NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is a proud new papa

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has become a father for the first time, to a baby daughter.

Singh announced Thursday that he and his wife Gurkiran Kaur welcomed a baby girl into the world on Monday.

"Our powerful little baby girl is basically my birthday present for life," Singh wrote on Twitter.

"Momma bear and baby are healthy and our hearts are filled with gratitude."

Singh celebrated his 43rd birthday the day before his daughter's birth.

The NDP leader's daughter will not be named immediately. In Sikh tradition, a newborn is named around two weeks after their birth in a ceremony called Naam Karan.

Singh has previously expressed his excitement about becoming a father.

He and his wife, a fashion designer, were married in February 2018 in a traditional Sikh wedding. They honeymooned in Mexico.

The NDP leader, who has campaigned in the past for better paternity and maternity benefits for new parents, is planning to take some paternity leave.

Parliament has not yet returned after the winter holiday break.

"He's planning to take some time off to spend time with his wife and new baby," said an NDP spokesperson.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was among a host of MPs and public figures to offer congratulations. Hundreds of messages of congratulation were posted on Twitter from around the world.

Trudeau tweeted well wishes from him and his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, saying the birth was "wonderful news."

"Sophie and I are wishing you all good health and many happy moments together," Trudeau said.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole also offered his congratulations on Twitter, adding: "Wishing you all the very best as you both enter parenthood!"

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet offered congratulations and good wishes from himself, his MPs and party members.

"There are few happier events or magnificent results than a birth," Blanchet tweeted.

British Columbia NDP Premier John Horgan, and Valerie Plante, mayor of Montreal, were among the many other well wishers to congratulate the couple on the birth of their baby girl.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 6, 2022.