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Tag: Indo Canadian
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Indian-origin Ranj Pillai elected and will take oath as premier of Canada’s Yukon province
WHITEHORSE (TIP): Indian-origin cabinet minister Ranj Pillai is set to be sworn in as the tenth Premier of the Canadian province of Yukon. He will be the second Premier of Indian descent to take oath after Ujjal Dosanjh who became the Premier of Canada’s British Columbia province between 2000 and 2001.
A deputy in Premier Sandy Silver’s government, Pillai was elected as the leader of the Yukon Liberal Party unopposed. “I am honored and humbled to be acclaimed as the leader of the Yukon Liberal Party. We have so much to be proud of and I’m very excited for what the future of the Yukon holds,” Pillai said in his campaign statement. “I am committed to working hard, seeking common ground, acting strategically and to fiercely defending the interests of the Yukon. I look forward to serving all Yukoners as our dedicated team continues to make this territory one of the best places to call home,” he added.
Pillai, who hails from Kerala, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly as MLA for Porter Creek South in November 2016 and was inducted into the Cabinet as Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, and Economic Development.
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Mission politics started from Mission in BC
By Prabhjot Singh It was not easy. The early migrants from South Asia were not welcome to Canada. They not only suffered numerous hardships but were also denied the right for a decent living. They had no voting rights. In fact, the concept of the Nagar Kirtan processions, or the Sikh Parades, proved to be an effective tool for the overseas Sikh community to introduce itself as a peaceful and hard-working group that had no qualms of making countries of their present abode as their homes. The first ever-Sikh Parade or Nagar Kirtan procession was organized on January 19, 1908, along Second Avenue in Vancouver.
It has been this commitment that has helped them to script an unprecedented success story the world over. Though the Punjabis – initially described as Hindus – started reaching Canada in early 1900, they were denied voting rights in British Columbia from 1907 onwards. They had to wait for 40 long years to win back the right to vote. In 1947, the requirement to be a voter was changed to Canadian citizenship in addition to being a British subject. It was in 1950 that the first Sikh – Naranjan Singh Grewall – was elected to the City Council of Mission in British Columbia.
He became the first “Hindu” (the colloquial term for South Asians at the time) elected to any political position in Canada. Later, he became the first South Asian migrant to become Mayor of the Mission City Council in 1954. Grewall’s run for a seat in the BC Legislature as a member of the CCF surprised no one. He was first and foremost a man of the people. He lost the assembly election in a close battle.
The Indo-Canadian community was waiting for the break Naranjan Singh Grewall had provided. Once the process of its assimilation in mainstream politics started, the Punjabi migrant community set its goals high. And before the turn of the century, it had three of its nominees – Gurbax Malhi, Herb Dhaliwal, and Jag Bhaduria – sitting in the House of Commons in Ottawa.
And long before their journey to Ottawa started, the beginning, though unsuccessful, was made in late 60s and early 70s. In 1970, a new party was born. It was headed by an Indo-Canadian. Called Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist), it was founded by Hardial Singh Bains, a trained Bacteriologist. Born in Mahilpur in Hoshiarpur, Hardial moved to Vancouver when he was 19. Much before Jagmeet Singh became the President of the NDP, Hardial Singh Bains had earned the distinction of leading a national political party in Canada.
After studying in Canada, England, and Ireland, Hardial Singh Bains returned to Canada and spearheaded the workers movement. Since Elections Canada does not allow the use of the word “communist” in the name of any party, Hardial Singh Bains got his party registered as Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada in 1974. Before his death in 1997, the Marxist-Leninist Party contested the 1974, 1979, 1980, 1993 and 1997 federal elections. Though the party has never succeeded in sending any of its members to the House of Commons, it fielded its largest number of candidates,177, in 1980. Many of these candidates were migrants, including those from India. Amarjit Dhillon, who was the party candidate from Vancouver South, both in 1979 and 1980, polled only 91 and 63 votes. Overall, though the party never aggregated 0.20 per cent of total votes polled, still it never gave up its fight and contested the last federal elections in 2021 by fielding 36 candidates.
It was in 1974 when Hari Singh, a teacher, contested on Liberal ticket from Okanagan-Kootenay. Though it was a Liberal stronghold, but Hari Singh lost. After his defeat, he accused the majority community of Liberals of voting against him. Subsequently, the Liberals retained the seat.
Ten years later in 1984, another teacher, Harkirpal Singh Sora, contested from Vancouver South. He too was unsuccessful. Deepak Obhrai was the longest serving MP from Calgary East. Long before he emerged on the scene, in 1988 this riding had tried to elect Anil Giga, a Liberal, to the House of Commons. He, however, was defeated by Alex Kindy by 18,227 votes. The Bramalea-Gore-Malton Riding has always remained a stronghold of the Punjabi migrants. The first attempt by the community to get into the House of Commons was in 1988, when the Liberals put up Gurjit Grewal, who lost by 2,185 votes to Harry Chadwik of the CP.
Palbinder Shergill, a young amritdhari Sikh and a practicing lawyer, was one of the first Punjabi women to contest federal elections. She was unsuccessful along with another Punjabi Indo-Canadian candidate from the Surrey Central Riding. The other candidate was Charan Gill who had earlier made an attempt to get into the House of Commons in 1988 but was defeated by Benno Friesen of the PC. He represented the NDP.
Sikh Turban has become an integral part of Canadian Parliament
Two turbaned Sikh politicians – one from yesteryear, and another from now – Gurbax Singh Malhi and Jagmeet SinghJagmeet Singh October 25, 1993 would go down in the annals of history of the Canadian House of Commons as a golden letter day. It was on this day that Canada earned the distinction of electing the first turbaned Sikh MP to any Parliament outside India. The honor went to Gurbax Singh Malhi as he was declared successful from Bramalea-Gore-Malton riding. Though two more MPs of Indian origin – Harbance (Herb) Singh Dhaliwal and Jagdish Bhaduria – also made their debut in the Canadian House of Commons simultaneously, the spotlight was on Gurbax Singh Malhi. Since then, no Canadian Parliament has been complete without a turbaned Sikh represented on it.
Starting with three MPs in 1993, now the Indo-Canadian community has grown six times in its strength in the House of Commons. It represents all three major parties – the ruling Liberals, the main Opposition party the Conservatives, and the third major party NDP headed by an Indo-Canadian Jagmeet Singh. Incidentally, Jagmeet Singh is the lone Indo-Canadian NDP in the current House of Commons.
Of 42 MPs of Indian origin elected to House of Commons since 1993, Navdeep Singh Bains, Tim Uppal, Jagmeet Singh, Randeep Sarai, Harjit Singh Sajjan, Darshan Singh Kang, Raj Grewal, Jasraj Singh Hallan and Iqwinder Singh Gaheer, are among those who earned special limelight because of their colorful turbans.
Incidentally, Gurbax Singh Malhi has till date remained the longest serving Sikh MP representing the Liberals. He was elected five times starting in 1993 till he lost the 2011 elections. Otherwise, Deepak Obhrai, who was born in Tanzania, earned the distinction of longest serving Canadian MP of Indian origin. He retained his House of Commons seat for seven consecutive terms mostly as a nominee of Conservatives.
While Gurbax Singh Malhi, Jag Bhaduria and Herb Dhaliwal were the first representatives of Liberals in Canadian Parliament, the honor for giving representation to Indo-Canadians in the House of Commons on behalf of Conservatives went to Deepak Obhrai and Gurmant Grewal. Subsequently, Jasbir Singh Sandhu and Jinny Jogindera Sims were the first Indo Canadians to represent NDP in the Canadian Parliament.
Women of Indo-Canadian descent did not take along to reach Ottawa’s Parliament Hill. Ruby Dhalla (Liberal from Ontario) and Nina Grewal (Conservative from British Columbia) became the torch bearers. They were followed by Jinny Jogindera Sims (NDP).
Sonia Sidhu, Ruby Sahota, Kamal Khera, Bardish Chagger and Anju Dhillon created ripples when they all made their entry into the 42nd Parliament and are all continuing in the current 44th Parliament. In the 43rd Parliament they were joined by Anita Anand, the first Indo-Canadian woman politician to hold the important portfolio of Defense. Also, a new entrant was Jag Sahota, the ninth woman of Indian origin to enter Canadian Parliament.
These Canadian MPs of Indian origins have several other firsts to their credit. For example, Gurmant Singh Grewal and Nina Grewal were the first couple to sit in the same House. Herb Dhaliwal was the first from the group to be inducted in the Canadian Cabinet as a Minister for Oceans. Many of them have remained Parliamentary Secretaries attached with important ministries.
In the previous Liberal Government, Harjit Singh Sajjan, became the toast of not only the Indo-Canadian community but also of the rapidly growing Indian Diaspora after he was named the Defense Minister of Canada.
Bardish Chagger hawked media headlines on becoming the first woman leader of the House of Commons. And late last year, Anita Anand stole the limelight as the first Indo-Canadian woman to hold the portfolio of Defense Minister. Incidentally, the last two Liberal Governments had an Indo-Canadian as Defense Minister.
There have been Indo-Canadians who created history both in provincial and federal politics. The shining example has been of Ujjal Dosanjh who after his phenomenal rise as the first Indo-Canadian Premier of British Columbia later held the portfolio of the Canadian Health Minister. A couple of MPs, including Jinny Jogendra Sims and Parm Gill, later made their debut in provincial politics and held positions as Cabinet Ministers in British Columbia and Ontario, respectively. Amarjit Sohi, who held an important cabinet portfolio in the previous Justin Trudeau government is now a Mayor of Edmonton in Alberta since last year.
MPs of Indian origin
Gurbax Singh Malhi
Harbance (Herb) Singh Dhaliwal
Jag Bhaduria
Deepak Obhrai
Gurmant Grewal
Rahim Jaffer
Nina Grewal
Ruby Dhalla
Ujjal Dosanjh
Navdeep Bains
Sukh Dhaliwal
Tim Uppal
Jinny Jogindera Sims
Devinder Shory
Jasbir Sandhu
Bal Gosal
Parm Gill
Joe Daniel
Amarjit Sohi
Jagmeet Singh
Gagan Sikand
Sonia Sidhu
Jati Sidhu
Bob Saroya
Randeep Singh Sarai
Ramesh Sangha
Harjit Singh Sajjan
Raj Saini
Ruby Sahota
Kamal Khera
Darshan Singh Kang
Raj Grewal
Anju Dhillon
Bardish Chagger
Chandra Arya
Maninder Sidhu
Jag Sahota
Jasraj Sigh Hallan
Anita Anand
Iqwinder Singh Gaheer
George Chahal
Parm Bains
-To be concluded
(Prabhjot Singh is a veteran journalist with over three decades of experience covering a wide spectrum of subjects and stories. He has covered Punjab and Sikh affairs for more than three decades besides covering seven Olympics and several major sporting events and hosting TV shows. For more in-depth analysis please visit probingeye.com or follow him on Twitter.com/probingeye. He can be reached at prabhjot416@gmail.com)
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Indo-Canadian Sanjay Malaviya donates $1.2M to Olympic and Paralympic medalists
By Prabhjot Singh
BRAMPTON (TIP): Sanjay Malaviya, an Indo-Canadian and a leading name in IT healthcare industry, has made a huge first of its kind donation to the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Foundations. He has announced a donation of $ 1.2 million to directly support Canadian Olympic and Paralympic medalists besides extending support to the NextGen programme of preparing future Olympians and Paralympians.
This is the first time a gift of this magnitude has been given directly to Olympic and Paralympic medalists through either foundation. They will receive a $5,000 grant per medal earned. Additionally, $100,000 will go to the NextGen program to help support future Olympians and Paralympians.
“Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes have inspired and united us during a very difficult time,” said Malaviya. “It’s an honor to be able to celebrate their achievements and invest in their future.”
In total, 130 Olympians and 53 Paralympians will receive a grant through this donation. Sanjay Malaviya started a Toronto based patient safety software company in late 90s and served on its Board as President and CEO for a little more than two decades. From a single product company that took roots in IT Department of a hospital, Sanjay made it a leading provider of risk management, patient feedback, claims management and infection surveillance software to over 2000 healthcare organizations around the world.
Sanjay has been instrumental to the IT-based healthcare solutions with an exclusive endorsement from the American Hospital Association. A graduate of the University of Waterloo, Sanjay has used both his degree in Computer Engineering, as well as his almost decade of experience in a hospital setting, to offer a truly unique perspective on healthcare IT. He continues to be driven by his passion for making healthcare software not only cutting-edge, but also intuitive and easy to use for even the most casual user.
“The gift Sanjay has made is truly remarkable, especially following the challenges Team Canada athletes have faced over the past few years,” said Jacquie Ryan, Chief Brand and Commercial Officer of the Canadian Olympic Committee and CEO of the Canadian Olympic Foundation. “Sanjay’s belief in the power of sport, and the impact Olympic and Paralympic medalists have on all Canadians is truly inspiring.”
Malaviya is a Canadian healthcare technology entrepreneur who developed cutting-edge IT products that have helped to keep patients safer in more than 2,000 healthcare organizations around the world. His passion for sport comes from his appreciation of the lessons that athletes can carry from sport to all other aspects of life. In particular he loves the leadership and resilience that Team Canada athletes have demonstrated over the past two years and thinks this has been a source of inspiration for all Canadians to share Olympic and Paralympic values.
“We are truly grateful that Sanjay saw the importance of recognizing Paralympic medalists alongside their Olympic counterparts,” said Dean Brokop, Director of the Paralympic Foundation of Canada. “This generous gift will play a pivotal role in empowering Canada’s finest athletes as they work towards reaching more podiums in Paris and Milan-Cortina.” Recipient Abigail Strate won a historic Olympic medal by securing Canada’s first-ever medal in ski jumping, a bronze in the mixed team event at Beijing 2022.
“In order to be competitive globally, an athlete needs access to the best equipment, services and facilities, which undoubtedly requires financial support. As a member of the Ski Jumping Canada Women’s National Team, I live abroad to have consistent access to training facilities,” said Strate. “I am incredibly grateful for the support Sanjay has provided. His undeniable commitment to sport will make each of us strive to make our country proud.” Para Nordic skier Mark Arendz won four medals at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games to bring his career total to 12. “On behalf of all my fellow Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Paralympians, a huge thank you to Sanjay for this gift,” added Arendz, a four-time Paralympian. “This is a significant step forward in the recognition of Canadian Paralympic athletes who work and train so hard to compete on the world stage. I am optimistic that Sanjay’s generosity will serve as a catalyst for greater equality for Canadian athletes with a disability that so proudly represent our country.”
( Prabhjot Singh is a veteran journalist with over three decades of experience covering a wide spectrum of subjects and stories. He has covered Punjab and Sikh affairs for more than three decades besides covering seven Olympics and several major sporting events and hosting TV shows. For more in-depth analysis please visit probingeye.com or follow him on Twitter.com/probingeye)
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April 16 New York & Dallas E – Edition
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