By Sonia G Handa

South Asia Post : Issue 31 Vol II, January 15, 2007

TWO Punjab born Indio Canadian politicians, a matured trade unionist, Harry Bains member of British Columbia Assembly and Harinder Takhar, a minister in Ontario province came to look for their roots. Some nostalgia and some nourishment. They were concerned in their own way about the state of affairs in Punjab. It is election time here and they are surprised at the kind of money being spent and also the frog jumping of Congress and Akalis. Some comparison between India and Canada is not odd particularly about, governance, elections and the party system.

It is less than dollar per voter, which a Canadian candidate can spend for election to the provincial assembly. It varies between $ 80,000 and $1,00,000, depending upon the number of voters in a particular seats to a provincial assembly. It is true about federal parliament. Remarkably this law is seldom flouted. Also, there are no political dynasties and kith and kin are not groomed to be leaders as in India.  No musclemen, no big rallies and no high pitch propaganda. “It is mostly clean business and door to door campaigning and the personal contact build over the years that matter. You are judged by what you have done and your standing built over the years count, says Bains. Bains came to Canada when he was just 19 in 1979.He has spent years as trade unionist in the lumber industry like former federal minister Ujjal Dosanjh or legendary communist leader late Darshan Singh Canadian. He is not someone’s Kakaji.

In Canada, elections are fought more on party lines than at the individual level. “Every cent spent during the elections is accounted for and “winning of nomination as a candidate from a particular riding is democratic where registered workers of a party elect their nominee. And a sitting MLA needs no re-nomination,” Takhar says.

The major difference, however, is inheritance of political power in India. Takhar recalled, “It is an unheard phenomenon in Canada that a son is inducted into politics by his father or mother. In one instance, when a sitting member died, his brother got the nomination, but he was defeated by a two-thirds majority.”

Bains finds election time as festival time and involvement of people in politics also surprises him as does the anti defection law. But absence of ideological debate and issues is disturbing to him.” Though I have no personal stakes in Punjab’s electoral politics, still I have an emotional attachment which urges me to keep abreast with the developments,” says Bains. He has more questions to ask than to answer.

The major difference, however, is inheritance of political power in India. “It is an unheard phenomenon in Canada that a son is inducted into politics by his father or mother. In one instance, when a sitting member died, his brother got the nomination, but he was defeated by a two-thirds majority,” recalls Takhar. He has built his reputation as a successful businessman. He was earlier transport minister, but had to be shifted to another ministry.  Takhar who arrived in Canada in 1974 was criticized by the province's integrity commissioner for visiting and helping his family business, which is in a blind trust to avoid the appearance of conflict of interest, and for having an executive of that business act as chief financial officer of his riding association.

Touching an equally fundamental subject during an interview, Bains, one of the 33 members of NDP in the British Columbia Assembly feels strongly that   “The fruit of privatization are for the rich in British Columbia like Punjab though economic situation of Punjab and British Columbia are different, they have one thing in common. The way privatization in every sector is encouraged in Punjab, it is same in British Columbia. The rich harvest the fruits of privatisation and poor are deprived of the benefits.” According to him the American model of economic growth and development is making the rich richer and is encouraging unemployment among the poor and pushing them further towards poverty. He further said that the despite economic progress the children below poverty line in British Columbia is 18% and the count of homeless people have doubled.

Here in Chandigarh to meet his friends, Bains. Born and brought up in Hardaspur village in Jalandhar   district, he left for Canada at the age of 19 and earned his living by working in a sawmill. Since 1977 he has been active in politics.

He feels proud to be chosen for the same assembly in British Columbia, which passed laws to deny voting rights and the right to practice medicine for the non-resident Indians. In this assembly out of 79 members 8 elected members are from Punjab.

Worried by the use of drugs by the children of Punjabis in British Columbia and Punjabi youths being killed in drug wars, he says that various organization are taking steps to overcome this situation. He further says that even if this is a serious problem but number of Punjabi families in drugs and drugs trafficking is very and most of the Punjabis have a dignified place in Canadian society.

 Bains was elected as the MLA for Surrey Newton on May 17, 2005. He serves as Opposition Critic for the Olympics. He has been active in the Surrey community for many years and has years of experience in education having served on the Kwantlen College Board of Governors between 1993 and 1999. He has also volunteered with organizations like Habitat for Humanity.