Indo-Canadians in Canadian politics
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Indo-Canadians form one of India's largest overseas diasporas comprising about 5% of Canada's total population and numbering about 1.8 million. They are a rapidly growing diaspora with rising economic and political prominence. Indo-Canadian politicians are prominent at all levels of the Canadian government. In the federal government, they comprise about 5% of the House of Commons and 12% of the federal cabinet. At the provincial level, six Indo-Canadians serve in the Ontario provincial legislature and five in the British Columbia (BC) cabinet. The reasons for their success include high levels of education and home ownership, high cultural solidarity (with nearly half having ties to Punjab), concentration in urban areas (especially Toronto and Vancouver), and the Canadian policy of multiculturalism. Emerging issues for the Indian diaspora in Canada include the effect on India-Canada relations, the availability of dual citizenship, and single-country immigrant visa cap in the United States. © 2024 Taylor & Francis.