The budding Punjab of Canada

Iqbal Sidhu

Brain drain is a serious cause of concern for many developing countries, including India. No other region in India has a more pronounced effect of it than Punjab. Everyone in the state knows someone who lives and works abroad. 

Mass exodus of youngsters from Punjab to Canada in search of a better life is a known fact now. Exact numbers are unavailable, but the estimates put the figures at tens of thousands every year. Majority of youngsters come from middle-income families, who feel that they have been let down by the ‘system’ back home in Punjab and must look for opportunities elsewhere. Most emigrate to Canada as students, since it’s the quickest route, but marriages with Canadian residents and family or friend sponsorships are also common. 

The age bracket of emigrants is 22-28, with majority holding undergraduate degrees and some even having work experience in their respective fields of study. Unfortunately, the work that they find here in Canada seldom matches their academic qualifications. They usually end up going into logistics, driving trucks or working in other less glamorous professions such as taxi drivers, furniture/ or car salesmen, factory workers and so on. The beauty of the Canadian system rests in the wealth of the country and how one can make ends meet by working five days a week at an entry-level job. So, the equation is ultimately not as hurtful to these youngsters, perhaps even appealing given the shambolic state of their native state. 

Best of both worlds 

Healthcare, for most part, is paid for by the government), therefore medical troubles do not leave vulnerable people desolate in Canada. Dental procedures are, however, not covered by the government in most cases. Non-urgent surgery waitlists are also quite long. It can take months, or even years to get your hip or knee replaced and thus a lot of Punjabi immigrants visit their ‘motherland’ to meet their loved ones, pay homage at religious shrines and of course get that nasty tooth fixed, which in Canada can cost as much as a return-ticket from Toronto to Delhi. Or get a knee replaced, which would’ve taken way too long in Canada. In this aspect, immigrants from third-world countries such as India have it better than most Canadians, since they can avail the best of both worlds.

A land of promises 

This cushion is also the reason many prospective immigrants are willing to take the plunge. Most feel that they have something to fall back on, in case their Canadian venture does not work out. Canadian GDP is about 68 per cent the size of Indian GDP, the Canadian population is, however, only 2.6 per cent the size of Indian population — to make sense of the difference in standard of living and available opportunities in the two countries. 

According to the 2016 census, Indian-born immigrants form the largest chunk of immigrant population in Canada at about 9 per cent of the total foreign-born populace.  They also make up about 1.9 per cent of the total Canadian population. The trend when compared to older censuses is only upwards. The effects of these numbers can be easily felt in major urban centres of Canada. Punjabi, for example, is the second-most spoken language in the town of Surrey, a city of some 6,00,000, and it is also one of the most widely spoken languages in the Greater Toronto Area , the biggest urban agglomeration in the country with more than six million people. 

The Punjabis, therefore, enjoy a social, economic, lingual as well as political influence, matched by very few immigrant communities in Canada. One cannot walk down a street in Surrey or Brampton without getting nostalgic about their respective hometown in Punjab, since the streets are replete with the colours and smells reminiscent of the native state. Only the roads tend to be roomier and the weather is much colder. This is another reason youngsters adjust so quickly and do not get homesick. 

The struggle part

It is true that the first generation of immigrants has to go through a lot. The aphorism is a bitter reality. The working conditions can be extremely tough and sometimes even fatal. Most Punjabi youth coming to Canada initially work under Punjabi entrepreneurs, and here they can be exploited, mistreated and are often under paid or not paid at all. This is another facet of these youngsters ‘always feeling at home’. Their education is rarely of any use as the institutions they get their degrees from are not accredited. They have to start from the scratch if they want to be ‘well-qualified.’ Some also leave education halfway to pursue non-skilled or semi-skilled professions. Or better yet, some open grocery stores or restaurants and lead a comfortable life.

Although, some immigrants feel that they have wasted their skill, which they had acquired through studies and work back home in India, they still do not regret their decision to move to Canada. To them, job and financial security are all that matter; something that they did not find in India. There is a also growing political and social clout of Punjabis in Canada and to the youngsters back home, Canada is an attractive and a feasible choice. 

One word of caution for the aspiring immigrants: Bring warm, really warm coats and get used to digging your cars out of snow.