Punjabi Canadians number approximately 950,000 and account for roughly 2.6% of Canada's population, as per the

2021 Canadian census The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sl ...

. Their heritage originates wholly or partly from the

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

region of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Punjabis The Punjabis ( Punjabi: ; ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ; romanised as Panjābīs), are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group associated with the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of eastern Pakistan and northwestern India. The ...

first arrived in Canada during the late 19th century to work in the forestry industry. Primarily concentrated in the western province of British Columbia, the Punjabi population initially peaked in 1908 before an ensuing period of population decline and stagnation followed. In the mid 20th century Canadian immigration laws were relaxed, fostering rapid population growth into the present day. Today, the largest Punjabi communities in Canada are situated in the province of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, concentrated in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, and the province of

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, particularly in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

History

Late 19th century

In 1897, the first persons of Punjabi origin visited British Columbia. They were soldiers transiting from India to the United Kingdom during the

Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

.Walton-Roberts, Margaret. 1998.
Three Readings of the Turban: Sikh Identity in Greater Vancouver

Archive
. In '' Urban Geography'', Vol. 19: 4, June. - DO
10.2747/0272-3638.19.4.311

Available at
Academia.edu and at

ResearchGate ResearchGate is a European commercial social networking site for scientists and researchers to share papers, ask and answer questions, and find collaborators. According to a 2014 study by ''Nature'' and a 2016 article in ''Times Higher Education'' ...

. p. 316. The Punjabis ultimately became the first South Asian-origin group to settle in Canada.

Early 20th century

In 1900, the population of Punjabis in Canada increased to 100. By 1906, this number increased to 1,500. The vast majority were Sikhs and came from

Hoshiarpur Hoshiarpur () is a city and a Municipal corporations in India, municipal corporation in Hoshiarpur district in the Doaba region of the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab. It was founded, according to tradition, during the early part of the ...

Jalandhar Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...

Ferozpur Firozpur, also known as Ferozepur, is a city on the banks of the Sutlej River in Firozpur District, Punjab, India. After the partition of India in 1947, it became a border town on the India–Pakistan border with memorials to soldiers who d ...

, and

Ludhiana Ludhiana ( ) is the most populous and the largest Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab. The city has an estimated population of 1,618,879 2011 Indian census, 2011 census and distributed over , making Ludhiana the ...

. At the turn of the century the Mayor of Vancouver did not permit cremation, so when the first Sikh died in 1907 he could not be cremated in the Vancouver city limits. Christian missionaries did not permit him to be buried with whites. Even though the missionaries promoted burial, the Sikhs instead cremated the man in a distant wilderness. This prompted Sikhs to establish their own religious institutions. Initially, Punjabis were guaranteed jobs by agents of big Canadian companies like the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

and the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...

. Overcoming their initial reluctance to go to these countries due to the treatment of Asians by the white population, many young men chose to go, having been assured that they would not meet the same fate. They were

British subject The term "British subject" has several different meanings depending on the time period. Before 1949, it referred to almost all subjects of the British Empire (including the United Kingdom, Dominions, and colonies, but excluding protectorates ...

s and Canada was a part of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

. A notable moment in early Punjabi Canadian history was in 1902 when Punjabi Sikh settlers first arrived in Golden, British Columbia to work at the Columbia River Lumber Company. This was a theme amongst most early Punjabi settlers in Canada to find work in the agricultural and forestry sectors in British Columbia. Punjabis became a prominent ethnic group within the sawmill workforce in British Columbia almost immediately after initial arrival to Canada.Nayar, ''

The Punjabis in British Columbia ''The Punjabis in British Columbia: Location, Labour, First Nations, and Multiculturalism'' is a 2012 book by Kamala Elizabeth Nayar, published by the McGill-Queen’s University Press (MQUP). The book discusses Punjabi immigrants to northern Bri ...

'', p
28
"In fact, early in the twentieth century, when many Chinese and Japanese men were working in sawmills, lumber labour had become associated with ethnicity." The early settlers in Golden built the first

Gurdwara A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...

(Sikh Temple) in Canada and North America in 1905, which would later be destroyed by fire in 1926. The second Gurdwara to be built in Canada was in 1908 in Kitsilano (Vancouver), aimed at serving a growing number of Punjabi Sikh settlers who worked at nearby sawmills along

False Creek False Creek (french: Faux ruisseau) is a short narrow inlet in the heart of Vancouver, separating the Downtown and West End neighbourhoods from the rest of the city. It is one of the four main bodies of water bordering Vancouver, along with ...

at the time. The Gurdwara would later close and be demolished in 1970, with the

temple society The German Templer Society emerged in Germany during the mid-nineteenth century, with its roots in the Pietist movement of the Lutheran Church, and in its history a legacy of preceding centuries during which various Christian groups undertook t ...

relocating to the newly built Gurdwara on Ross Street, in South Vancouver. As a result, the oldest existing Gurdwara in Canada today is the

Gur Sikh Temple The Gur Sikh Temple (Gurdwara) ( pa, ਗੁਰ ਸਿੱਖ਼ ਗੁਰਦੁਵਾਰਾ) of Abbotsford in British Columbia is the oldest existing Sikh temple in North America and a National Historic Site Canada. It is the only Sikh temple o ...

, located in

Abbotsford, British Columbia Abbotsford is a city located in British Columbia, adjacent to the Canada–United States border, Greater Vancouver and the Fraser River. With an estimated population of 153,524 people it is the largest municipality in the province outside metrop ...

. Built in 1911, the temple was designated as a

national historic site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of t ...

in 2002 and is the third-oldest Gurdwara in the country. Later, the fourth Gurdwara to be built Canada was established in 1912 in Victoria on Topaz Avenue, while the fifth soon was built at the

Fraser Mills Fraser Mills was a municipality in British Columbia on the north bank of the Fraser River, incorporated in 1913, but since amalgamated with the City of Coquitlam. History Located on the northern shore of the Fraser River, the area was originally ...

( Coquitlam) settlement in 1913, followed a few years later by the sixth at the Queensborough ( New Westminster) settlement in 1919, and the seventh at the

Paldi Paldi is an area located in South Western Ahmedabad, India. Corporate offices and city centres of many national and international companies like ICICI Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland, Religare, Claris, Gujarat Gas are located within Paldi. It ...

(

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

) settlement, also in 1919. Sikh men standing near a funeral pyre at a lumber camp in British Columbia, circa 1914 (INDOCC 1522)

Oftentimes, upon arrival to

, early Punjabi immigrants and settlers faced widespread racism by other ethnic groups who had also immigrated and settled in Canada in prior decades, including English Canadians, Scottish Canadians, or Irish Canadians. Most of the

white Canadians European Canadians, or Euro-Canadians, are Canadians who were either born in or can trace their ancestry to the continent of Europe. They form the largest panethnic group within Canada. In the 2021 Canadian census, 19,062,115 Canadians self-i ...

feared workers who would work for less pay, and that an influx of more immigrants would threaten their jobs. As a result, there were a series of race riots that targeted the Punjabi Sikh immigrants, who were beat up by mobs of angry white Canadians, though often met with retaliation.SOME SIGNIFICANT MOMENTS IN SIKH-CANADIAN HISTORY

. ExplorAsian. Retrieved on November 10, 2014. Nevertheless, during the most infamous anti-Asian riot in BC history ( Anti-Oriental Riots of 1907), Punjabis were spared as they remained indoors. The continued tensions caused the Punjabi population to fall from a high of 4,700 in 1907, to less than 2,000 by 1914. In 1908 the British Columbia government passed a law preventing Indian men from voting. Because eligibility for federal elections originated from provincial voting lists, East Indian men were unable to vote in federal elections. Komogata Maru LAC a034014 1914

Punjabis were later faced by one of the most infamous racial exclusion acts in Canadian history. In 1914, The Komagata Maru, a steamliner carrying 376 passengers from Punjab docked in Vancouver. Of them, 24 were admitted to Canada, but the other 352 passengers were not allowed to disembark in Canada, and the ship was forced to return to India. The passengers comprised 337 Punjabi Sikhs, 27

Punjabi Muslims Punjabi Muslims ( pa, ) are adherents of Islam who identify linguistically, culturally, and genealogically as Punjabis. Primarily geographically native to the Punjab province of Pakistan today, many have ancestry in the entire Punjab region, ...

and 12

Punjabi Hindus Punjabi Hindus are adherents of Hinduism who identify linguistically, culturally, and genealogically as Punjabis. While Punjabi Hindus are mostly found in the Indian state of Punjab today, many have ancestry from the greater Punjab region ...

Mid 20th century

By 1923, Vancouver became the primary cultural, social, and religious centre of Punjabi Canadians as it had the largest ethnic Indian population of any city in North America. The Punjabi population in Canada would remain relatively stable throughout the mid 20th century as the exclusionary immigration policies practiced by the Canadian government continued. However, a shift began to occur after World War Two. The Canadian government re-enfranchised the Indo-Canadian community with the right to vote in 1947. A significant event in Punjabi Canadian history occurred in 1950 when 25 years after settling in Canada and nine years after moving to British Columbia from Toronto, Naranjan "Giani" Singh Grewall became the first individual of Punjabi ancestry in Canada and North America to be elected to public office after successfully running for a position on the board of commissioners in

Mission, BC Mission is a city in the Lower Mainland of the province of British Columbia, Canada. It was originally incorporated as a district municipality in 1892, growing to include additional villages and rural areas over the years, adding the original To ...

against six other candidates.Mahil, Lovleen.
Indo-Canadian Community in MissionArchive
. ''Mission Community Archives'', Mission Museum. Retrieved on March 16, 2015.Grewall was re-elected to the board of commissioners in 1952 and by 1954, was elected to became mayor of Mission. A

millwright A millwright is a craftsperson or skilled tradesperson who installs, dismantles, maintains, repairs, reassembles, and moves machinery in factories, power plants, and construction sites. The term ''millwright'' (also known as ''industrial mecha ...

and union official, and known as a sportsman and humanitarian philanthropist as well as a lumberman, Grewall eventually established himself as one of the largest employers and most influential business leaders in the northern Fraser Valley, owned six sawmills and was active in community affairs serving on the boards or as chairman of a variety of organizations, and was instrumental in helping create Mission's municipal tree farm. With strong pro-labour beliefs despite his role as a mill-owner, after a scandal embroiled the provincial Ministry of Forestry under the-then Social Credit party government, he referred to holders of forest management licenses across British Columbia as ''Timber Maharajahs'', and cautioned that within a decade, three or four giant corporations would predominantly control the entire industry in the province, echoing similarities to the archaic

zamindar A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as a ...

system in South Asia. He later ran unsuccessfully for the

Co-operative Commonwealth Federation The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF; french: Fédération du Commonwealth Coopératif, FCC); from 1955 the Social Democratic Party of Canada (''french: Parti social démocratique du Canada''), was a federal democratic socialism, democra ...

(the precursor of today's

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * t ...

) in the Dewdney riding in the provincial election of 1956. While by the 1950s, Punjabi Canadians had gained respect in business in British Columbia primarily for their work in owning sawmills and aiding the development of the provincial forestry industry, racism still existed especially in the upper echelons of society. As such, during the campaign period and in the aftermath of running for MLA in 1956, Grewall received personal threats, while the six mills he owned along with his house were all set ablaze by arsonists. One year later, on July 17, 1957 while on a business trip, he was suspiciously found dead in a Seattle motel, having been shot in the head. Grewall Street in Mission was named in his honour.Streets Stories: Grewall Street

Archive
. Mission District Historical Society, Mission Community Archives website. Retrieved on March 16, 2015. In 1967 all immigration quotas based on specific ethnic groups were scrapped in Canada, thus allowing the ethnic Punjabi population in Canada to grow rapidly thereafter. Most continued to settle in across British Columbia, notably in the

Lower Mainland The Lower Mainland is a geographic and cultural region of the mainland coast of British Columbia that generally comprises the regional districts of Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley. Home to approximately 3.05million people as of the 2021 Canadia ...

, and

the interior , settlement_type = Region of British Columbia , image_skyline = , nickname = "The Interior" , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivi ...

. As many Punjabis worked in the forestry industry, Northern British Columbia began to see a rise in Punjabi immigration in the 1960s. Prince George, the economic centre of Northern BC, became a secondary hub for early Punjabi immigration.The Indo-Canadian Community

Archive
. ''Report on the Quality of Life in Prince George''. 1997. University of Northern British Columbia. p. 254 (PDF 3/17). Retrieved on October 19, 2014. However, Vancouver remained the centre of Punjabi immigration through the mid 20th century. In the 1960s, ethnic Punjabis began moving to all areas in the Lower Mainland, however two concentrations soon developed: South Vancouver ( Sunset neighbourhood) and South Burnaby ( Edmonds neighbourhood).Nayar, ''

The Sikh Diaspora in Vancouver ''The Sikh Diaspora in Vancouver: Three Generations Amid Tradition, Modernity, and Multiculturalism'' is a 2004 book by Kamala Elizabeth Nayar published by the University of Toronto Press. The book discusses three generations of the Sikh diaspora, ...

'', p
327
Out of these two newly formed ethnic enclaves, it was South Vancouver which began to flourish as the

Punjabi Market The Punjabi Market ( pa, ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਮਾਰਕਿਟ/), also known as Little Punjab or Little India#British Columbia, Little India, is a commercial district and ethnic enclave in Vancouver, British Columbia. Officially recognized by the c ...

was soon founded in the late 1960s. Later in the 1970s, Punjabi populations began appearing in

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also re ...

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, and

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

. Vandalism against houses owned by Indo-Canadians and a Sikh

gurdwara A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...

occurred in the 1970s, especially in 1974-1975 in Richmond.

Late 20th century to present

In 1986, following the British Columbia provincial election,

Moe Sihota Munmohan Singh "Moe" Sihota (born February 18, 1955) is a Canadian former broadcaster and politician. He was the first Canadian of South Asian descent to be elected to provincial parliament. He was born in Duncan, British Columbia and attended ...

became the first Canadian of Punjabi ancestry to be elected to provincial parliament. Sihota, who was born in

Duncan, British Columbia Duncan (pop. 5,047 in 2021) is a city on southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It is the smallest city by area (2.07 square kilometres, 0.8 square miles) in Canada. It was incorporated in 1912. Location The city is about 45 kilo ...

in 1955, ran as the NDP Candidate in the riding of

Esquimalt-Port Renfrew Esquimalt-Port Renfrew was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia from 1979 to 1986. Its predecessor riding was Esquimalt. Its principal successor-riding, which is the current riding, is Esquimalt-Metchosin. ...

two years after being involved in municipal politics, as he was elected as an

Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

for the city of

Esquimalt The Township of Esquimalt is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Juan de ...

in 1984. By the 1980s, the traditional Punjabi immigration patterns began to shift. Ontario soon became an important centre of immigration to Canada. Large Punjabi populations began to appear across the

Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the City of Toronto and the regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel, and York. In total, the region contains 25 urban, suburban, and rural municipalities. The Greater T ...

, especially in

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

Markham Markham may refer to: It may also refer to brand of of clothing which originates from South Africa which saw it's establishment in 1873. Biology * Markham's storm-petrel (''Oceanodroma markhami''), a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia * ...

Mississauga Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...

Brampton Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#Lower-tier municipalities, lower-tier municipalit ...

, and Ajax. At the same time, Alberta also became another important immigration destination for Punjabis, with the third and fourth largest Punjabi Canadian populations in metropolitan areas now situated in Metro Calgary (primarily Northeast Calgary) and Metro Edmonton (primarily

Southeast Edmonton Southeast Edmonton is a residential area in the southeast portion of the City of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada. It was established in 2005 through Edmonton City Council's adoption of the Southeast Area Structure Plan, which guides the overall devel ...

Mill Woods Mill Woods is a residential area in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Located in southeast Edmonton, Mill Woods is bounded by Whitemud Drive ( Highway 14) to the north, 91 Street to the west, 34 Street to the east, and Anthony Henday ...

). As of the 2011 census, 5.5% of residents reported speaking

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

at home in Metro Vancouver, while 21.3% of

residents speak it as their primary language at home. Today, the Punjabi population of Canada is 942,170 with the largest community located in Ontario (397,865), followed by British Columbia (315,000), and Alberta (126,385). In addition, Punjabi is the third most spoken language of the

Parliament of Canada The Parliament of Canada (french: Parlement du Canada) is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons. By constitutional convention, the ...

Demography

Population

Religion

During the early stages of Punjabi immigration to Canada, most pioneers were of the Sikh faith.Nayar, ''

'', p
9
"It is interesting to note that, in the BC Lower Mainland (Vancouver and surrounding municipalities, including Burnaby, New Westminster, Richmond, and Surrey), Sikhs raised outside the Punjab refer to themselves as Punjabi and use the term interchangeably with "Sikh," understanding the two as synonymous." The last census report detailing the religious proportion breakdown of the Punjabi Canadian community was done between 2005 and 2007 by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, with results derived from the 2001 Canadian census. This report found that 86% of Punjabi Canadians were adherents of the

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

faith, while the remaining 14% followed other religions such as

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

, or

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

Geographical distribution

The largest Punjabi populations in Canada are located in British Columbia and Ontario. Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec are also home to significant populations with Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia featuring small but rapidly growing Punjabi communities.

Provinces & territories

Metropolitan areas

According to the 2021 census, metropolitan areas with the highest proportions of Punjabi Canadians included Abbotsford–Mission (23.3%), Vancouver (9.2%), Toronto (5.2%), Winnipeg (4.9%), Calgary (4.7%), Edmonton (3.8%), Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo (2.8%), Regina (2.5%), Kelowna (2.2%), Hamilton (1.8%), Saskatoon (1.7%), and Victoria (1.5%).

Subdivisions

British Columbia

According to the 2021 census, subdivisions in British Columbia with the highest proportions of Punjabi Canadians included Surrey (29.3%), Abbotsford (27.3%), Delta (19.4%), Cawston (16.4%), Okanagan−Similkameen Subdivision A (14.9%), Okanagan−Similkameen Subdivision C (14.3%), Mission (8.9%), Oliver (8.4%), Squamish (5.4%), Okanagan−Similkameen Subdivision G (5.4%), and New Westminster (5.1%). * Subdivisions with Punjabi Canadian populations greater than 100 listed below.

Prairies

According to the 2021 census, subdivisions in the Prairies with the highest proportions of Punjabi Canadians included Chestermere (14.7%), Winnipeg (5.3%), Edmonton (5.0%), Thompson (4.9%), Calgary (4.7%), Regina (2.7%), Airdrie (2.4%), Saskatoon (2.0%), Portage La Prairie (1.9%), Grande Prairie (1.2%), and Yorkton (1.2%). * Subdivisions with Punjabi Canadian populations greater than 100 listed below.

Ontario

According to the 2021 census, subdivisions in Ontario with the highest proportions of Punjabi Canadians included Brampton (29.1%), Caledon (15.1%), Mississauga (5.3%), Mono (5.0%), Milton (4.6%), Woodstock (4.2%), Cambridge (3.8%), Kitchener (3.2%), Brantford (3.1%), Oakville (2.6%), Ajax (2.3%), Halton Hills (2.1%), and Waterloo (2.0%). * Subdivisions with Punjabi Canadian populations greater than 100 listed below.

Quebec

* Subdivisions with Punjabi Canadian populations greater than 100 listed below.

Atlantic

North

* Subdivisions with Punjabi Canadian populations greater than 100 listed below.

Notable people

Academics

* Hardial Singh Bains, microbiologist * Harjot Singh Oberoi, academic * Munir Sheikh, economist * Naranjan Singh Dhalla, scientist *

Naweed Syed Naweed I. Syed is a Pakistani-born Canadian neuro-scientist. He is the first scientist to connect brain cells to a silicon chip, creating the world's first neurochip. Syed has travelled worldwide giving lectures and presentations about the human ...

, scientist * Sajida Alvi, academic *

Sandeep Singh Brar Sandeep Singh Brar is a Sikh historian, internet pioneer and photographer. He is the creator of the world's first Sikh website, ''sikhs.org'', which was launched in December 1994. In September 1995, The Sikhism Home Page was included into the Mic ...

, academic *

Sat Bir Singh Khalsa Sat Bir Singh Khalsa is a researcher in the field of body mind medicine, specializing in yoga therapy. Originally from Toronto, he earned his Ph.D. at the University of Toronto, where he also began his practice of Kundalini Yoga under the tu ...

, academic *

Sheena Iyengar Sheena S. Iyengar is a former S.T. Lee Professor of Business in the Management Department at Columbia Business School, widely and best known as an expert on choice. Her research focuses on the many facets of decision making, including: why people ...

, academic

Activists

* Darshan Singh Canadian, trade unionist and communist organizer *

Harmeet Singh Sooden Harmeet Singh Sooden (born 1973) is a Canadian-New Zealand anti-war activist who volunteered for the international NGO Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq. He was held captive in Baghdad with three others for almost four months until being freed ...

, anti-war activist * Jaggi Singh, anti-globalization activist *

Mewa Singh Mewa Singh (born 11 April 1951) is an Indian primatologist, ethologist, and conservation biologist. He was a professor of ecology and animal behavior at University of Mysore Biopsychology Department in Mysore, Karnataka. Currently he is a Life ...

, assassin, anti-British Colonialism activist, Azad Punjab(Free Punjab) Movement

Ghadarite The Ghadar Movement was an early 20th century, international political movement founded by expatriate Indians to overthrow British rule in India. The early movement was created by conspirators who lived and worked on the West Coast of the United ...

Athletes

* Andrew Singh Kooner, boxer * Akam, professional wrestler * Amarveer Singh Dhesi, wrestling gold medalist * Arjun Singh Bhullar, wrestler and mixed martial artist *

Arjun Gill Arjun Gill (born November 6, 1991) is a wrestler competing for Canada. He won a gold medal in the 97 kg freestyle at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The following year on home soil, Gill won silver at the 2015 Pan American Games in To ...

, wrestling gold medalist *

Balraj Panesar Balraj Singh Panesar (born March 16, 1996) is a Canadian field hockey player who plays as a defender or midfielder for the English Premier Club Beeston HC and the Canadian national team. Early life Panesar was born on March 16, 1996 in Sur ...

, field hockey player *

The Bollywood Boyz The Bollywood Boyz are a Canadian professional wrestling tag team composed of brothers Gurvinder "Gurv" Sihra (born November 13, 1984) and Harvinder "Harv" Sihra (born November 2, 1987). They are best known for their time in WWE, where Gurvinder ...

, Gurv Singh and Harv Singh Sihra, professional wrestling tag team *

Haninder Dhillon Haninder Dhillon (born 27 October 1976, in India) is a Canadian cricket player. He is a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler. He made his debut for Canada on 28 May 2004 in an ICC Intercontinental Cup game against the USA in F ...

, cricket player *

Harinder Jit Singh Rai Hardinder Jit Singh Rai (died 1984), nicknamed ''Pandit'', was an international-level Canadian field hockey forward. In 1956-57 he played for the University of British Columbia. On October 21, 1962 he scored Canada's first ever international goal i ...

, field hockey player * Harpal Singh Talhan, boxer *

Jasvir Rakkar Jasvir Rakkar (born April 27, 1991) is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. Career Rakkar's parents were born in Punjab, India, and immigrated to Canada before Jasvir was born. Rakkar graduated from Bramalea Secondary ...

, baseball player * Jasvir Singh, weightlifter * Jimmy Hansra, cricket player * Jinder Mahal, professional wrestler *

Jujhar Khaira Jujhar Khaira (born August 13, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently playing for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has also played for the Edmonton Oilers. Playing career Khaira was drafted b ...

, ice hockey player * Kenny Singh Lally, Boxing bronze medalist *

Manny Malhotra Emmanuel Noveen Malhotra (born May 18, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who is currently an assistant coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is a former assistant coach of the Vancouver C ...

, retired ice hockey player and current coach *

Nick Sandhu Hargurnek Singh Sandhu (born January 26, 1962 in Jamsher Khas, Jalandhar, Punjab, India), known as "Nick" or "Niki", is an Indian-born Canadian former field hockey defender. Sandhu participated in two consecutive Summer Olympics for Canada, star ...

, former field hockey player *

Nicolas Gill Nicolas Gill (born 24 April 1972 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian judoka who competed at four consecutive Olympic Games. He is a two-time Olympic medalist, receiving a bronze in the middleweight (86 kg) division at his inaugural Olympia ...

, judoko * Nishan Singh Randhawa, wrestling gold medalist *

Nuvraj Bassi Nuvraj Singh Bassi (born March 20, 1983) is a former defensive tackle in the Canadian Football League. He was drafted 43rd overall in the 2010 CFL Draft by the Lions. He played college football for the Oregon Ducks. He previously played for t ...

, football player *

Obby Khan Ibrahim "Obby" Khan (born 8 October 1980) is a Canadian politician, entrepreneur and former professional Canadian football center who played for nine seasons in the Canadian Football League with the Ottawa Renegades, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and Ca ...

, former football player *

Paul Chohan Paul Satinder "Bubli" Chohan (born 2 July 1957 in Ludhiana, Punjab, India) is an Indian-born Canadian former field hockey player who represented Canada. International senior competitions * 1975 – Pan American Games, Mexico (2nd) * 1976 ...

, former field hockey player *

Qaiser Ali Qaiser Ali (born 28 December 1978) is a Canadian cricket player. He played one ListA match for karachi B in his native Pakistan in 1995, but moved to Canada later in life. He made his debut for Canada in the ICC Intercontinental Cup against Berm ...

, cricket player *

Robin Bawa Robin N. Bawa (born March 26, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who spent parts of four seasons in the National Hockey League between 1989 and 1994. Playing career Bawa spent five productive seasons of junior hockey in the ...

, ice hockey player, first Indo-Canadian in the NHL * Rizwan Cheema, cricket player * Saad Bin Zafar, cricket player *

Sim Bhullar Gursimran Singh "Sim" Bhullar (born December 2, 1992) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Tainan TSG GhostHawks of the T1 League. He played college basketball for New Mexico State University and is the first player of Indian desc ...

, basketball player *

Sukh Chungh Sukhjivan Singh Chungh (born March 4, 1992) is a Canadian football offensive lineman for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played CIS football at University of Calgary and attended Terry Fox Secondary School in Port Coquitlam, ...

, football player * Sukhdeep Singh Chakria, boxer *

Sukhi Panesar Sukhpal Singh Panesar (born December 26, 1993) is a Canadian field hockey player who plays as a midfielder for English club Beeston and the Canadian national team. International career He played for the Canada national field hockey team at th ...

, field hockey player *

Tiger Ali Singh Gurjit Singh Hans (born March 9, 1971) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1997 to 2002 under the ring name Tiger Ali Singh. He is the son of professional wrestler ...

, professional wrestler *

Tiger Jeet Singh Jagjeet Singh Hans (born April 3, 1944) is an Indo-Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler, known better by his ring name Tiger Jeet Singh. He was known for his elaborate ring entrances, and generally performed as a heel. He wrestled in Japan ...

, professional wrestler *

Umar Bhatti Umar Bhatti (born 4 January 1984) is a Pakistani-born Canadian cricketer. He was born in the Province of Punjab in the city of Lahore. He is a left-handed batsman and a left-arm medium-pace bowler. Bhatti first played for Canada in the Under-19 ...

, cricket player * Yogi Singh Johl, Olympic wrestler

Businesspeople

* Nav Bhatia, businessman *

Baljit Singh Chadha Baljit Singh Chadha (born 1951) is a Canadian businessman based in Montreal, Quebec, who is the president and founder of Balcorp Limited which he started in 1976.The company has offices in Montreal, New Delhi and Mumbai. He is a leader of the Sikh ...

, businessman *

Harbanse Singh Doman Harbanse Singh Doman (August 18, 1932 – July 26, 2007), commonly known as Herb Doman, was a Canadian forester, forestry industrialist, and the Chairman of Doman Industries. Early years From shipping, Doman progressed to sawmilling when his cust ...

, industrialist * Manjit Minhas, entrepreneur,

Dragon's Den ''Dragons' Den'' is a reality television program format in which entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of venture capitalists in the hope of securing investment finance from them. The program originated in 2001 in Japan, where it is k ...

panelist *

Spoony Singh Sapuran Singh Sundher (22 October 1922 – 18 October 2006), popularly known as Spoony Singh, was an Indian-born Canadian businessman and entrepreneur known for his personality and establishing the Hollywood Wax Museum. Early years and car ...

, entrepreneur *

Suneet Singh Tuli Suneet Singh Tuli is the co-founder of DataWind. He was born in 1968 to Lakhvir Singh, the head of an entrepreneur, Sikh family. He graduated from Toronto University in 1990 in Applied Sciences in Engineering. While being student he started wor ...

, tech entrepreneur *

Shivon Zilis Shivon Alice Zilis (born February 8, 1986) is a Canadian venture capitalist who works in the technology and artificial intelligence fields. Early life and education Shivon Alice Zilis was born in Markham, Ontario, Canada on 8 February 1986 t ...

, venture capitalist

Criminals

* Jaspal Atwal, attempted assassin of

Malkiat Singh Sidhu Malkiat Singh Sidhu (died 27 April 1991) was the former Planning Minister of Punjab, India. He was a member of the Akali Dal political party. In 1986, he was named Minister of State. On 25 May 1986, he was ambushed by four Sikhs who learned h ...

Ranjit Cheema Ranjit Singh Cheema (died 2 May 2012) was a Vancouver-based Indo-Canadian gangster, drug trader and longtime under-world rival of notorious gangster and former Cheema disciple, Bindy Johal. He was involved in organized crime for over two-deca ...

, gangster * Bindy Johal, gangster

Film and Television

Neeru Bajwa Neeru Bajwa (born 26 August 1975) is a Canadian actress, director and producer who has mainly worked in Punjabi and Hindi films. She started her career in 1998 with Dev Anand's Bollywood film '' Main Solah Baras Ki'' and then moved on to work ...

, Pollywood actress *

Rubina Bajwa Rubina Bajwa is a Canadian actress and sister of Neeru Bajwa who works in Punjabi films. She started her career in 2017 in her sisters film ''Sargi,'' for which she was awarded the Debut Female Actress Award in 2018 during the PTC Punjabi Film ...

, Pollywood actress * Parveen Kaur, actress * Karam Singh Batth, Pollywood actor and producer *

Rupan Bal Rupanjit Singh Bal (born January 26, 1990) is an Indian-Canadian YouTuber, actor, director and comedian. Bal became famous for his comedic roles in videos produced by fellow Indo-Canadian comic and YouTuber Jus Reign, and parleyed that role int ...

, Pollywood actor and

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

personality *

Vekeana Dhillon Vekeana Dhillon is a screenwriter, series creator, playwright, television presenter, radio presenter and actress. Early life and education She was born in New Delhi, India and later her family migrated to Toronto, Canada. Raised in Alberta, Cana ...

, Pollywood screenwriter and series creator *

Vikram Dhillon Vikram Dhillon is an Indo-Canadian Feature Film Producer, Director, Actor and a former VJ for Channel V (Star TV India) Biography Career Vikram Dhillon is a Co-Founder of the newly formed Digital Content Studio The Foundry with his partner Pu ...

, filmmaker and producer *

Balinder Johal Balinder Johal is an Indo-Canadian actress."Monster-in-law, India style; Vancouver's Balinder Johal finds a well of astonishing villainy as a controlling matriarch in Deepa Mehta's Heaven on Earth". ''Vancouver Sun'', October 31, 2008. She is best k ...

, actress *

Akshay Kumar Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (born 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian-born naturalised Canadian Quote: "(Former prime minister Stephen) Harper campaigned in 2011 alongside one of Modi's biggest celebrity backer ...

, Bollywood actor * Sunny Leone, Bollywood and adult actress *

Deepa Mehta Deepa Mehta, (; born 1 January 1950) is an Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter, best known for her Elements Trilogy, Fire (1996 film), ''Fire'' (1996), ''Earth (1998 film), Earth'' (1998), and ''Water (2005 film), Water'' (2005 ...

, film director * Omar Majeed, film director and producer *

Zarqa Nawaz Zarqa Nawaz (born 1967 in Liverpool, England) is a Canadian creator and producer for film and television, a published author, public speaker, journalist, and former broadcaster. Biography Zarqa Nawaz was raised in the Toronto area and attended ...

, film director/producer and author *

Alex Sangha Alex Sangha is a Canadian social worker and documentary film producer. He is the founder of Sher Vancouver which is a registered charity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) South Asians and their friends. Sangha was t ...

, social worker and documentary film producer * Zaib Shaikh, actor * Jasmeet Singh, comedian * Veena Sood, actress * Lilly Singh, comedian *

Supinder Wraich Supinder Wraich ( ) is an Indian-born Canadian actress. She is most noted for her starring roles in the web series '' Guidestones'', for which she won the Canadian Screen Award for Performance in a Program or Series Produced for Digital Media a ...

, actress

Journalists

* Suroosh Alvi, journalist and filmmaker *

Monika Deol Monika Deol is a Canadian television personality. She began as an entertainment reporter for Citytv in Toronto, Ontario, and later became a VJ for MuchMusic, hosting and co-producing ''Electric Circus'' from 1988 to 1996. Simultaneously, Deol w ...

, VJ and news anchor * Tara Singh Hayer, newspaper publisher *

Tarek Fatah Tarek Fatah ( Punjabi/Urdu: ; born 20 November 1949) is a Pakistani-Canadian journalist and author.Monita Rajpal, journalist *

Ali Amjad Rizvi Ali Amjad Rizvi (born 29 May 1975) is a Pakistani-born Canadian atheist ex-Muslim and secular humanist writer and podcaster who explores the challenges of Muslims who leave their faith. He writes a column for the ''Huffington Post'' and co-host ...

, journalist and political activist *

Harnarayan Singh Harnarayan Singh is a Canadian sports announcer and journalist. He became known for announcing the Punjabi-language broadcasts of ''Hockey Night in Canada,'' and currently calls games in English for Sportsnet and ''Hockey Night in Canada''. ...

, journalist and sports announcer * Adnan Virk, sports announcer

Musicians

* Jazzy B, singer *

Fateh Fateh () is an Arabic-language name that translates to "conqueror". It is used in many other languages across the Muslim world and in societies that have significant Islamic influence. As a given name * Fateh (name) * Fatih (name) Groups and p ...

, rapper *

Humble the Poet Kanwer Singh (born July 12, 1981), known professionally as Humble the Poet, is a Canadian YouTube personality, author, rapper and spoken-word artist. He is the author of three books, ''Unlearn: 101 Simple Truths for a Better Life'', ''Unlearn— ...

, rapper *

Jonita Gandhi Jonita Gandhi is a Canadian playback singer of Indian descent. She has recorded songs predominantly in Hindi and Tamil languages with few in Punjabi, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Kannada and Malayalam languages. Some of her most acclaim ...

, singer *

Qurram Hussain Qurram Hussain is a Pakistani Canadian musician and member of JoSH, a Montreal-based South Asian fusion band, which has released four albums and 17 music videos internationally. Hussain has created remixes with Domeno, Priyanka Chopra, Pitbull, N ...

, singer * Rup Magon, singer-songwriter *

Deep Jandu Deep Jandu is a Canadian record producer, rapper, and singer associated with Punjabi music. He is founder of record label Royal Music Gang, along with its manager Parma Music. Jandu released his debut album ''Nach'' in 2011. His song "Daru Daru" ...

, rapper and producer * Harbhajan Mann, singer, actor, film producer * Nav, rapper and singer * Musarrat Nazir, singer/actress * Sidhu Moose Wala, rapper and singer *

Nimrat Khaira Nimrat Khaira is a Punjabi singer, and actress known for her work in Punjabi- language music and films. Early life Born in Gurdaspur, Khaira started singing in third grade. She is the only child of her parents. She completed her schooling from ...

, singer

Politicians

* Amarjeet Singh Sohi , Minister of Natural Resources *

Anita Anand Anita Anand (born May 20, 1967) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who serves as the minister of national defence since 2021. She has represented the riding of Oakville in the House of Commons since the 2019 federal election, sitting as ...

, MP for Oakville, cabinet minister *

Anju Dhillon Anju Dhillon (born 1979) is a Canadians, Canadian Liberal Party of Canada, Liberal politician, who was elected to represent the electoral district (Canada), riding of Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2015 Cana ...

, MP for

Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle is a federal electoral district on Montreal Island in Quebec. It encompasses a portion of Quebec formerly included in the electoral districts of LaSalle—Émard and Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine. Dorval—Lachine— ...

Bardish Chagger Bardish Chagger (born April 6, 1980) is a Canadian politician who served as a Cabinet minister from 2015 to 2021. A member of the Liberal Party, Chagger has sat in the House of Commons as the Member of Parliament for the riding of Waterloo si ...

, MP for

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, a battle on 18 June 1815 in which Napoleon met his final defeat * Waterloo, Belgium, where the battle took place. Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Antarctica *King George Island (S ...

, cabinet minister *

Bob Saroya Babar "Bob" Saroya (born February 3, 1952) is a former Canadian politician, who was elected to represent the riding of Markham—Unionville in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2015 Canadian federal election. During the 42nd Canadian Parl ...

, MP for Markham—Unionville * Deepak Anand, politician MPP for Mississauga-Malton *

Gagan Sikand Gagan Sikand is a Canadian politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for the Greater Toronto Area riding of Mississauga—Streetsville from 2015 to 2021. He served as a member of the Liberal Party. Background Sikand attended the Univers ...

, MP for Mississauga-Streetsville *

Gurbax Singh Malhi Gurbax Singh Malhi () (born 12 October 1949) is an Indian-born Canadian politician. A Liberal, he was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Bramalea—Gore—Malton in 1993, and served as its representative in the House of Commons fo ...

, former MP for

Bramalea—Gore—Malton Bramalea—Gore—Malton (formerly known as Brampton—Malton and Bramalea—Gore—Malton—Springdale) was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada. In 2015, it was dissolved into ...

, first turban-wearing Sikh elected to a national legislature in the Western world *

Gurmant Grewal Gurmant Singh Grewal (born December 21, 1957) is an Indo-Canadian politician and former Conservative Member of Parliament. Gurmant and his wife, Nina Grewal, who represented Fleetwood—Port Kells from 2004 to 2015, were the first married co ...

, former MP for

Newton—North Delta Newton—North Delta was a federal electoral district in the province of British Columbia, Canada, that had been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 to 2015, when it was abolished and redistributed to the Delta and Surrey— ...

* Gurratan Singh, MPP for

Brampton East Brampton East (french: Brampton-Est) is a federal electoral district in Ontario. It encompasses a portion of Ontario previously included in the electoral districts of Bramalea—Gore—Malton and Brampton—Springdale. Brampton East was crea ...

Harinder Takhar Harinder Jeet Singh Takhar (born ) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Ontario Liberal Party, Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2003 to 2018 who represented the ridings of Mississauga Centre (provincial e ...

former MPP for

Mississauga—Erindale Mississauga—Erindale was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 to 2015. It was created in 2003 from parts of Mississauga Centre and Mississauga West ridings. In 20 ...

, former cabinet minister * Harjit Sajjan, MP for Vancouver South, cabinet minister *

Harry Bains Harry Bains is a Canadian politician serving as the Minister of Labour in British Columbia. He has been the NDP MLA for Surrey-Newton since 2005. Career Bains has experience in education due to his service on the Kwantlen University College ...

, MLA for

Surrey-Newton Surrey-Newton is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. The riding was first created out of the two-member Surrey district in 1986, which had been in existence since 1966. Surrey had always b ...

Herb Dhaliwal Harbance Singh (Herb) Dhaliwal, PC (born December 12, 1952) is a Canadian politician and businessman. He was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1993 election as the Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) for Vancouver South. ...

, former MP for Vancouver South, cabinet minister *

Iqra Khalid Iqra Khalid (born November 20, 1985) is a Pakistani Asian-Canadian politician who was elected to represent the riding of Mississauga—Erin Mills in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2015 federal election. Early life and education Khali ...

, MP for Mississauga—Erin Mills *

Jag Sahota Jagdeep Kaur Sahota (born in 1978) is a Canadian Punjabi politician who served as the Member of Parliament for the riding of Calgary Skyview from 2019 to 2021 as a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. She was elected to the House of Com ...

, MP for Calgary Skyview *

Jagmeet Singh Jagmeet Singh Jimmy Dhaliwal ( ; born January 2, 1979) is a Canadian politician who has served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) since 2017. Singh has sat as the member of Parliament (MP) for Burnaby South since 2019.Burnaby South, leader of the

Jas Johal Jas Johal is a Canadian politician and media personality. He served as Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of British Columbia for the electoral district of Richmond-Queensborough in the 41st Parliament of British Columbia (2017-2020), as pa ...

, former MLA for

Richmond-Queensborough Richmond-Queensborough is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada that was created in the 2015 redistribution from parts of Richmond East and New Westminster. It was first contested in the 20 ...

Jasbir Sandhu Jasbir Sandhu (born April 21, 1966) is a former Canadian politician. He was a Member of Parliament in the 41st Parliament. He was elected to the House of Commons in the 2011 federal election and represented the electoral district of Surrey ...

, former MP for Surrey North *

Johnder Basran Johnder Basran (July 13, 1930 – December 29, 2013) was the first Indo-Canadian elected to mayoral office in Canada, in the town of Lillooet in the Fraser Canyon region of the Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Described in the local newspap ...

, former Mayor of Lillooet,

, first Indo-Canadian mayor * Kamal Khera, MP for

Brampton West Brampton West (french: Brampton-Ouest) is a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. Its population was 170,422 in 2006- making it the ...

Kash Heed Kash P. Heed (Kashmir Singh Heed) (born November 1955) is a former Canadians, Canadian politician, who was elected as a BC Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2009 British Columbia general election, 2009 provinci ...

, former police chief and MLA for

Vancouver-Fraserview Vancouver-Fraserview is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. Geography Following the redistricting in 2015 based on the previous census, Vancouver-Fraserview sits in the southeastern po ...

Ruby Dhalla Ruby Dhalla (born February 18, 1974) is a Canadian chiropractor and former politician. She served as the Member of Parliament for Brampton—Springdale in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 to 2011 as a member of the Liberal Party. Dhall ...

, former MP for

Brampton—Springdale Brampton—Springdale was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 until 2015, when it was abolished after the 2012 federal electoral redistribution. History It was crea ...

* Maninder Sidhu, MP for Brampton East *

Manmeet Bhullar Manmeet Singh Bhullar ( pa, ਮਨਮੀਤ ਭੁੱਲਰ) (March 1, 1980 – November 23, 2015) was a Canadian politician and Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta who represented the constituency of Calgary-Greenway as a Progressiv ...

, MLA for

Calgary-Greenway Calgary-Greenway is a provincial electoral district in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The district was created in the 2010 boundary redistribution and is mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first-past-th ...

Mintu Sandhu Mintu Sandhu is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in the 2019 Manitoba general election.Bryce Hoye"Meet the rookies: Manitobans elect 13 first-time MLAs" CBC News Manitoba, September 11, 2019. He repre ...

, MLA for The Maples *

, former MLA for

Esquimalt-Metchosin Esquimalt-Metchosin is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. It first existed from 1991 to 2009, when it was succeeded by the electoral district of Esquimalt-Royal Roads. The riding was reconf ...

, first Indo-Canadian elected to a provincial legislature *

Nina Grewal Nina Grewal (born 20 October 1958), is a Canadian politician of the Conservative Party of Canada, Conservative Party. She represented the constituency of Fleetwood—Port Kells, British Columbia from her election in the 2004 Canadian federal el ...

, former MP for

Fleetwood—Port Kells Fleetwood—Port Kells is a federal electoral district in the province of British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. Geography It consists of the northeast part of the City of Surrey, ...

* Navdeep Bains, MP for

Mississauga—Malton Mississauga—Malton is a federal electoral district in Ontario. It encompasses a portion of Ontario previously included in the electoral districts of Bramalea—Gore—Malton, Mississauga—Brampton South and Mississauga—Streetsville. Missi ...

, cabinet minister *

Parm Gill Parm Gill (born May 17, 1974) is a Canadian politician. He has represented the riding of Milton in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 2018 and has served as the Ontario Minister for Citizenship and Multiculturalism since June 18, 2021. ...

, MPP for

Milton Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...

Peter Sandhu Parmjit Singh "Peter" Sandhu is a Canadian politician and former Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the constituency of Edmonton-Manning as a Progressive Conservative. Early life Sandhu, who grew up in a farming family, ...

, former MLA for Edmonton Manning *

Peter Singh Peter Singh is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2019 Alberta general election to represent the electoral district of Calgary-East in the 30th Alberta Legislature as a member of the United Conservative Party (UCP). Singh was re-elected ...

, MLA for

Calgary-East Calgary-East (formally styled Calgary East) is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The district is mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Calgary-East has existed twice, the first incarnatio ...

Raj Grewal Rajvinder Grewal (born September 11, 1985) is a former Canadian politician who represented the riding of Brampton East in the House of Commons of Canada from 2015 to 2019. Elected as a Liberal in the 2015 Canadian federal election, he resigned f ...

, former MP for

Raj Saini Rajinder "Raj" Saini (born August 21, 1967) is an Indian-Canadian politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Kitchener Centre in the House of Commons of Canada from 2015 to 2021. Background Saini's political leani ...

, MP for

Kitchener Centre Kitchener Centre (french: Kitchener-Centre) is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1997. Geography The district includes the north-central and north-eastern parts o ...

Rachna Singh Rachna Singh (born 1972) is a Canadian politician and trade unionist who has represented the electoral district of Surrey-Green Timbers in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia since 2017. A member of the British Columbia New Democrati ...

, MLA for

Surrey-Green Timbers Surrey-Green Timbers is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. Demographics Geography 1999 Redistribution History This riding has elected the following Members of Legislative Assembly: ...

Ramesh Sangha Rameshwer Singh Sangha (born June 6, 1945) is a former Canadian politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Brampton Centre from 2015 to 2021. He was first elected in the 2015 federal election and was re-elected in 2019 ...

, MP for

Brampton Centre Brampton Centre (french: Brampton-Centre) is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that is represented in the House of Commons of Canada. This riding was created in 1996 from parts of Brampton riding and in 2013, Elections Canada ...

* Ruby Sahota, MP for

Brampton North Brampton North (french: Brampton-Nord) is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada. It encompass portions of Ontario formerly included in the electoral districts of Brampton—Springdale, Bramalea—Gore—Malton and Brampton West. Br ...

Sara Singh Sara Singh (born 1985) is a Canadian politician. She was one of the two Deputy Leaders of the Ontario New Democratic Party, alongside John Vanthof, and also Opposition Critic for Attorney General from 2018 until 2022. Singh was elected to the Leg ...

, MPP for

* Sukh Dhaliwal, MP for

Surrey—Newton Surrey—Newton is a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in British Columbia. It encompasses a portion of British Columbia previously included in the electoral districts of Fleetwood—Port Kells, Newton—North Delta and Sur ...

* Shafiq Qaadri, former MPP for Etobicoke North * Sonia Sidhu, MP for

Brampton South Brampton South (french: Brampton-Sud) is a federal electoral district in the Peel Region of Ontario. Brampton South was created by the 2012 federal electoral boundaries redistribution and was legally defined in the 2013 representation order ...

Tim Uppal Tim Uppal (born November 14, 1974) is a Canadian politician, banker, and radio host who is the member for Edmonton Mill Woods in the Parliament of Canada. He served as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Edmonton—Sherwood Park from 2008 ...

, MP for Edmonton Mill Woods, former cabinet minister * Ujjal Dosanjh, former MP for Vancouver South, former MLA for

Vancouver-Kensington Vancouver-Kensington is a provincial electoral district of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in Canada. Member of Legislative Assembly Since 2009, the district's member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) has been Mable Elmore. She ...

, former Premier of British Columbia, first Indo-Canadian premier * Wajid Khan, former MP for Mississauga—Streetsville * Wally Oppal, former MLA for Vancouver-Fraserview

Writers and Authors

Gurjinder Basran Gurjinder Basran (born 1972) is a Canadian novelist,"Torn between two cultures; Gurjinder Basran takes a fascinating look at realities of growing up Indo-Canadian in North Delta". ''Vancouver Sun'', January 1, 2011. whose debut novel ''Everything ...

, novelist *

H. S. Bhabra Hargurchet Singh Bhabra (7 June 1955 – 1 June 2000) was a British Asian writer and broadcaster who settled in Canada. Bhabra was born in Mumbai, India, and moved to England with his family in 1957. The family eventually settled in Beare Gre ...

, writer *

Navtej Bharati Navtej Bharati ( pa, ਨਵਤੇਜ ਭਾਰਤੀ) is one of the most well-known Punjabi poets living in Canada. Born and brought up in Rode village near Moga in Punjab, India, he moved to Canada in 1960s. He now lives in London, Ontario wit ...

, poet *

Ranj Dhaliwal Ranj Dhaliwal ( Punjabi: ਰਣਜ ਧਾਲੀਵਾਲ; born 1976/1977) is a Canadian author. Early life Born in Vancouver, Dhaliwal grew up in Surrey Central, British Columbia in the 1980s, which was a time when Indo-Canadian families were s ...

, novelist * Rupinder Gill, writer and humourist *

Rupi Kaur Rupi Kaur (born 4 October 1992) is a Canadian poet, illustrator, photographer, and author. Born in Punjab, India, Kaur emigrated to Canada at a young age with her family. She began performing poetry in 2009 and rose to fame on Instagram, eventua ...

, author and poet *

Rukhsana Khan Rukhsana Khan ( ur, ; born 1962) is a Canadian children's writer and storyteller, whose stories have enabled children of all cultures to connect with cultures of Eastern origins. Biography Khan was born in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1962. She imm ...

, writer *

Shaun Mehta Shaun Mehta is a Canadian writer. He has published one novel and one short story collection, and also collaborated with his brother, film director Richie Mehta, on the screenplay for Richie's debut film ''Amal'', which was based on one of Shaun's ...

, writer

Other

Buckam Singh Buckam Singh (December 5, 1893 – August 27, 1919) was a Canadian Sikh soldier in the First World War and early Sikh pioneer to Ontario. Early life Buckam Singh was born on December 5, 1893, in the farming town of Mahilpur, Punjab, India, ...

, former soldier

References

{{Asian Canadians Punjabi Canadian Canadian people of Punjabi descent Canadian people of Indian descent Indian diaspora in Canada Indian diaspora Canadian people of Pakistani descent Pakistani diaspora in Canada Ethnic groups in Canada Pakistani diaspora

History

Late 19th century

Early 20th century

Mid 20th century

Late 20th century to present

Demography

Population

Religion

Geographical distribution

Provinces & territories

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Subdivisions

British Columbia

Prairies

Ontario

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Notable people

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Writers and Authors

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See also

References