Indian origin Speaker elected in Canadas British Columbia

Raj Chouhan, an
Indian-origin legislator in Canada, in a first for the community, has been
elected as the Speaker to the British Columbia Legislative Assembly, PTI
reported.

Having represented the Burnaby-Edmonds constituency in the British
Columbia legislature five times, Chouhan has served in the designation of
Deputy Chairman during the stint of the previous government, replacing retiring
Darryl Plecas as Speaker, PTI reporting Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
News as saying on Monday.

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Chouhan immigrated to Canada in 1973 from Punjab, and started working in
a firm.

“I am truly grateful to have been entrusted with this role by all
members of the legislative assembly,” Chouhan was quoted by PTI as saying
in the report.

Chouhan reportedly was impacted on a great scale, seeing the plight of
other immigrant workers and the economic disparity in the First World nation,
which impacted him and resulted in his support for community and social justice
for workers.

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Former NDP cabinet minister Moe Sihota called Chouhan’s selection
“a historic day for British Columbia.”

Sihota stated that he was “in awe of Raj’s accomplishment and what it
says about ethnic communities in general”, stressing that said communities have
begun occupying their place in society.