The influence of politicians of Punjabi origin continues to grow in Canada’s federal politics. For the first time in the country’s history, 22 individuals of Indian Punjabi descent have been elected to the House of Commons, according to Indian news outlet NDTV.
This result highlights the increasing dominance of Punjabi-origin candidates in Canadian politics. Punjabis now make up over six percent of the country’s parliamentary representation.
Brampton, a city with a high concentration of the Punjabi community, delivered particularly notable results. In its five constituencies, candidates with Punjabi heritage contested and won from both Liberal and Conservative parties. For example, in Brampton North, Liberal candidate Ruby Sahota defeated Conservative Amandeep Jurg. In Brampton East, Liberal Maninder Sidhu defeated Conservative Bob Dosanjh. However, not all Liberal candidates were successful—Liberal Sonia Sidhu lost to Conservative Sukhdeep Kang in Brampton South.
Outside Brampton, other Punjabi-Canadian politicians also performed strongly. Former Innovation Minister Anita Anand retained her seat in Oakville East. Bardish Chagger, a veteran politician known for her work on diversity and inclusion, won in Waterloo. Other winners include Anju Dhillon, Sukh Dhaliwal, Randeep Sarai, and Parm Bains.
Conservative candidates of Punjabi origin also saw notable success. Among the winners were Jasraj Hallan, Dalbinder Gill, Amanpreet Gill, Arjun Khanna, Tim Uppal, Parm Gill, Sukhman Gill, Jagsharan Singh Mahal, and Harb Gill.
However, not all prominent Punjabi politicians were victorious. Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), lost his seat in Burnaby, finishing in third place. Following the defeat, he announced his resignation from the party leadership