Advertisement 1
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
While none of the 14 Conservative MPs who held seats in B.C. at the start of the campaign were from the Sikh community, the party is clearly looking to change this
Author of the article:
By Rahim Mohamed
Published Apr 22, 2025
Last updated 7hours ago
4 minute read
Join the conversation
Article content
DELTA, B.C. — First-time Conservative candidate Jessy Sahota hopes to punch his ticket to the notoriously quarrelsome House of Commons in next Monday’s election, but he could easily have ended up in a much different arena of combat.
THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS
Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.
- Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.
- Unlimited online access to National Post.
- National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.
- Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
- Support local journalism.
SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLES
Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.
- Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.
- Unlimited online access to National Post.
- National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.
- Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
- Support local journalism.
REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
- Access articles from across Canada with one account.
- Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.
- Enjoy additional articles per month.
- Get email updates from your favourite authors.
THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
- Access articles from across Canada with one account
- Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments
- Enjoy additional articles per month
- Get email updates from your favourite authors
Sign In or Create an Account
or
View more offers
Article content
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.
A Sikh-heavy Conservative slate is ready to rumble in B.C.'s Lower Mainland Back to video
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Article content
Sahota, a standout amateur heavyweight wrestler, was in Orlando, Fla., for a tryout with NXT, the developmental brand of pro wrestling juggernaut WWE, in March 2020, just as COVID-19 triggered global lockdowns.
Article content
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
“We’d just made it to NXT’s performance centre when management told us we had to leave because they needed the space for the main roster,” recalls Sahota’s equally brawny brother Paul, who’d tagged along for the tryout.
Article content
First Reading
Your guide to the world of Canadian politics. (Subscriber exclusive on Saturdays)
By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
Interested in more newsletters? Browse here.
Article content
The brothers were soon on a one-way flight back home to Canada, putting an abrupt end to their dreams of squared circle superstardom.
Article content
Jessy, now 32, says the twist of fate was probably for the best.
Article content
“A few of the guys I used to wrestle with have tried to get into things like WWE and (mixed martial arts)… It’s a tough life and there’s not much money in it unless you get to be one of the top guys,” he says.
Article content
Now a constable with the Delta police, Sahota says he reached out to his local Conservative riding association after liking a lot of what he heard from leader Pierre Poilievre on crime and affordability.
Article content
“I asked them how I could help and it turns out the best way was by running for the nomination,” said Sahota.
Article content
Sahota is one of eight South Asian candidates running for the Conservatives in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland, all members of the Sikh community.
Article content
A few of these candidates are, like Sahota, in their 20s and 30s.
Article content
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Gurtaj Sandhu, a volunteer on Sahota’s campaign, said that young Sikhs are gravitating toward the Conservative party for many of the same reasons as other young Canadians.
Article content
Read More
- Why all leaders — except Carney — said they don't buy U.S. strawberries
- New poll shows Liberals riding 'fear' vote, Tories winning 'hope,' as gap narrows slightly
Advertisement embed-more-topic
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
“I think a lot of us are worried about finding good jobs and whether we can afford to live on our own,” says Sandhu as he door-knocks in an idyllic subdivision not too far from Delta’s waterfront.
Article content
While none of the 14 Conservative MPs who held seats in B.C. at the start of the campaign were from the Sikh community, the party is clearly looking to change this.
Article content
Poilievre himself was in the Lower Mainland for the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi on Saturday, his visit coinciding with a critical stretch of advance voting.
Article content
The Conservatives have also reportedly ramped up spending on Punjabi-language ads, targeted to the Lower Mainland and Greater Toronto Area, in recent weeks.
Article content
Sikhs make up about 8.5 per cent of Metro Vancouver’s population, according to the most recent census, taken in 2021.
Article content
The community was thrust into the middle of a diplomatic crisis between Canada and India in 2023, after Surrey, B.C., resident Hardeep Singh Nijjar was fatally gunned down outside of a local gurdwara.
Advertisement 1
This advertisement has not loaded yet.
Trending
- Federal ElectionConservatives promise over $70B in tax cuts and $34B in new spending, but no timeline for balanced budget
- CanadaCRA overpaid some Canadians in carbon tax payments and wants the money back. Here's how to know if that's you
- Federal ElectionA record 7.3 million Canadians voted in advance polls
- NP CommentTasha Kheiriddin: Poilievre's platform a direct challenge to Carney's boomer tome
- NP CommentChris Selley: Mark Carney has quickly become the ultimate establishment Liberal
Advertisement 2
Advertisement
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
But the Conservatives’ bridge-building with the Sikh community has been overshadowed somewhat by nomination controversies, with some critics accusing the party of tokenism in its recruitment of Sikh candidates.
Article content
The nomination of 25-year-old blueberry farmer Sukhman Gill in the nominally safe riding of Abbotsford—South Langley has been an especially large headache for the party.
Article content
Gill, a total newcomer to politics, won the Conservative nomination after ex-B.C. finance minister Mike de Jong was rejected by the party’s internal vetting team.
Article content
De Jong has kept the focus on the party’s decision by continuing to run as an independent, racking up the endorsements of several prominent local leaders, including Ed Fast, who held part of the riding as a Conservative MP from 2006 to 2025.
Article content
Fast called Gill’s nomination “far from open and fair” in a statement endorsing de Jong to be his successor.
Article content
Despite the kerfuffle, both de Jong and Fast have both endorsed a Conservative government led by Poilievre.
Article content
Article content
Gill’s campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request to comment on this story.
Article content
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Ujjal Dosanjh, who’s held Lower Mainland seats at the provincial and federal level, said that this sort of perceived favouritism can hurt the cause of Sikhs, and other minorities, looking to enter politics.
Article content
“You do risk a sort of cultural backlash when voters pick up a ballot and see a bunch of ethnic names that they don’t recognize,” said Dosanjh.
Article content
“It can give the impression that ethnic groups themselves are somehow co-opting politics and tilting the rules in their favour.”
Article content
Dosanjh added that, no matter the ethnicity, candidates should put in the work to build up name recognition in their communities before putting their name on the ballot.
Article content
“You never want people to see your name on the ballot and think ‘who is this guy and what has he done to deserve to represent us in government?'” said Dosanjh.
Article content
Dosanjh himself worked for several years in Vancouver, as a lawyer and newspaper editor, before entering politics in his 40s.
Article content
He stressed he was a fan of Sahota’s, who he called “impressive.”
Article content
Vancouver-based strategist Kareem Allam says he agrees that the Conservative outreach efforts have been too ham-fisted.
Article content
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
“What we’re seeing from the Conservatives is the sort of ‘ethnic sandbox’ approach of yesteryear,” said Allam, a partner Richardson Strategy Group.
Article content
“Sikhs are a much more heterogenous group than they were, say 20 or 30 years ago. They’re not going to automatically put an ‘x’ by the Punjabi name on the ballot.”
Article content
National Post
rmohamed@postmedia.com
Article content
Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here.
Article content
Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
Article content
This advertisement has not loaded yet.
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Create an AccountSign in
Join the Conversation
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.
