Canada is Called Mini Punjab: The Punjabi Connection

Canada is Called Mini Punjab: Canada is now famous with another name called “mini-Punjab” among the Indians. Numerous Punjabis have been moving to Canada for many years. But why is that? Why are young people from Punjab leaving for Canada? In this post, we’ll go through every part of this topic. So, make sure to follow along with this post till the very end to know why Canada is called Mini Punjab.

Why Canada is called Mini Punjab?

Canada is a country where Punjabis make up a significant portion of the population of the country and that’s why Canada is known as a Mini Punjab. Young Punjabis in particular travel to Canada frequently for a variety of reasons, which we shall cover further in this post.

Moreover, so many Punjabis are relocating to Canada that, if a survey were to be conducted, one member of almost every Punjabi family would have either relocated or been studying at a Canadian university. In Punjab, there is a gurudwara where devotees pray and present model airplanes in hopes of having their visas accepted.

The Punjabi community has an impact on Canadian politics as well, as there are more Punjabi members in the Canadian parliament than in the Indian parliament.

Thus, there has been a commercial boom for IELTS and spoken English training centers; you will see billboards all over promoting their centers, to prepare students to pass the exam and gain a good seat in a good college, so that they can go to Canada and have a solid future in a developed country. There are several scam centers in between such centers that give consumers false promises and then take their money and vanish.

When did Punjabis migrate to Canada?        

We all know that a lot of Punjabi people move out to Canada, but how did it all start? So, let’s discuss that.

The Punjabis are considered to be the first South Asians to come to Canada. Northern Indian Sikhs were the first immigrants from India to Canada (mainly from Punjab). Actually, these men were traveling on official duties as troops of the Hong Kong army regiments, who were passing through British Columbia, Canada, to mark Queen Victoria of England’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897.

Following their first trip, the second group of Punjabi soldiers traveled to British Columbia to celebrate King Edward VII’s coronation in 1902. This group of South Asian immigrants, commanded by Sardar Ma kijor Kadir Khan Bahadur, arrived at Victoria on the Empress of Japan on June 3, 1902. They quickly got interested in the possibility of settling in British Columbia.

And as a result, those people helped the other people in their communities to lead a better lifestyle. The number of Punjabis moving to Canada has just increased since then.

Why do Punjabis go to Mini Punjab?

Nowadays, the majority of Punjabi kids dream of moving to Canada since they are young. Most of the students move out to Canada after their 12th and hence influence their juniors to do so. Additionally, it is evident from their visit to India that the person who relocates to Canada enjoys great respect. So, although it wasn’t always this way, the number of Punjabi youngsters immigrating to Canada has recently increased.

Punjab has traditionally been a prosperous agricultural state, and its economy thrived in the 20th century. In order to stabilize the food crisis that India was going through at the time, the Indian government started the Green Revolution project in the 1960s utilizing hybrid seeds and improved agricultural methods. The goal of the initiative was to boost India’s agricultural output. This test had insanely short-term outcomes, making Punjab the third-richest state in India.

But over time, Punjab’s economy suffered more from the Green Revolution than it did from it. The Punjabi people increased their production of wheat and rice as a result of the green revolution, which caused the soil’s quality to decline and the groundwater level to drop. Additionally, as a result of the green revolution, where all other states concentrated on industrial development, Punjab did nothing about it and was entirely dependent on agriculture. and thus caused Punjab’s economy to suffer after the 2000s.

In Punjab, many industries opted to shut down, which made matters worse. And Punjab has struggled to compete with the other states’ industries. Therefore, Punjab’s employment rate is very low. There are almost no jobs available outside of the government sector. And that’s what drives the people of Punjab to go to Canada, where there are more chances and a better way of life can be had.

Where does most Punjabi live in Canada?

Winters in Canada may be very harsh; in some areas, the temperature might drop as low as -30 degrees Celsius. Punjabis have adapted to living under these circumstances, despite this. However, the majority of Punjabis reside in areas of Canada that don’t experience particularly severe weather.

Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec are the provinces where the Punjabi people are most prevalent. The majority of Punjabi in Canada live in the Canadian cities of Brampton, Surrey, Calgary, and Abbotsford.

How many Punjabis are there in Canada?   

Canada has a population of 3.82 crores. And the Sikh population in Canada is about 8 lakhs, accounting for more than 2% of the total. The fourth-largest religious group in Canada is the Sikhs. Although English and French are the country’s official languages, more than 500,000 Canadians also speak Punjabi in Canada.

Canada is Called Mini Punjab
Canada is Called Mini Punjab

Conclusion

Because of the large number of immigrants from Punjab, Canada is now referred to as a mini Punjab. People leave for Canada for a variety of reasons. Including the lack of employment possibilities and insufficient medical and educational facilities. Along with other factors, political factors account for the majority of the issues. The number of Sikhs in the country has grown to the point where the Canadian parliament has more Sikh members than the Indian parliament.

The youth have been leaving Punjab, and their numbers are only growing. Therefore, the Punjab government must take strict action to figure out how to raise the state’s employment rate, improve employment opportunities, offer much better facilities, and improve the state’s overall condition. 

Canada is Called Mini Punjab
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5 thoughts on “Canada is Called Mini Punjab: The Punjabi Connection”

  1. Punjabis are everywhere and the vibe they create there make that place feels like a mini punjab, especially Canada. Punjab is always been a land of warriors and great innovators, punjabis never leave an opportunity to prove themselves.

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  2. This post is a great tribute to the vibrant Punjabi community in Canada! The author does a fantastic job of highlighting the cultural similarities between Canada and Punjab, from the love of hockey to the delicious Punjabi cuisine found throughout the country. It’s heartwarming to see how the Punjabi community has found a home in Canada and has contributed so much to the country’s diverse culture. This post is a great reminder of the importance of embracing and celebrating different cultures.

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  3. punjabis make up one of the largest visible minority groups in canada.
    as a indian feel bad about knowing why punjabi shift to canada.

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  4. I feel India is a land that share their bonding and love to people through the culture and belongingness they feel with each other but a major drawback that lays down the difference is because of the excessive population and poverty people don’t find their satisfaction in the opportunity they are offered.. therefore they go in search of better opportunity to different countries and a place like Canada where you go leaving behind your land and find your community and your culture I feel its a way of the India sharing the richness of heritage with others and creating sense of belongings in a foreign land.

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