On Wednesday, July 29, CTV News reporters Grahame Richardson and Stephanie Ha of the network’s Ottawa Bureau broke a story that may leave some Canadians experiencing a certain level of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Jagmeet Singh, former leader of the NDP and the person most responsible for safeguarding former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s government until the end of 2024, was being vetted as the next CEO of Destination Canada, a federal Crown corporation operating to market the country globally, encourage economic growth, and provide important information for the travel industry. Beyond questions about Singh’s qualifications, several matters should disturb Canadians about this prospective hire. Why does Prime Minister Mark Carney think this would be a good idea? What does the record tell us about Singh’s skills as a leader? Why overlook several capable people to make a controversial choice with limited upside?
SINGH AS THE CHOICE
Many people have pointed to the Trudeau-Singh alliance, also known as the “Confidence-and-Supply” agreement, as facilitating the worst government in Canadian history. If that sounds like hyperbole, check the record. The 2022-2024 session included some of the worst ideas in Canadian legislative history. If the reader needs reminding, how about the cost of living and inflation hikes? After the pandemic spending, the Trudeau-Singh partnership brought us more unrestrained government largesse, creating 30-year highs in inflation. That led the Bank of Canada to raise interest rates, pushing up the cost of mortgages for everyday Canadians. On top of this, the Trudeau-Singh alliance authored record-setting immigration with no plan to house, educate, or provide healthcare. It drove up housing prices and made it impossible for the next generation of Canadians to own a home. The Fraser Institute reported that during this era, Canada experienced the weakest per-person GDP growth of any long-serving prime minister in recent history, averaging just 0.3 per cent annually. These economic doldrums caused us to fall significantly behind the United States. Finally, many Canadians felt disenfranchised because a small left-wing party (NDP) was handed a huge role in determining everyday policy that very few had voted for. The stench of that government remains in the nostrils of many, and rewarding one of its stewards seems like a prize undeserved and a post unearned.
SINGH’S RECORD
The position of CEO of Destination Canada will demand someone who possesses an understanding of economics, can market the concept of Canada as a nation strong and free, and knows how to articulate the nation’s story with enthusiasm. The prime minister used this to sell himself as the natural successor to the disaster that befell the nation during the Trudeau-Singh coalition. Who can forget the outpouring of unabashed patriotism because Carney was there to save the day? How does returning one of the fiasco’s leaders to a prominent office help? Some will argue that leading a national party like the NDP possesses transferable skills of communication, teamwork, and strategic thinking, but the record shows the opposite. Singh took over the NDP in 2017 when the party had 44 seats in the House of Commons. In successive elections from 2019 to 2021 to 2025, he lost seats each time and ultimately lost his own seat in his Burnaby riding (finishing third). When he finally departed on the evening of April 28, 2025, the party had collapsed to seven seats, won six per cent of the national vote, and had endured its worst electoral drubbing in history. The NDP owed over $23 million to lenders, and only about 20 per cent of its candidates were eligible for candidate rebates (Elections Canada hands back 60 per cent of local campaign expenses to candidates who get 10 per cent or higher of the vote); the party lost parliamentary funding, and there was a donor revolt that encouraged members to give to local associations instead of the national committee. At all costs, just as Canadians rejected Singh and his ideas in 2025, Carney should flee any hunch that this might be a good appointment. Canadians deserve better, and Carney should know better.
SINGH OR SOMEONE ELSE?
Meaghan Ferrigno has held the position since long-time CEO Marsha Walden retired. Walden had been the head of B.C. Destination from 2013 to 2020 before taking over the federal corporation. Her skills in the industry were essential to Destination Canada’s success, and her name, unknown to most Canadians, carried weight and stood for sober leadership during a period of recovery following the COVID pandemic. Ferrigno would carry that forward, as would any number of executives in the industry who play prominent roles at the provincial level or even at the local level. Other nations like the U.S., Australia, or the U.K. draw extensively on private-sector destination management, global aviation, or multinational marketing backgrounds. The government could also raid large airline companies, the hospitality industry, or global ad developers for an executive to fill this role. Even Adam Stiles, the interim head of Niagara Falls tourism, is better suited to the job than a former politician. Paying between $320,000 and $350,000 per annum, including performance bonuses, the job would be attractive to many skilled leaders in the industry.
Carney and his team need to take a deep breath on this appointment. Putting Singh in charge, back in the spotlight, overseeing a huge federal corporation echoes like a bad joke. Let’s hope this was someone’s idea of pulling a fast one on the boss and will quickly disappear into the ether, never to be heard of again. During the 1984 campaign, Brian Mulroney, regarding new Liberal leader John Turner’s patronage appointments, said, “You had an option, sir — to say ‘no’ — and you chose to say ‘yes’ to the old attitudes and the old stories of the Liberal Party.” We don’t know if Singh’s reward for the “Confidence and Supply Agreement” includes a government appointment, but if that turns out not to be the case and the Liberal government offers Singh the job, he should turn it down out of love for the country. He already has a premium pension after serving the required six years in the House. Haven’t Canadians paid a steep enough price? Didn’t his constituents make their verdict clear? The Jagmeet Singh follies need no encore.
Dave Redekop is a retired elementary resource teacher who worked part-time at the St. Catharines Courthouse as a Registrar until being appointed Executive Director at Redeemer Bible Church in October 2023. He has worked on political campaigns since high school and attended university in South Carolina for five years, earning a Master’s in American History with a specialization in Civil Rights. Dave loves reading biographies.
