(L-R) Ranj Pillai, Priti Obhrai-Martin and Shuv Majumdar. / X

If the list of candidates for the April 28 federal polls is any indication, East Indians are no longer confining their political ambitions to the ridings and communities where they are a majority. They are spreading their wings fast.

Starting with a seat in Mission in Municipal Council in 1950, East Indians pride themselves in giving Canada almost half a century of Parliamentarians representing all major political parties besides two Premiers, a couple of Mayors and nearly 100 legislators in various provincial assemblies.

Though the concept of dynastic politics is nothing new to Canadian politics, it has also percolated into the East Indian community.

The previous Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, is a case in point. His father, Pierre Trudeau, also led Liberal governments during the previous centennial.

After Deepak Obhrai, the longest serving MP of East Indian origin, his daughter, Priti Obhrai-Martin, has decided to contest from the riding his father used to represent, Calgary East. Instead of the Conservative Party, her father followed, and Priti opted to join the ruling Liberals.

East Indians are represented in provincial assemblies and territories of Alberta, British  Columbia,  Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, and Yukon.

These East Indians are not Punjabis alone; they represent other parts of India. Shuv Majumdar, who has his roots in the East, represented Calgary Heritage in the 44th House of Commons and is contesting to retain his seat in the 45th House of Commons.

Several candidates come from the Southern part of India.

After Ujjal Dosanjh, Ranj Pillai became the second East Indian to become the Premier of a Canadian Province or Territory. Representing Liberals, Ranj Pillai has been heading the Yukon Government since January 14, 2023. His father, Dr Gopi (NG) Pillai, migrated from Kerala to Canada. Married to Johnena Lee, a nurse, they made Canada their permanent home several decades ago. Ranj Pillai was the lone candidate when the Yukon Liberals had a run for the party leadership in 2023. Before that, he was Deputy Premier.

This time, the list of candidates of East Indian origin may well cross the century mark. Those already registered to contest the April 28 polls have shown unprecedented enthusiasm in the electoral polls of the country of their new abode.

The ruling Liberal Party, for example, has not only sprung several surprises while showing the door to some old guards, including members of the outgoing House of Commons. Chandra Arya, for example, was not cleared to contest under the Liberal symbol and flag. Instead, the new leader and the incumbent Prime Minister, Mark Carney, have been replaced from the Nepean riding in the national capital.

The Liberals will have a former Cabinet Minister in the Justin Trudeau government in the April 28 contest. He is Amarjeet Sohi, the sitting Mayor of Edmonton. Sohi will contest from Edmonton Southeast. Sohi belongs to a rare band of East Indian politicians who remained a Member of Parliament, a cabinet minister and a Mayor.

There are two Mayors of East Indian descent in Alberta. Besides Amarjeet Sohi, Jyoti Gondek, nee Prabhjote Kaur Grewal, has already declared her intent to run for Mayor of Calgary for the second term.

Going by the adage that everything is fair in love and war, the major contestants—Liberals and Conservatives—are taking no chances. Both are putting their best foot forward, as recent opinion polls have seen the Liberals staging a remarkable comeback to become the front-runner for gaining a clear majority after a gap of six years.

Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre, are also leaving nothing to chance. Realising that the East Indians, though only two percent of the country’s population, are big political influencers. That may be why the Conservatives are putting up a record number of candidates. After initial eliminations, the number of Conservative candidates of East Indian descent may be past the 30 mark. The party had renounced the candidature of Lourence Singh from Westminster-Burnaby-Maillard Ville. He is a successful real estate agent.

Close on the heels of Conservatives are the Liberals. They are also putting up all but two of the sitting East Indian MPs in the contest. The number may go past the 30-mark.

Besides veterans like Bardish Chagger, who holds the rare distinction of becoming the youngest leader of the House of Commons, the Liberals team is a blend of experience and new faces. Among the new faces are Gurbux Saini (Fleetwood – Port Kells), Inderpal Dhillon (Skeena Bulkley Valley), Juanita Nathan (Pickering Brooklin), Priti Obhrai-Martin (Calgary East), Rahul Walia (Winnipeg Centre), Amandeep Sodhi (Brampton Centre), Amy Gill (Vancouver Kingsway), and Sanjeev Raval (Calgary Midnapore).
 
-     To be continued