Historic win for Punjabis in Canadian federal election as Liberals stage remarkable comeback under Mark Carney
PTC Web Desk: A record-breaking 22 Punjabi-origin candidates have been elected to Canada’s House of Commons, marking a significant milestone for the Punjabi-Canadian community in the 2025 federal election. The Liberal Party, under newly appointed Prime Minister Mark Carney, pulled off an extraordinary comeback, despite predictions of a Conservative landslide earlier in the year.
This election saw 65 Punjabi candidates in the fray, and for the first time, 22 emerged victorious, surpassing the 18 winners in 2021 and 20 in 2019. Of the 16 incumbent MPs of Punjabi origin who contested again, several faced direct contests against fellow Punjabis, especially in key ridings like Brampton, which witnessed major political shifts.
Brampton results: A mixed bag for Liberals and Conservatives
Brampton North: Liberal Ruby Sahota defeated Conservative Amandeep Judge
Brampton East: Liberal Maninder Sidhu triumphed over Conservative Bob Dosanjh
Brampton Centre: Liberal Amandeep Sohi beat Conservative Taran Chahal
Brampton South: Conservative Sukhdeep Kang defeated Liberal Sonia Sidhu
Brampton West: Conservative Amarjeet Gill unseated Liberal incumbent and federal minister Kamal Khera
Prominent Punjabi-Origin Liberal Winners
Anita Anand – Oakville East
Bardish Chagger – Waterloo
Anju Dhillon – Dorval—Lachine
Sukh Dhaliwal – Surrey Newton
Iqwinder Singh Gaheer – Mississauga—Malton
Randeep Sarai – Surrey Centre
Gurbax Saini – Fleetwood—Port Kells
Param Bains – Richmond East—Steveston
Conservative Party's Rising Punjabi Voices
Jasraj Hallan – Calgary East
Dalwinder Gill – Calgary McKnight
Amanpreet Gill – Calgary Skyview
Arpan Khanna – Oxford
Tim Uppal – Edmonton Gateway
Parm Gill – Milton East
Sukhman Gill – Abbotsford South—Langley
Jagsharan Singh Mahal – Edmonton Southeast
Harb Gill – Windsor West
Jagmeet Singh and NDP face devastating blow
Jagmeet Singh, the New Democratic Party (NDP) leader, suffered a major setback as he lost his seat in Burnaby Central, British Columbia. Singh placed third, securing less than 19% of the vote, trailing behind Liberal Wade Chang and Conservative James Yan.
The NDP, under Singh's leadership, is poised to lose official party status in the House of Commons after falling to just seven seats, down by 18 from the 2021 election, and dropping 12 percentage points in voter support, now at a mere 6%.
Mark Carney's dramatic rise and Liberal revival
Initially trailing by over 20 points in January polls amid public dissatisfaction with outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Liberal Party turned the tide after Trudeau announced his resignation on January 6. His departure, coupled with Carney's reputation as a steady economic leader, helped transform the party’s fortunes.
Carney, a former Governor of the Bank of Canada during the 2008-09 global financial crisis and ex-head of the Bank of England during Brexit, projected a message of economic competence. He distanced himself from Trudeau during the campaign, helping to reposition the Liberals as a fresh and pragmatic choice for voters amid global economic uncertainty and anti-Trump sentiment.
Though the Liberal Party fell just short of a parliamentary majority, the result is widely viewed as a political triumph and one of the most dramatic comebacks in Canadian political history. With control of Parliament in hand, Carney now faces the task of forging coalitions with smaller parties to govern effectively.
- With inputs from agencies
