While the clock heads around the 45th federal election of Canada on April 28, something subtle but important acts in its Indian diaspora. For decades, Canadian Punjabi politicians were the face of the South Asian political commitment in the country – cabinet ministers, horse riding champions, politicians of the national party. But this year, a new voice enters the fray.
From Brampton to Calgary, four Gujarati candidates – mainly first generation immigrants – dispute parliamentary seats for the first time. While the Punjabi political presence remains dominant – seasoned, visible and electrically strategic – a new layer of representation is built by Gujarati candidates who have spent decades launching the foundations in business and social leadership.
Jayesh Brahmbhatt walks in the districts of Béston Changuacouy with a certain self -assurance. A civil engineer who has become a property-real estate promoter, Brahmbhatt, arrived in Canada from Gujarat in 2001. His trip is that many immigrants will recognize: starting with convenience stores, going to property and possibly constituting a reputation for realty. Now he participates in a popular festival ticket, he presents himself for Parliament in a country he called at home for just over two decades. “We defend freedom, responsibility, equity and respect for all, and somewhere, he resonates with me,” he said. “I’m talking to a lot of people and they are looking for changes in this election.”
The decision to enter politics, for Brahmbhatt and others like him, does not simply concern ideology. “The parties now identify the Indians as an important community in politics, and sub-groups such as the Gujaratis take advantage of this opportunity to be represented and to be heard,” he said.
He is one of the four candidates originally Gujarati who participate in this election.
The other, Sunjiv Raval, stands from Calgary Midnapore on a liberal ticket. He has been born in Tanzania and has lived in Calgary for over 20 years. Don Patel, a successful real estate agent of Anand, was briefly the choice of the conservative party for Etobicoke North before being abandoned earlier this week, as well as three other candidates. But Ashok Patel and Mineh Patel present each other as an indebtedness of Edmonton Sherwood and Calgary Skyview, respectively. None of them are political initiates. What binds them is a shared generational arc: immigrants who first built businesses, then communities, and who now seek to shape politics.
Hemant Shah, director of international trade with friends of India abroad based in Ottawa (OFIC), saw this change arrive. Longtime resident of Winnipeg and voice of the respected community, Shah places the moment in perspective. “Canada is home to more than 1 Gujaratis,” he said. “The community is present in almost all major cities, but even more in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver. Many came to the country as immigrants when much more have arrived as a student and I have been installed here. I have been in Canada for more than four decades now, and during this election, we may be witnessing the number of Gujarati candidates. Punjabis.
Sunjiv Raval, who has a successful store of stores and was involved in Indian community groups, thinks that the Gujarati voice in politics was late. “We are fighting on the problems encountered by the middle class, which required better infrastructure and sports facilities, affordable housing and work opportunities for all,” he said. “The country needs immigrants, but there must be a balance. We hope to restore it with good politicians. We have a voice now.”
This diversification does not occur in a vacuum. The Punjabi political presence also remains a dominant force in this election. In Brampton, Mississauga, Surrey and Vancouver, many deputies of Indian origin are not beginners, but the holders defending their lawn. These include Jagmeet Singh, chief of the New Democratic Party and the first Sikh leader of a federal party; Anita Anand, Minister of Innovation, Sciences and Industry; and Kamal Khera, Minister of Health. Anand, the daughter of the doctors of Indian immigrants, is one of the few figures from the previous cabinet of Justin Trudeau to maintain a ministerial role in the programming of Prime Minister Mark Carney. Khera, who is once again presents from Brampton West, represents a new generation of Canadian Punjabi leadership.
Another return figure is Sukh Dhaliwal, liberal deputy for Surrey-Newton, who was also a member of parliament for Newton-North Delta from 2006 to 2011. A land surveyor, land surveyor and businessman, Dhaliwal held various community positions in Surrey before entering Parliament. In Waterloo, Bardish Chagger is again in the race. Former Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and young people, she worked a lot with the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Center and was elected for the first time in 2015.
While the candidates for Gujarati are at the start of their political journey, the Punjabi contingent sails on launch realities. The contrast is striking, but the two groups converge on shared public concerns: affordability, jobs and immigration reform. And yet, despite all the common political terrains, there is a deeper change in progress – a cropping of which can represent the Indian original voice in Canada.
Political experts have drawn parallels with the United States, where Indian Americans of Gujarati origin such as Raj Shah (White House spokesperson for Trump’s first mandate) and Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel – FBI director – have passed executive advisory roles. Canada, long dominated by Canadian Punjabi figures in its diaspora policy, now seems to follow a wider and plus plural arc.