Many Indians living in Canada, including Punjabis and Sikhs, will contest Canadian federal elections on September 20. As per the Indian High Commission in Ottawa, the Canadian House of Commons currently has 338 Members of Parliament, of which 22 Members are of Indian origin, including defence minister Harjit S. Sajjan, minister of public services procurement Anita Anand and minister of diversity Bardish Chagger.
Jagmeet Singh, who represents the New Democratic Party, the party that supports parliament to the minority Liberal government, is also an MP.
Last weekend, during the campaigning in New Brunswick, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who leads a Liberal Party minority government, had procurement minister Anita Anand, who looked after vaccine-related operations. Anita Anand is contesting the election from Oakville, Ontario and has already relaunched her campaign in the hope of getting re-elected.
Jagmeet Singh, a Member of Parliament from Burnaby South, British Columbia since 2019 and a leader of the New Democratic Party since 2017, may play a significant role in the election. During the 2019 Federal Election, the New Democrats under Jagmeet Singh bagged 24 seats. Although Trudeau’s Liberals were re-elected, they were reduced to a minority government with the support of NDP. Therefore, Jagmeet Singh could again turn out as a kingmaker once the election results are declared.
Hajit Sajjan, MP since 2015, who is responsible for the defence ministry, is also seeking re-election from Vancouver South. Minister Bardish Chagger, an MP from the riding of Waterloo, Ontario since 2015, is also re-contesting. Conservative candidate Indian origin Sukhbir Singh Gill is contesting the September election.
Apart from the above-mentioned MPs, there are several Indian Canadian candidates like Ujjal Dosanjh (served as premier of the state of British Columbia), Randeep S. Sarai (an MP who represents the electoral district of Surrey Centre, is seeking re-election in the Greater Toronto Metropolitan Area), and Indian American Conservative party candidates Jasveen Rattan and Jagdeep Singh Brar are among many who are contesting the Candian Federal Elections 2021 later this month.
