13 Punjabis emerge victorious in Canada's British Columbia polls

Thirteen candidates having roots in Punjab have won in the recent British Columbia provincial elections, further cementing the community’s influence in Canadian politics. The victories come as the Indo-Canadian population, particularly the Punjabi community, continues to grow in size and prominence, especially in British Columbia.

The New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Conservative Party won 46 and 45 seats, respectively, while the Green Party emerged victorious on two seats in the 93-member House.

The successful candidates hail from different political backgrounds, representing both the NDP and the Conservative Party. They contested on diverse platforms, advocating issues such as healthcare reforms, economic development, climate action and greater support for immigrants.

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.

Minister of state for trade Jagrup Brar won from Surrey Fleetwood for the seventh time. Born in Bathinda, Brar was once part of the Indian national basketball team. Later, he moved to Canada for studies and settled there. He has been active in politics since 2004 when he was elected as an MLA.

Conservative Party candidate Mandeep Dhaliwal has defeated minister of education and child care Rachna Singh from Surrey North. However, prominent Punjabi leader Jinny Sims lost from Surrey Panorama.

NDP candidates Ravi Parmar won from Langford Highland, Sunita Dhir from Vancouver Langara, Reah Arora from Burnaby East and Harwinder Kaur Sandhu from Vernon Monashee. Harwinder has won for the second time 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 Willowbrook.

Their victories mark a significant moment for the Punjabi community, which has long played a vital role in the socio-economic fabric of British Columbia, particularly in the cities like Surrey and Abbotsford, where a large number of Indo-Canadian population resides. These regions have seen increased political mobilisation in recent years, with local community leaders emphasising the importance of political representation.