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| New Democratic Party chief Jagmeet Singh in Canada |
Justin Trudeau needs support to become prime minister again and he is looking towards Jagmeet Singh.
New Democratic Party led by Jagmeet Singh has got 24 seats and his party's vote percentage is 15.9%.
This election was extremely difficult for the Liberal Party. However, late Monday night the party people breathed a sigh of relief.
Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party has got 157 seats for the 338-seat House of Commons. Although they are 20 seats away from the majority.
Indian-origin leader Jagmeet Singh on Tuesday clarified his stand on the role of 'Kingmaker'. He said, "I hope Trudeau respects that now there is a minority government, that means we have to work together now."
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh had already stated his party's priorities in the event of a minority government is formed.
This includes supporting the National Pharmacare Plan, investing in housing, tackling student debt problems, reducing mobile phone and Internet bills, climate action and increasing taxes on the wealthy people of Canada.
Who is Jagmeet Singh?
New Democratic Party chief Jagmeet Singh has become very important for the Liberal Party. However, this time the NDP seats were reduced from 39 to 24 seats. It is being said that Jagmeet Singh's role in the new government will be very important.
In December 2013, India did not give a visa to Jagmeet Singh to come to Amritsar.
Jagmeet has been elected as an MP from southern Ontario in Canada. Their roots are associated with Thikriwal village in Barnala district of Punjab. His family shifted to Canada in 1993.
Jagmeet has always been vocal about the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India. Jagmeet calls the 1984 riots a state-sponsored riot.
In 2013, when the Indian government refused to grant him a visa, he said in an interview to the Times of India, "I talk about bringing justice to the 1984 riot victims, so the Indian government is upset with me. The riot of 1984 was not a riot between two communities but a state-sponsored massacre. ''
How many Sikhs in Canada
After all, how did the population of Sikhs in Canada increase so much? Why are Sikhs so important to any Canadian government?
Today, the population of Canada is quite diverse on the basis of religion and race. According to census data, in 2016, minorities in Canada's total population had increased to 22.3 percent.
At the same time, in 1981, the minority population of Canada was just 4.7 percent. According to this report, by 2036, the minority will become 33 percent of the total population of Canada.
Karim Eel-Asl, Senior Research Manager, Conference Board of Canada, from the 'Washington Post' said, "Canada is the best country for any migrant." This is because it also provides a ladder of opportunity for the migrants and the people to achieve success.
When and how did Sikhs reach Canada for the first time?
In 1897, Queen Victoria invited a contingent of British Indian soldiers to London to join the Diamond Jubilee Celebration.
A group of cavalrymen was then en route to British Columbia with the Queen of India. Risaldar Major Kesar Singh was one of these soldiers. The researcher was the first Sikh to be shifted to Canada.
Along with Singh, some other soldiers decided to stay in Canada. He made British Columbia his home. The rest of the soldiers returned to India when they had a story.
After returning to India, he told that the British government wants to settle him. Now the matter was of choice. The process of Sikhs going to Canada from India started from here. Within a few years, British Columbia reached 5,000 Indians, 90 percent of whom were Sikhs.
However, settling and growing of Sikhs in Canada has not been easy. Their arrival and going to jobs did not go down with the Europeans. Protests had started regarding Indians.
Even the longest-serving prime minister in Canada, William McKenzie, jokingly said, "Hindus do not like this country's climate."
By 1907, racial attacks against Indians started. A few years later, a law was enacted to ban migrants from India.
The first rule was made that Indians should have $ 200 while coming to Canada. However, for Europeans, this amount was only $ 25.
But by then the Indians had settled there. Most of them were Sikhs. Despite all the difficulties, he was not ready to give up his dreams.
He proved himself in Canada with his hard work and dedication. They created a strong community culture. It also built many gurdwaras.
Struggle of Sikhs
Sikhs were also forcibly sent to India from Canada. In 1914, Komagata Maru, a vessel full of Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims, reached the Bajaj Baj Ghat in Kolkata.
Of these, at least 19 people were killed. This ship full of Indians was not allowed to enter Canada. There was a deadlock for two months with the Indians aboard the ship. For this, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized in the House of Commons in 2016.
When the Liberal Party government was formed in Canada in the 1960s, it proved to be historic for Sikhs as well. The federal government of Canada made changes to migrant regulations and opened the doors for accepting diversity.
The effect of this was that the population of people of Indian origin increased rapidly. People from many areas of India started coming to Canada. Even today Indians have not stopped going to Canada.
In today's scenario, the federal party NDP is in the hands of Indian-Canadians. Punjabi is the third most popular language in Canada. 1.3% of the total population of Canada understands and speaks Punjabi.
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