Over thirty South Asian candidates contesting in upcoming federal election across the Canada

The South Asian community seems quite active in the upcoming federal election, perhaps more than any other visible minority in Canada.

Both major parties, the Conservatives and the Liberals, have nominated about two dozen candidates from the South Asian community. Third biggest party, the NDP, has alone nominated almost two dozen South Asian candidates. Green Party has also nominated two South Asian candidates.

Nearly two dozen South Asian candidates, from the three main contesting parties, are Sikh-Canadians. The Liberals were the first to recognize the poll potential of the Sikhs, while NDP have fielded the maximum number of Sikh candidates in the upcoming federal election. NDP members have nominated candidates for Brampton ridings who are all from the Punjabi Sikh community.

Three among the five constituencies in Mississauga are being contested by South Asians. A Pakistani descendant and a Bengali descendant are running for two Scarborough ridings. NDP candidates for Toronto Centre, St. Paul's and Etobicoke North are of South Asian background.

In demographic terms, the NDP has nominated more than half its candidates in the GTA who are from South Asian communities.

In 2006, there were ten Members of Parliament of South Asian origin. Three incumbent Liberal members of Parliament from Brampton, one from Toronto and two from British Columbia are also back in the race. Two incumbent Conservative MPs from Alberta and a sitting MP from Mississauga belong to the South Asian community as well.

In a broader perspective, South Asians are candidates for all political parties. Some local campaigners are worried that South Asian candidates could sway these snap elections and have derided all the parties for ‘ethnic pandering.’

South Asians are the largest visible minority and immigrant group in Canada. Nearly 1.3 million people — a 38 per cent increase over 2001 — identified themselves in 2006 census as South Asian, which includes Canadians who came from countries like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. They accounted for 24.9 per cent of the visible minority population and 4 per cent of the total population.