The Punjabi community’s impact on the Canadian politics has been further cemented with the victories of thirteen candidates with Punjabi roots in the most recent British Columbia provincial elections. The triumphs occur at a time when the Indo-Canadian community, especially the Punjabi community, is becoming more and more significant, especially in British Columbia.
The Punjabi community’s impact on the Canadian politics on a continuous rise
The 93-member House saw the New Democratic Party (NDP) win 46 seats, the Conservative Party win 45 seats, and the Green Party win two seats.
The winning candidates, who stand for the NDP and the Conservative Party, come from various political backgrounds. They contested on a variety of platforms, supporting causes like immigration support, economic growth, healthcare improvements, and climate action.
Among the prominent winners was housing minister Ravi Kahlon, who retained his Delta North seat with a significant margin. Kahlon has been instrumental in driving policies related to housing and climate change.
Another notable victor is Raj Chauhan, the outgoing speaker of the British Columbia assembly. Winning for the record sixth time, he had earlier served as the assistant deputy speaker from 2013 to 2017 and the deputy speaker from 2017 to 2020.
For the seventh time, Jagrup Brar, the state minister for trade, triumphed over Surrey Fleetwood. Brar, who was born in Bathinda, used to play basketball for the Indian national team. He eventually relocated to Canada to pursue his studies and resided there. Since his election as an MLA in 2004, he has been involved in politics.
Mandeep Dhaliwal, a candidate for the Conservative Party, defeated Surrey North’s Rachna Singh, the minister of education and childcare. But Jinny Sims, a well-known Punjabi leader, lost from Surrey Panorama.
Candidates for the NDP who won were Harwinder Kaur Sandhu from Vernon Monashee, Sunita Dhir from Vancouver Langara, Reah Arora from Burnaby East, and Ravi Parmar from Langford Highland. It’s Harwinder’s second victory from the seat.
Attorney General Nikki Sharma has won again from Vancouver Hastings, while Jessie Sunner has triumphed from Surrey Newton.
Conservative leader Harman Singh Bhangu has emerged victorious from Langley Abbotsford constituency, Honveer Singh Randhawa from Surrey Guildford and Tody Toor from Langley Willow Brook.
Their successes are a major turning point for the Punjabi community, which has long been an important part of British Columbia’s socioeconomic landscape, especially in towns like Surrey and Abbotsford where a sizable Indo-Canadian population lives. Political mobilization in these places has increased recently, and local community leaders have emphasized the significance of political representation.
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