(L-R) Anita Anand, Maninder Sidhu, Bardish Chagger and Randeep Serai / ourcommons.ca

The rapidly growing East Indian community, as the Canadian regime of the early 20th century used to describe it, is rejoicing at its overwhelming success in the just-concluded federal elections.

As almost every fourth of its candidates—25 of 96—was declared successful in the election to the 45th House of Commons, the community could not have asked for more in a country where its population is less than 4 per cent of the total 40 million.

Riding a wave of political successes, both for the ruling Liberals and the main Opposition, the Conservatives, the community lost its sole national party leader when the New Democratic Party chief, Jagmeet Singh, was defeated in the Burnaby riding in British Columbia.

Quick to admit his defeat, Jagmeet Singh has offered to step down from the leadership of the party. Another politician of the East Indian clan to lose the election has been federal minister Kamal Khera. She lost to a compatriot Conservative candidate, Amarjeet Gill from Brampton West.

Since 1993, when the East Indians sent three of their nominees – Gurbax Singh Malhi, Herb Dhaliwal and Jag Bhaduria (all Liberals) – the community has never looked back, taking its strength to a record quarter century mark in the 45th House of Commons. These 25 East Indian MPs are almost equally divided between two major parties – the ruling Liberals and the main Opposition, the Conservatives. Liberals have 14 and the Conservatives remaining 11 in a House of 343. Their sole representative in the NDP – Jagmeet Singh – no more sits in the House of Commons.

Never before have Conservatives had so many East Indian MPs.

Interestingly, the Canadian voters have elected six Sikh MPs with the same surname – Gill. All of them belong to the Conservatives. They are Parm Gill, Harbinder Gill, Dalwinder Gill, Amanpreet Gill, Sukhman Gill and Amarjeet Gill.

Incidentally, one of two Amarjeets – Amarjeet Sohi, a former Cabinet Minister in Justin Trudeau's government – lost while trying to stage a comeback in federal politics. He is currently the Mayor of Edmonton. He lost to an East Indian and a Sikh candidate, Jagsharan Singh Mahal.

Other former MP, Parm Gill, however, succeeded in re-entering the House of Commons from Ontario. He had been a minister in the previous Stephen Harper Conservative government.

The results of the April 28 polls have shown that the ruling Liberal party, led by its new leader Mark Carney, will be four members short of a clear majority as it could win only 168 seats against 153 it had in the last House.

The Conservatives performed better under their leader, Pierre Poilievre, by improving their tally from 120 in the previous House to 144, but had the misfortune of losing their leader from a riding – Carlton -  he had been representing for a long time.

NDP led by Jagmeet Singh performed miserably as it could retain only 7 of its 24 seats. Jagmeet was among the losers. The third major political outfit, Bloc Québécois, too, performed below its expectations and ended with 23 seats, 10 short of its strength of 33 in the previous House.

Though both the ruling Liberals (15) and the main Opposition Conservatives (24) gained numbers, neither could clear the majority mark, thus leaving the country to its third consecutive government. Though the first two minority Liberal governments in 2019 and again in 2021 were led by Justin Trudeau, this time a seasoned banker and a newcomer to electoral politics, Mark Carney, spearheaded the party campaign amidst threats of tariff war and repeated mocking by the US President Donald Trump to make Canada 51st state of his country.

In 2004, when Liberals led a minority government with 135 members in a House of 301, things did not change much except for a majority government each by the Conservatives ( Stephen Harper in 2011 with 166 of 308 seats) and the Liberals ( Justin Trudeau in 2015 with 184 seats – the highest by any party in the current centennial). All the remaining – 2006 Conservatives,  2008 Conservatives,2019 Liberals and 2021 Liberals – were minority governments.

Unlike many other democracies, Canada has successfully demonstrated over the years the concept and success of minority government, though none of these has completed its full term in office. The last Liberal government, first led by Justin Trudeau and then Mark Carney, survived a couple of no-confidence motions to survive for nearly three years, mainly due to an understanding with one of the Opposition parties – the NDP.

How Mark Carney now manages a confidence vote on the throne speech and financial bills would be an issue of animated interest. The defeated leader of the Conservatives, Pierre Poilievre, says that his party would continue to confront the minority government on issues of Canadians' interest.

How long the new Mark Carney government lasts is anybody’s guess. For the time being, the strong East Indian community is feeling relieved for its increased presence in the House of Commons and hopes that toxic issues like immigration, international students, and above all, relations with India, would be taken up on a priority basis for a lasting peace.

The community would also be watching with tremendous interest as how many of its 14 Liberal MPs get represented in the new Cabinet of Mark Carney, with names of Anita Anand, Bardish Chagger, Maninder Sidhu, Randeep Serai,  and Anju Dhillon running high on the list.

 

Here are the East Indians elected to sit in the 45th House of Commons:

Liberal Party (14 MPs)

1. Anita Anand – Oakville East / Ontario
Re-elected. Former Defence and Treasury Board Minister. Academic and legal scholar with a University of Toronto background.

2. Bardish Chagger – Waterloo / Ontario
Fourth-term MP. Former Minister for Diversity, House Leader, and Small Business. Strong community credentials in Kitchener-Waterloo.

3. Iqwinder Gaheer – Mississauga–Malton / Ontario
Second-term MP. Harvard Law graduate; legal professional with a business background from the Schulich School of Business.

4. Ruby Sahota – Brampton North / Ontario
Fourth-term MP. Former Chief Government Whip and Minister. Lawyer by training; active in women’s and multicultural advocacy.

5. Maninder Sidhu – Brampton East / Ontario
Third-term MP. Entrepreneur and founder of The Kindness Movement Charity. Focused on education and international development.

6. Sonia Sidhu - Brampton South / Ontario
Worked in the healthcare field as a diabetes educator and research coordinator.

7. Amandeep Sodhi – Brampton Centre / Ontario
First-time MP. Limited background details available; emerged as a grassroots community choice.

8. Param Bains – Richmond East–Steveston / British Columbia
Second-term MP focus on youth engagement.

9. Sukh Dhaliwal – Surrey Newton / British Columbia
Re-elected. Veteran MP and businessman. Known for strong links with both Indian and Canadian diaspora groups.

10. Gurbax Saini – Fleetwood–Port Kells / British Columbia
First-time MP. Background yet to be fully detailed; described as a rising Liberal face in British Columbia\

11. Randeep Sarai – Surrey Centre / British Columbia
Fourth-term MP. Lawyer, entrepreneur, and Chair of the Justice Committee. Longstanding civic involvement.

12. Anju Dhillon – Dorval–Lachine / Quebec
Re-elected. Among the early Punjabi women in federal politics. Legal and advocacy background.

13. Gary Anandasangaree – Scarborough-Guildwood- Rogue Park

Re-elected, former Minister

14. Juanita Nathan – Pickering-Brooklyn

First-time MP

Conservative Party (11 MPs)

1. Amarjeet Gill – Brampton West / Ontario
First-time MP. Defeated sitting minister Kamal Khera. Known for grassroots organising.

2. Shuvaloy Majumdar – Calgary-Heritage

Second time MP

3. Harbinder Gill – Windsor West / Ontario
First-time MP. Local economic campaigner with a focus on jobs and manufacturing revival.

4. Parm Gill – Milton East / Ontario
Returned to federal Parliament after serving provincially. Former Ontario minister. Experienced legislator.

5. Arpan Khanna – Oxford / Ontario
Second-term MP. First elected in a 2023 by-election. Focused on youth participation and infrastructure.

6. Amanpreet Gill – Calgary Skyview / Alberta
First-time MP. Background not publicly documented at the time of the election.

7. Dalwinder Gill – Calgary McKnight / Alberta
First-time MP. Veteran realtor and community activist. Known for neighbourhood-level engagement.

8. Jasraj Hallan – Calgary East / Alberta
Re-elected. Advocate for affordable housing. Prominent voice on economic policy within the party.

9. Jagsharan Mahal – Edmonton Southeast / Alberta
First-time MP. Defeated former mayor Amarjeet Sohi. Known for education and interfaith outreach.

10. Tim Uppal – Edmonton Gateway / Alberta
Re-elected. Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party. Former Harper cabinet minister. MBA holder from Ivey.

11. Sukhman Gill – Abbotsford South–Langley / British Columbia
First-time MP. Farmer and agriculture advocate. Strong rural base and ties to Moga, Punjab.