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The RCMP officers didn鈥檛 reveal any details of who was levelling the threat or why Singh was on the receiving end of what鈥檚 known as the 鈥渄uty to warn.鈥� As he sat there, incredulous, he was only able to figure out that it had something to do with foreign interference 鈥� a very live topic in Canadian politics over the past few years.

This was, in fact, nearly a year before Justin Trudeau announced in October 2024 the expulsion of Indian diplomats after receiving what the prime minister said in a statement were: 鈥渃redible allegations that agents of the government of India were directly involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, on Canadian soil.鈥� Nijjar was a prominent Sikh activist in B.C.

Singh, arguably Canada鈥檚 most high-profile Sikh, was not told whether he had become the target of threats for that alone, or for something he had said. He still doesn鈥檛 know.

But it was immediately clear the RCMP wasn鈥檛 issuing this warning lightly. They used words like 鈥渃redible,鈥� 鈥渞eal鈥� and 鈥渦rgent.鈥�

鈥淲hen I heard those words, my stomach sank,鈥� Singh said. It was when he thought of his family, though, that it really hit him. 鈥淚 was gripped by this fear. I felt these chills, this sense of knot in my stomach. I never wanted to put my family at risk.鈥�

Suddenly, Singh and his family were surrounded by armed protection, 24 hours of the day. He says he spent the first week in the basement, because he鈥檇 been advised that was a safer place.

When the NDP leader went to make an announcement in mid-December about the rollout of the dental-care program they had obtained in their governing deal with Trudeau, the RCMP was all around.

And when Singh had to rush to the hospital for the birth of Dani at the end of that event, a squad of RCMP protective officers were with them, with armed guards all over the hospital.

鈥淧eople were kind of looking around and wondering like how serious is this, because it was very visible, the level of weaponry and the presence of these folks,鈥� he said. It was, he said, 鈥渙ne of our most joyous moments of our life, welcoming this beautiful new life and at the same time we were faced with the overwhelming and intense fear for our safety.鈥�

Jennifer Howard, chief of staff to the NDP leader, still vividly recalls how the reality of the threats sunk in with her and all those working closely with Singh at the time.

鈥淢y response to crises generally is to get very calm and methodical,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 honestly sat down and tried to think through it. OK, like if they kill him聽鈥� what do we do? How do we announce that? How do we talk about that? Who takes over as leader?鈥�

Singh has, up until now, dodged questions about whether he personally has been the target of foreign interference and whether this was contained in the security briefing he received from the RCMP.

He said he has been reluctant to turn this issue into something all about him, and he had to be talked by his staff into disclosing the intensity of those winter months to me. Singh insisted it鈥檚 not a play for votes this late in the campaign.

Howard, for her part, says this isn鈥檛 a plea for sympathy for Singh as he goes into the final couple of days of this election. She said she wants people to know how Singh handles pressure,

鈥淲e鈥檝e talked a lot in this election about the ability of leaders to manage through crises,鈥� Howard said. 鈥淭here are some crises that are very visible, and there are some that are invisible. But they are all tests.鈥�

The RCMP is always reluctant to talk in any detail about individual threats against public figures but sent a statement in response to questions.聽

“The security environment in which public officials operate is constantly evolving, both online and in person, and there has been an increase across the country in polarization of public sentiment on a number of fronts,” it read.聽

The statement said the RCMP has been providing “protective services to the leaders of political parties with official party status in the House of Commons.” And there are regular threat and risk assessments to “determine appropriate levels of protective services for the leaders, who are briefed on any changes to their security packages.”

In March, just days before the current election was called, the RCMP鈥檚 Protective Behavioural Analysis Unit released a report detailing how the threat environment had grown steadily against politicians from 2020 to 2023 and was straining resources of the force to keep them safe.

鈥淭here is an ongoing need to assess and manage the increasing number of threats/persons/subjects of interest (SOIs) targeting public figures/very important persons by using a proactive, science-based assessment process,鈥� the report summary stated. 鈥淚f these threats are not addressed, real physical or psychological harm could come to Canada鈥檚 protected persons and/or their families.鈥�

Singh says he鈥檚 grateful for all the protection he received and said he never forgets there are other, lesser-known Canadians who might not have been granted that high level of security in matters of foreign interference.

He admits that he did think of giving up the position that made him a target, but only if his wife, Kaur, wanted him to do so. But she urged him to carry on, and as he has been saying repeatedly on the campaign trail, giving up is not something he does.

The whole experience, Singh says, 鈥渃emented my commitment.鈥�