Remember when the biggest political news story in the country was federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh's resounding by-election victory?

Well, a lot of political water has certainly gone under the bridge since then, hasn't it?

And in theory, you'd think all that water would be lifting Singh and the NDP to a higher political ground.

After all, since Singh's by-election triumph the much-publicized SNC-Lavalin scandal, with its overtones of corrupt corporate capitalism, has landed smack dab in the middle of the NDP's socialist wheelhouse; it's an issue, in other words, Singh should have knocked out of the ballpark.

Yet, amazingly, despite everything that's working in his favour, the NDP leader still hasn't made much of an impact.

As a matter of fact, it seems as if the only stories which centred on the NDP during the scandal fracas were ones focusing on high profile NDP MPs who were retiring from politics, leading to speculation they were abandoning a lost cause.

So even at the height of the SNC-Lavalin affair, bad headlines were still dogging the NDP.

So what's the trouble?  Why can't Singh seem to catch a break?

Or more to the point, why can't he seem to make himself or his party more relevant?

And yes, the fact that I'm even talking about an NDP leader needing to become "relevant" is a sign as to far down Canada's official socialist party has fallen since the heady days of Jack Layton when it seemed as if the country's political landscape was about to be deluged by an unstoppable "Orange Wave".

Yet not all is lost for the NDP.

Indeed, if you're a New Democrat and you want to embrace a little positivity then consider this: the NDP has no place to go but up.

And when I say that, I'm not being facetious.

In fact, from a grand strategic point of view, being low in the polls months before an election gives the NDP an opportunity to claim that most cherished of all political prizes: momentum.

And yes, momentum matters a lot.

Simply put, voters like to be on what I like to call a "moving train", so if Singh can show his party is gaining steam, that's its heading in the right direction, it can help attract supporters, voters who are looking to be on a team that's ascendant, and that growing support would in turn attract even more supporters and thus boost the NDP's fortunes.

To get this momentum train rolling, all it will take are a few modest upticks of support for the NDP in public opinion polls, and then, once that happens, Singh can start crowing about how his party's message is clearly starting to resonate with Canadians.

That's to say, he doesn't need a dramatic upsurge in the polls, just consistent, steady progress.

But to realize such polling gains, Singh first needs to concentrate on improving his brand and on polishing his message.

So what does he need to do?

Well, first and foremost, Singh needs to convince both the media and the public at large, that he's ready for prime time.

And that means overcoming his two glaring weaknesses as leader, one of which might be called a "macro" problem, the other a "micro" problem.

Let's first consider his weakness at the macro level, by which I mean he's failed so far to gain any traction when it comes to either capturing the imagination of voters or selling himself as a viable progressive alternative to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

How does he turn this around?

Well, he needs to come up with a compelling message, a message that reflects both the values Canadians embrace and the concerns and hopes they harbor.

This will take lots of skillful polling analysis and lots of careful message crafting; it won't be easy, it won't be cheap, but it can be done.

Next, Singh needs to address his "micro" problem, by which I mean his poor performance when dealing with the media.

I think you know what I'm talking about here.

Often times Singh seems ill-prepared when talking to the media, as if he's not sure of his facts or as if he's uncertain as to his party's own positions.

To my mind this reflects poor staff work.

So to correct this problem, Singh just needs to hire better staff, i.e. he needs communication professionals at his side, people who can provide solid media training and who can help him look confident and assured when he's before a camera.

To sum up, Singh needs to get his act together and he needs to do it soon.

That NDP momentum train sure ain't gonna start itself.