People
More Sikh-Canadians Vie For Seats In Canada’s Parliament
NEWS REPORT
Canada, which created history by electing the western world's first turbaned Sikh - Gurbax Singh Malhi - as an MP in 1993, may create another record by electing a first North-American 'convert' Sikh MP in the October 19, 2015 parliamentary elections.
Martin Singh, 42, who converted to Sikhism in 1991 and took Amrit in 1993, is in the poll fray from Toronto's neighbouring city of Brampton which has the second largest concentration of Sikh-Canadians in Canada.
This fast talking candidate from Brampton North is with the current opposition, the New Democratic Party (NDP) which is leading in opinion polls.
Married to a Sardarni from Amritsar, Martin Singh is pitted against two other Sikhs - the sitting MP Parm Singh Gill of the ruling Conservative Party and Ruby Kaur Sahota of the Liberal Party.
"We are here to win. I am confident that I will be elected. People are responding very well,'' says Martin Singh, father of three, as he canvasses from door to door.
"There are 21,000 Sikh-Canadians in my riding (constituency) and I am connecting with each and everyone. They have confidence in me. They know what I can do for them," he says. He runs a pharmacy business that employs about 500 people.
Recent changes in immigration have impacted families, Martin Singh says, adding that addressing this issue will be his top priority.
"The Canadian immigration and visa system is broken, we want to fix it as immigrant families want all their members to be united. I am a businessman and I want to create jobs which have vanished.''
Because of his turban, this fast-talking businessman / politician made headlines in Canada when he ran for the leadership of the New Democratic Party in 2012.
Ask him why he converted to Sikhism, and he says: "Sikhism attracted me because Guru Nanak emphasised that 'Naam jappo, kirat karo, vund chhako' (meditate, earn an honest living by hard work and share the fruits of your labour) and his vision to pass guruship to the most deserving, not his kin. So I embraced Sikhism in 1991. In 1993, I became initiated into the Khalsa.''
He says his family was very supportive of his conversion to Sikhism. "My mother says that her son has done many interesting things in life, but this one (conversion) has lasted the longest."
Martin Singh says he became a Khalsa in 1993, and thanks to a Sikh family in Calgary he got introduced to a Sikh woman in Amritsar who was to become his wife.
"I first went to Punjab in 1997, and met with the woman librarian of the Religious Studies Department at Guru Nanak Dev University. The librarian was related to the family in Calgary. She introduced me to her niece Amandeep Kaur who had just finished her Masters in Punjabi literature from Punjabi University Patiala. I liked her and we got married in Amritsar. I came back and she joined me here in 1998 as her visa took some time.''
Though he cannot speak much Punjabi, Martin Singh has acquired enough knowledge to read Sikh scriptures in the Gurmukhi script. It is quite amusing to hear him use frequent Punjabi words in his conversation.
Currently, six (MP’s) of the 308 outgoing House of Commons members are Sikh-Canadians.
In the upcoming elections, in addition to many other Sikh-Canadians who are running, over a dozen ridings or constituencies have Sikh-Canadians running against each other, represeting the full gamut of opposing parties.
Which guarantees a large number of Sikh-Canadian MPs in the new parliament.
[Courtesy: IANS. Edited for sikhchic.com]
August 13, 2015
Conversation about this article
1: Kaala Singh (Punjab), August 16, 2015, 12:00 PM.
Sikhs have a bright future in the civilized West where they are not stifled by corrupt leaders and regimes. Congratulations to Sikh-Canadians for their success.
2: Kaala Singh (Punjab), August 19, 2015, 3:05 PM.
It is good to see Sikhs succeeding in Western political arenas. It is no secret that Margret Thatcher colluded with Indira Gandhi to effect 1984. If Thatcher could be stopped in her tracks, 1984 could have been prevented. I do no think India had the courage to do what it did if it didn't have the backing of foreign powers. Sikh politicians in the West should watch out for and stop corrupt politicians like Thatcher before they get state-power to create problems such as 1984.