It's Punjabi versus Punjabi in Canadian polls

[Prometheus]

Toronto: It is Punjabi versus Punjabi in many constituencies in Canada which is headed for parliamentary elections May 2.

Three major parties - the ruling Conservative Party, and two opposition Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party - have fielded 23 Indian-origin candidates to woo the million-strong Indo-Canadian community.

But barring Bengali-origin candidate Rana Sarkar, all Indian-origin candidates are Punjabi, including former federal health minister Ujjal Dosanjh, current parliamentary secretary Deepak Obhrai and the glamorous Ruby Dhalla.



Not surprisingly, it is all-Punjabi affair in some constituencies.

In Bramalea-Gore-Malton on the suburbs of Toronto, the longest-serving Indian-origin MP Gurbax Malhi of the Liberal Party is locked in a triangular race with fellow Punjabi Bal Gosal of the ruling Conservative Party and Jagmeet Singh Dhaliwal of the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP).

Malhi, the western world's first Sikh MP when he was elected first from this constituency in 1993, is seeking to retain the seat for the seventh time.

In the Newton-North Delta constituency on the outskirts of Vancouver, two Sikh women - Mani Kaur-Fallon of the ruling party and Jinny Sims (Joginder Kaur) of the NDP - are pitted against sitting MP Sukh Dhaliwal of the Liberal Party.

Punjab-born Dhaliwal, who tabled a motion in the Canadian parliament last year to recognize the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as an act of genocide, faces the prospect of being unseated by the fiery Jinny Sims who has been a teachers' union president.

In another Vancouver suburb constituency of Fleetwood-Port Kells, it is a battle between two Sikh women - sitting MP Nina Grewal of the ruling Conservative party and Pam Dhanoa of the Liberal Party.

However, it is the Brampton-Springdale constituency in the Toronto area which is making the headlines here as sitting Sikh woman MP Ruby Dhalla is fighting for her political survival against Parm Gill of the ruling Conservative party.

Voted as one of the sexiest women politicians in the world by Maxim magazine, the 37-year-old Dhalla hit national headlines in 2009 in what was termed Canada's 'nannygate' where her two former caretakers alleged exploitation at the MP's home.

A former beauty queen, Dhalla is a three-time MP. It`s Punjabi versus Punjabi in Canadian polls

---------- Post added at 02:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:28 PM ----------



we r going to turn canada into kanedda

 

[Nalwa]

Punjabiyan di ho gayi......wah bai wah..!

 

[alphamale]

in couple of yrs punjabi will become 4th most spoken lang. in canada.

 

[Zeeshan360]

Kanneda ki jai ho paaji

 

[KS]

After turning it into Kanneda don't forget to sign the accession treaty with India.

We could really use their oil and Uranium

 

[below_freezing]

There are far more Chinese Canadians than Indian Canadians.

Yet how many of them become politicians?

Is this a good sign, of Chinese having pride? Or is it a bad sign of low integration?

 

[iPakMan]

There are far more Chinese Canadians than Indian Canadians.

Yet how many of them become politicians?

Is this a good sign, of Chinese having pride? Or is it a bad sign of low integration?

What has pride have to with anything? If you go to live your life, start a family, and have a career in a foreign nation, you integrate. Nothing dishonorable in that, in fact dishonorable would be to not integrate yourself in the country that opened her arms to accept you and disrupt their way of life.

 

[Halwa]

there are some advantages of high population...

 

[alphamale]

There are far more Chinese Canadians than Indian Canadians.

Yet how many of them become politicians?

Is this a good sign, of Chinese having pride? Or is it a bad sign of low integration?

it is not the case in Canada alone but also in U.S & U.K there are more Chinese there but still they do not come up in politics whereas indians are taking Canada, U.S & U.K by storm. there is far more representation of india in these countries. i think Chinese do not want to integrate with others they are happy within their community.

 

[Halwa]

In canadian cricket team most of the players were Indian and in CWG many Indians were representing Canada, Canad is the extension of Punjab..

 

[below_freezing]

it is not the case in Canada alone but also in U.S & U.K there are more Chinese there but still they do not come up in politics whereas indians are taking Canada, U.S & U.K by storm. there is far more representation of india in these countries. i think Chinese do not want to integrate with others they are happy within their community.

Yep, Indians are very active in politics. South Asians in general I think.