrastructure agreement with Ontario, which will see the province get some $11.8 billion over the next decade.
• Deep within the budget were clues about the state of soldiers retiring for medical reasons, and what it’s costing the government.
• A report commissioned by Elections Canada says that tougher rules for third-party spending in elections are necessary.
• Oh, look – 24 Sussex has even more asbestos than originally thought, and will cost an additional $1 million to remediate.
• Mandatory harassment training for staffers both on and off the Hill is on the way.
• Senator Downe says the Senate needs more farmers, fishers, and veterans to fill existing policy gaps within the institution. That may be a recruiting challenge.
• Here’s a look at the problems around issues management in the PMO.
• Éric Grenier crunches the numbers in Quebec’s polls to look at why Andrew Scheer is making a pitch to voters there.
• Colby Cosh writes about the delicate dance that Jason Kenney has been forced to perform now that Rachel Notley has been given a platform to fight for pipelines.
• Andrew Coyne proposes tightening spending limits to include third-party groups under the same limits as parties.