The Hook

South Asians make up over one-third of the population in the federal riding of Newton-North Delta. That's the highest riding percentage in Canada. And if they vote as a group, South Asians could pick the winner.

“We Indians are all what I call ‘political animals,’” said Rattan Mall, editor of the Indo-Canadian Voice. But, he added, “(We) are not a monolithic group.”

During the 2006 federal election, the only thing separating Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal from his third place Conservative Party contender was a scant 1,590 votes.

In this year’s race, two of the front-runners come from Punjabi descent. Incumbent Sukh Dhaliwal will defend his seat against Tory newcomer Sandeep Pandher and the NDP’s Teresa Townsley, vice-chair on the Delta board of education.

Mall told The Tyee that the winning campaign could come down to whoever has the most support in the Indo-Canadian community, a demographic with historically high voter turnout.

“(South Asians) have a very high awareness of politics,” he said.

Wooing the Indo-Canadian vote means candidates must portray their parties as open to multiculturalism and immigration. But since many Indo-Canadian voters come from working class backgrounds, issues of job security, education and healthcare also figure prominently, Mall said.

So which of the parties is doing the best job?

“Historically, Indo-Canadians used to vote for the federal Liberals,” he said. “That’s gradually changing.”

Despite notable gaffs such as Conservative leader Stephen Harper’s botched Komogata Maru apology – which Mall predicted will cost him considerable support in Newton-North Delta – the Tories have been making considerable inroads among South Asian voters.

That’s been achieved in part by the aggressive targeting of ethnic minorities and higher immigration levels than under the Liberal government, said Mall.

And as Indo-Canadian communities grow larger, become more politically mature and strengthen their economic position, previously unified political views are bound to diversify, he added.

How that influences the October 14 vote is hard to say, but Mall predicted Sukh would likely win control of Newton-Delta North because of his incumbent status and high profile among Indo-Canadians.

Mall’s not writing off the competition completely though: “(Townsley) is the only person who bothered to put her name in Punjabi on her poster.”

Geoff Dembicki is a staff reporter for The Hook.