Raj Pannu

Three Indo-Canadians were elected to the assembly in Canada’s Alberta province in elections held on Nov. 22, improving the vibrant community’s presence in the political set up of the province which is known for its rich oil resources.

The victorious trio among a dozen Indo-Canadian candidates in Edmonton and Calgary constituencies included Raj Pannu and Shiraz Shariff, both of whom retained their seats, while Bharat Agnihotri made his entry into the provincial legislature.

Shiraz Shariff

Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA)-elect Pannu, who at 70 is the oldest Indian lawmaker, belongs to the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) which won official party status in the just concluded elections. He was reelected from Strathcona constituency in Edmonton where he has lived for more than three decades.

Shiraz Shariff, who belongs to a family that first migrated from India to East Africa, and then to Canada, contested on the ticket of the ruling Progressive Conservative Party. He defeated fellow Indo-Canadian, Darshan Singh Kang, at McCall constituency in Calgary.

Bharat Agnihotri

Liberal Party candidate Agnihotri, an Edmonton realtor, entered the Assembly from the Elerslie constituency defeating fellow Indo-Canadian Gurnam Singh, who represented the ruling Progressive Conservative Party.

The Indo-Canadians who lost the elections in Alberta included Naresh Bharadwaj from Mill Woods seat, Manjit Dhaliwal from Gold Bar and Aman Gill from Mill Creek.

Soon after he migrated from India to Canada in the early 1960s, Pannu took up a job as a schoolteacher. He then joined the University of Alberta.

A former professor of educational policy studies and sociology at the University of Alberta, Pannu had a teaching stint lasting 27 years before he joined politics. Elected in 1997 for the first time, Pannu, who is a member of various House committees, has retained his seat thrice.

Pannu has been the leader of the opposition in the provincial assembly, apart from having been named the most effective MLA by the Alberta Venture magazine in 2001 and 2004. When NDP leader Brian Mason announced critical portfolios at the NDP caucus on Nov. 26, Pannu was given charge of justice and advanced education, children’s services and women’s equality, government services, gaming and community development, according to information available on the NDP Web site.

Shariff, who entered the Alberta Assembly through a byelection in 1995. has retained the seat in four assembly elections.

(Compiled from news dispatches by Charles Isaac)