Record number of Indo-Canadian MPs honoured

The largest visible minority in Canada increased its presence in Parliament last general election, and the Indo-Canadian Community of Greater Montreal (ICCGM) hopes that headway will inspire the next generation to get involved in government.

It was an evening of pride, honour and tolerance when 400 people packed a banquet hall in Pointe-Claire on Sunday night to pay tribute to 19 Indo-Canadian MPs who were elected across Canada in October—including four cabinet ministers and Dorval-Lachine-Lasalle’s MP, Anju Dhillon, who made history as the first person of South Asian descent to be elected from Quebec.

The historic number is more than double the eight Indo-Canadian MPs appointed last election.

The feeling of euphoria was almost intangible for Dhillon, who was speechless and smiling. “[In Quebec] the Indo-Canadian population is building up, so this is a matter of excitement for everybody in the community.”

Her election was a dream come true for Dhillon, who volunteered on Paul Martin’s campaign as a 13-year-old. “I would watch him helping people,” she recalled. “In Sikhism if you do good deeds you will always be rewarded.”

With summer coming, she’s eager to spend more time in her riding. Upcoming environmental consultations will give locals a voice in government and Dhillon will also focus on issues for senior citizens. “I want to help [them] as much as possible. People tend to ignore their voices and I want to listen.”

A National Decision

The 19 MPs elected was a Canada-wide success, explained Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Dion. “The fact is they were not only elected by the community but by other Canadians because they are people of great talent. It’s something we need to celebrate in Canada. If you work hard you have an opportunity to succeed, whatever your background your religion,” he said.

People of South Asian descent were the largest reported visible minority group in the 2011 census, accounting for 25 per cent of the total visible minority population, or 4.8 per cent of the population of Canada.

Mending ties

The banquet coincided with a very special moment in Indo-Canadian history, told through an exhibit.

In May, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an apology in the House of Commons for the Komagata Maru incident, 102 years after 376 immigrants from British India travelled to Canada, only to be turned away by the Canadian government. For two months their ship was anchored in Vancouver while passengers were starving and thirsty, requests for food ignored.

“Today it’s more difficult to identify with something that transpired over a hundred years ago,” explained Harjeet Bhabra, event organiser. “By apologising you can’t really undo what happened, but at least it’s an acknowledgment that mistakes were made and we can learn from [that] and move forward.”