Dear Readers,
It has been a while since I wrote to you. I apologise for the brief sabbatical. It was unintentional and gravely regretted. I have begun to settle into my life here in Canada. Winter is upon us and it has already snowed a couple of times. Unpopular Opinion: Snow is overrated. It has been a tremendous couple of days. Justin Trudeau won a second term in October. However, it was a slag win. Despite a minority, he has audaciously formed his own government and the Cabinet Members have sworn in. There are four ministers of Punjabi-origin, and as is tradition for him - the Cabinet is gender-balanced.
As interesting as Canadian politics is, I yearn for the thrill of Indian public affairs. The BJP served a mind-numbing SIXER with its move in Maharashtra last week. Am I core follower of PM Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party? I won't say. But am I impressed with Party President Amit Shah's workings within the party? YES! Coming back to Canada, four ministers of Indian-origin hold important portfolios in the country today.
Navdeep Bains is now the Minister of Science, Innovation, and Industry. Harjit Sajjan continues his second term as the Minister of Defence. Bardish Chagger is the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth, and Anita Anand is the Minister of Public Services and Procurement. Anand is the first Hindu woman lawmaker to be made minister in Canada. In his previous cabinet, Trudeau had four Sikh ministers, however, Amarjit Sohi lost his election this year.
Born in Nova Scotia, to Indian-origin parents, Anand was law professor at the University of Toronto. She specialises in corporate governance and shareholder rights. Anand's posting comes at a time when the government is finalising a multi-billion dollar purchase of new fighter jets.
MP from Vancouver South, Sajjan is originally from Hoshiarpur, Punjab. He migrated to Vancouver when he was five. He was a detective with the gang crime unit, served as a reserve Lieutenant-Colonel in the Canadian Armed Forces, and is a member of the British Columbia Regiment. He has participated in four operational deployments, and in September 2011, became the first Sikh to command any Canadian Army Regiment. A controversial character, he is accused of being a Khalistan supporter and was snubbed by Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh in 2017.
Bains was born to immigrant parents and has been a long-term friend and adviser of Trudeau. A former financial analyst, he has served in as the PM's Parliamentary Secretary. Bains hit international headlines last year when he was asked to take off his turban at an airport in the US during a security check. Chagger previously served as the Minister of Small Business and Tourism. She became the first woman to be named new Leader of the government in the House of Commons in 2016. Her current post was created this year.
As I saw the swearing-in ceremony live on TV, my thoughts went back to 1914. The infamous Komagata Maru incident, when a Japanese ship full of Indians - mostly Sikh immigrants was docked at Vancouver for two months and eventually forcefully sent back to India. The passengers comprised 337 Sikhs, 27 Muslims and 12 Hindus, all Punjabis and British subjects, and only 24 were allowed t to stay back. Indian immigration to Canada has been extremely hurtful due to a lack of acceptance. Despite profound racial discrimination, the community continued to grow and look where they stand today.
Trudeau and prospective doom
Despite the conceiving of the Cabinet, Trudeau's problems are far from over. He now faces a political conundrum with rising whispers for 'Wexit'- Western province Alberta's separatist movement. A gentle spark for now, one can't deny the possibility of it turning into an unstoppable wildfire. Western alienation has been a long-time issue for the country. With the new cabinet, Trudeau showed his will to prioritise eradication of threats to national unity and fighting climate change.
However, it is the minority government's headache now to deal with political instability and the changing landscape because of growing discontentment in the West (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and British Columbia). People in these provinces continue to demand support for the struggling oil and gas industry.
In a power move, Trudeau introduced a Deputy Chief Minister this term, giving Chrystia Freeland the task to stop provincial feud from converting into a national crisis. She is also tasked to help oversee the trade agreement ratification process, currently debated in the US Congress.
In his small attempt to please the West, he named former trade minister Jim Carr as his special representative for Alberta, international lawyer from Quebec François-Philippe Champagne as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Montreal’s Pablo Rodríguez as the house leader.
All said and done, how well Liberal ministers perform their duties remains to be seen. After all, we know from experience what an EXIT does to a country.
