For Sikhs, ‘It Is in Their Blood’ To Campaign
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Marina Jimenez, Globe and Mail (Toronto), September 26, 2008
More than two dozen Indo-Canadian candidates are running for next month’s federal election, contesting ridings from Halifax to Vancouver, in some cases opposing one another—a phenomenal success story for this ethnic community.
Most are Sikhs, by far the most savvy campaigners and aggressive political organizers of any visible-minority group in Canada, and the only group with a greater number of MPs than their share of the population.
“Sikhs want to be in charge of power, or behind the power all the time. It is in their blood,” Jagdish Grewal, editor and publisher of Punjabi Post, one of 17 Punjabi newspapers in Brampton, Ont., said with a chuckle. “They want to be MPs, MPPs or on city council. They feel respected and they get recognized in the community and the Punjabi media.”
Ten Indo-Canadian MPs were elected in 2006, compared with three Arab, four black and five Chinese—even though Chinese are the largest visible-minority group in Canada. South Asians comprise 3.1 per cent of the population—but have 3.3 per cent of the 308 seats in the House of Commons, where Punjabi is now the fourth most common language, after English, French and Italian.
In the campaign for the Oct. 14 election, two South Asians are running for the Greens, 14 for the New Democrats, 12 for the Conservatives—including Tim Uppal in Edmonton-Sherwood Park, Rakesh Khosla in Halifax West and incumbent Deepak Obrai in Calgary East—eight for the Liberals, including incumbents Ujjal Dosanjh in Vancouver South and Gurbax Mahli, running for the fifth time in Bramalea-Gore-Malton.
Indo-Canadians are running on both the Liberal and Conservative tickets in Newton-North Delta, Mississauga-Brampton South and Calgary Northeast.
Many factors account for the electoral success of Sikh-Canadians. They are relatively affluent, speak English, and come from the world’s most populous democracy, India. A religious minority, they have a long history of political activism in their homeland. The sophisticated networks that form around gurdwaras, Sikh temples, make it easy to mobilize funds and supporters.
As well, there is a sense of collective ownership of campaigns. Sikhs’ political consciousness comes in part from their public legal battle to win the right to wear articles of faith, such as the kirpan, and from their historic exclusion from Canada, some experts suggest.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized last month for an incident in which the Komagata Maru, a ship filled with Sikhs, was barred entry off the B.C. coast in 1914.
Many Sikh candidates live in Mississauga and Brampton, where they comprise 15 per cent and 19 per cent of the population respectively. These newer suburban ridings in Greater Toronto offer newcomers more opportunities, as political ambitions and machines are not so entrenched as in older Toronto ridings, said Myer Siemiatycki, a professor at Ryerson University.
“The Sikhs are united and know they have to be politically active to defend their interests,” he said. “The black and Chinese communities are more internally diverse and divided.”
Indo-Canadians do not merely support candidates of their own background, but also play the role of kingmakers. A block of Sikh supporters helped to secure the Liberal nomination for Andrew Kania in Brampton West against two South Asian rivals. About one third of the riding’s 170,000 residents are South Asian, and many are involved in Mr. Kania’s campaign.
Mr. Kania, who was chair of John Manley’s Liberal leadership bid, has courted Sikh supporters, attending their weddings and birthday parties, and getting to know them through the area’s gurdwara, the largest in Canada.
Sikhs jokingly say they expect their MPs to earn their “MBBAs,” which means attending marriages, births, bhogs (a Sikh religious ceremony) and anniversaries. Mr. Mahli, a permanent fixture at Sikh community events, even gives out special certificates of recognition at weddings.
Indo-Canadians have traditionally been Liberal—but that is starting to change. Parm Gill, a 34-year-old businessman, is running for the Tories in Brampton Springdale against incumbent Liberal Ruby Dhalla. She won by 7,802 votes in 2006, and Mr. Gill knows it will be a tough race. However, he says he is getting a lot of support on Punjabi-language radio and television call-in programs.
“The Liberals cannot take the Sikhs for granted,” Mr. Gill said. “Sikhs’ social values are closer to the Conservatives. They also have concerns about the immigration backlog, and getting applications processed faster.”
Immigration is often the most significant issue for Sikhs, many of whom are trying to obtain Canadian visas for visiting family members and relatives from the Canadian missions in New Delhi and Chandigarh. They are also concerned about recognition of foreign work credentials. The Conservatives’ immigration reforms, which give the minister discretionary power to screen applicants, are not popular.
In Surrey, B.C., some candidates have put up election signs in Punjabi, while at least two provincial MLAs are studying the language at Simon Fraser University.
“People appreciate this,” said Gurvinder Singh Dhaliwal, news director for a call-in show on Sher-E-Punjab AM 1550 radio in Vancouver with 300,000 listeners. He believes there is a lot of support for the NDP and the Liberals, and says pensions for foreign-born seniors is one of the most important issues for Sikh voters.
(Posted on October 2, 2008)
Comments
Sher-E-Punjab [which means the “tiger of Punjab” - a state in western India where, by the way, there are no tigers!] wants pensions for foreign-born seniors?
This will create so much serial family immigration to Canada that the country will go broke paying for every old immigrant with the name Singh!
Good night Canada!
Posted by visitor at 6:19 PM on October 2
Every group bands together but the whites.
The whites do not band together because they are scared of being called racists.
Does everyone get that? They are scared of being called a name.
The only counter to the very debilitating fear of being called a name is some form of spiritual awakening. This can come in many ways. If it takes the natural path the individual will awaken just before he bleeds to death.
The whites are so stupid.
Posted by at 6:33 PM on October 2
My bumper stick thought for the day..”Indo-Canadians aren`t!” On a related note I was sorely tempted when the Tamil Immigration agent asked the purpose for my visit to Canada to reply, “I dunno… Same as yours?!?”
Posted by Tim Mc Hugh at 6:37 PM on October 2
We have our own “problems” in the states. The Canadians are gonna have to deal with their “problems” themselves. The one thing the U.S. and Canada share are governments with single digit I.Q.’s The Canadian people are going to be in worse shape than us due to the fact that gun ownership is banned in their “enlightened” country. The citizenry cannot protect itself when the government finally collapses. At least for the time being what it is, we still have the right to bear arms. The world says they are in love with Obama, I sure wish they would take someplace else. I have no use for him.
Posted by Roller at 6:45 PM on October 2
Well, at least they won’t put up with nonsense from Islamists, unlike the way that white progressives feel their own people should.
Posted by Zrazys at 8:25 PM on October 2
Just what we need in Canada, more Sikhs in the house of commons.
Oh what the heck why just just have all Sikhs.
I am sure they will know what to do.
Oh and by the way, all you white europeans, I hope you will like to learn Punjabi and have the wife wearing a sari. That east indian music has a pretty nice rhythm too. And the food.
I could go on and on, just can’t wait for all of us to be wearing turbans.
Posted by at 8:35 PM on October 2
“The Canadian people are going to be in worse shape than us due to the fact that gun ownership is banned in their “enlightened” country.”
I don’t know where you got that idea. Gun ownership is still very high per capita in Canada.
As for the Sikhs, they are not part of Canada, because Canada is part of Western civilization. To be Western one must have origins in the white race. The Sikhs are guests of Canada living in exile, until the day they are repatriated to Khalistan.
Posted by at 9:12 PM on October 2
The opening salvo from this Globe & Mail reporter is written as “More than two dozen Indo-Canadian candidates are running for next month’s federal election, contesting ridings from Halifax to Vancouver, in some cases opposing one another—a phenomenal success story for this ethnic community.”
Pray tell, why is this a “success story”? I’m always puzzled when reporters use these particular buzz words in relation to non-whites, or as we say in Canada, “visible-minorities”. Are they alluding to a racial minority Vs the racial majority contest without the latter even being aware of the game being played here? If that’s the case, white Canadians already have one hand tied behind their back due to enforced political-correctness, whereas minorities have a field day by swinging with both hands and not be penalized, nor even reprimanded for bad sportsmanship.
Give us back our freedom of speech, eliminate all phony hate laws, assign political-correctness to the south pole and extricate the “R” word from the English language….then let the real contest begin.
Posted by at 11:00 PM on October 2
Great, just what we need, another power-hungry money-loving religeous minority.
Posted by at 12:26 AM on October 3
The sophisticated networks that form around gurdwaras, Sikh temples, make it easy to mobilize funds and supporters.
It is worthwhile to read Jasvinder Sanghera’s book Shame(she is a british Sikh who dared break away from their great culture). After reading the book you will definitelly not rejoice in Sikhs being members of parliament.
Posted by at 3:35 AM on October 3
The Sikhs are united and know they have to be politically active to defend their interests,” he said. “The black and Chinese communities are more internally diverse and divided.”
But surely the diversity of the Chinese community is a strength?
“Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized last month for an incident in which the Komagata Maru, a ship filled with Sikhs, was barred entry off the B.C. coast in 1914.”
Never mind oil, I think liberals need to start worrying about what they will do when we run out of things to apologise for. Before long we will be apologising for that time in 1902 when Mr Singh in Medicine Hat was short-changed by the local moose seller. There will be dangerous shortages of white-guilt if this is allowed to continue. Did any Sikhs even KNOW about this incident? If they did, don’t they think they should apologise for not getting over it after 100 years!!
Posted by reggie18b at 10:42 AM on October 3
I don’t know where you got that idea.
It’s a common misconception here. For some reason, most Americans think that Canada’s gun laws are much stricter than they really are.
As I understand it, handguns are very strictly regulated in Canada, but it’s still pretty easy to get a rifle or shotgun in most provinces. In fact, there are even a few goodies available in Canada which are not legal south of the border.
Posted by Travis Bickle at 5:59 PM on October 4
Reply to reggie18b;
That outrageous apology is the reason I will NOT be voting for the Conservatives in the election this month.
Posted by at 7:23 AM on October 6
Is there an online store where I can buy a tshirt that says ‘Not Ashamed to be Causcasian’
I wonder if that would offend any sensitive ‘ethnic’ types?
Posted by Tiffany Epiphany at 1:18 PM on October 7