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SIKH VIRSA ARTICLE EDITION OCTOBER 2021

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44 th Canadian Parliament has

17 Indo-Canadian MP’s

Dr. P. R. Kalia

Editor, Asian Times

Ottawa, 21 Sept: Once again, history

has been made in Canada in the 44 th federal

elections, results of which were out on

Monday, 20 th September. Of the 59 Indo-

Canadian candidates, 17 are elected to

Canada’s Parliament. As many as 16

Punjabis have been elected as members of

the House of Commons (Parliament). The

number exceeds the figure of those elected

in Punjab, back in India, for the Lok Sabha

(14).

These 17 MP’s have won from four

provinces, namely Ontario (8), British

Columbia (5), Alberta

(3), and Quebec (1). Today, they are a

part of the decision- making of the future

of this country that every immigrant

community across the globe should emulate.

Out of these 17 members, 16 belong to

Canadian Punjabi community, of which3

members belong to the Conservative Party,

one from NDP, while remaining 13 are

Liberals. Five members of the Parliament

are turban -wearing Sikhs while six are

women. Chander Arya, who won from

Napean, is from Karnatka, back in India.

First Indo-Canadian and a turbanwearing

Sikh member of Canadian

parliament Gurbax Malhi was got elected

in 1993. First time in 1993, three Indo-

Canadians made to the Parliament. Prior to

this, the maximum number of Indo-

Canadians were elected 20 in 2019, and 19

in 2015 election.

This time the Liberal Party has won 158

seats, the Conservative party, 119 and the

NDP is placed third with 25 seats. Other

two parties Bloc Quebecois & Green party

has scored 34 & 2 seats respectively.

Traditionally, Punjabis have been close

to the Liberal Party. It was only in 1947

that Indo-Canadians were given the right

to vote. The Indo-Canadian community,

especially Punjabis, have, since then, not

looked back. For them, the 1990 Calgary

Convention of the Liberal Party, leading to

the election of Jean Chretien as its leader,

was a milestone, for it formed a solid, loyal

voting block for the future Prime Minister

of Canada.

It was the first time the community

organised itself as a political force. Thus,

the political leaders of the Indian origin in

Canada rose from the grassroots with no

mentor to help them in scaling the political

ladder. Today, they are getting voter support

to move on to the provincial and federal

stage. Till-date, 39 Indo-Canadians have

been elected as members of Parliament

since 1993, while 63 have been elected to

the 7 provincial legislatures of Canada. And

six have been nominated to the Senate of

this country.

They, somehow, do not get assimilated

Sikh Virsa, Calgary 52. October 2021

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