With Canada’s federal election approaching, political events are focused on mobilizing voters. Nonetheless, they might be overlooking how ethnic communities are already shaping the nation’s political life.
Immigrants and diaspora communities make up a rising phase of Canada’s inhabitants. In 2021, a document 23 per cent of the Canadian population, greater than 8.3 million individuals, had been present or former immigrants, the very best share since 1921. Individuals from Asia constituted 51.4 per cent of this immigrant inhabitants.
I’m a postdoctoral fellow on the College of British Columbia’s Faculty of Education. My doctoral research centered on the combination practices of South Asian immigrants from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh residing or working in northeast Calgary.
Utilizing the Canadian Index for Measuring Integration, I explored how they engaged with Canadian society throughout financial, social, well being and political dimensions. A lot of this engagement is pushed by multilingualism and ethnic networks, more and more mediated by platforms like WhatsApp, X and Fb.
Researching political integration in a multilingual digital world
Because the federal election was known as in late March, I’ve been conducting a digital ethnography of social media pages run by South Asian group influencers. Digital ethnography includes observing how individuals use web applied sciences to speak, have interaction and make which means in on-line areas.
The influencers in my examine are people who handle digital platforms, corresponding to Fb teams, WhatsApp chats and different group networks, and play a key position in shaping how group members entry, talk about and act on political info. The pages I examined — totally on WhatsApp, Fb and X — proceed to point out how multilingualism and ethnic networks form political consciousness and affect voter behaviour.
Too typically, political engagement is narrowly outlined by voter turnout. However my analysis with the South Asian diaspora in Calgary reveals that political integration extends far past the poll field. It occurs on social media, at mosques, temples and gurdwaras, by way of multilingual volunteering and in group areas the place language, tradition and civic life intersect.
Crucially, it additionally extends to transnational issues. Many group members talk about world occasions — such because the Israel-Hamas battle, the Russia-Ukraine conflict or United States commerce insurance policies — in addition to Canadian points like immigration.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
For my analysis, I interviewed 19 first-generation South Asians from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, residing in Calgary. Individuals in my examine described the big selection of civic and democratic actions they participate in: volunteering, becoming a member of on-line discussions and attending cultural or spiritual occasions the place political points had been mentioned — largely in each English and their heritage languages.
Participation spans each formal volunteering, typically in English-dominant areas, and casual volunteering at spiritual establishments, festivals or on social media. Many most well-liked to volunteer the place they may communicate Hindi, Punjabi, Bangla or Urdu or generally a mix of a number of languages, known as translanguaging.
One participant, a banker and social media influencer who runs a Pakistani Fb group, mentioned:
“I typically volunteer on Fb. I additionally be a part of politicians of their campaigns. My total social media work is predicated on Urdu. It permits me to attach with individuals.”
Throughout digital ethnography, this participant was noticed combining synthetic intelligence (AI) generated pictures with multilingual postings to marketing campaign for a political occasion.
Past voter turnout
South Asians are Canada’s largest visible minority group and their civic participation affords an important lens into how democracy features in a multicultural, multilingual society. There’s a widespread belief that if individuals aren’t partaking with politics within the dominant language, then they have to not be partaking in any respect.
Nonetheless, my analysis reveals in any other case. Societal multilingualism — the flexibility to make use of each English and heritage languages — is protected below Canada’s Multiculturalism Act and helps extra inclusive participation. A participant who works for a settlement company defined that multilingual political actions assist “in communication, explaining insurance policies, responding to individuals’s questions, understanding their considerations and addressing them.”
There’s additionally a common misconception that nominating a candidate from a selected ethnic background ensures group help. Whereas which will affect native elections, federal voting selections are sometimes extra advanced. Individuals in my analysis emphasised occasion platforms, previous efficiency and nationwide and worldwide points alongside id. Ethnic focus alone does not determine electoral success.
Ethnic networks — made up of prolonged household, religion teams, digital communities and neighbourhood ties — act as civic incubators. They aren’t remoted enclaves however dynamic platforms the place newcomers develop political literacy and belief.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns
Rethinking political participation
Canada’s official languages are English and French, however multilingualism performs a central position in immigrant communities. In my analysis, language is dynamic — a social and cultural useful resource that fosters id and engagement.
Individuals translated political supplies, defined insurance policies to others and used multilingual platforms to debate subjects like housing, well being care and immigration. These practices are seen on this election cycle too, as South Asian group members use language, digital instruments, synthetic intelligence and hot-button points to interact voters. Language in these settings is cultural capital. It permits participation by way of familiarity, emotional connection and social belonging.
Religion-based areas like gurdwaras, mosques and mandirs are civic boards. Candidates go to throughout campaigns and group leaders assist form political dialogue and participation. These establishments supply cultural fluency and language entry that mainstream methods typically lack.
As immigration reshapes Canada’s demographics, political integration is greater than a pattern — it’s important to a functioning democracy. Whereas some events present translations or host cultural occasions, they typically miss how deep civic engagement already exists inside these communities.
Immigrants are usually not passive recipients anymore. They’re lively contributors, shaping conversations in their very own languages and networks. Forward of the 2025 election, it’s time to maneuver past ethnic voting myth and acknowledge the total civic ecosystem — from WhatsApp teams to mosque courtyards.
Political events should transcend hiring translators or leaning on group leaders. Multilingual civic participation is just not an afterthought — it’s foundational. It’s time to interact individuals within the languages they communicate, within the areas they belief.
If we wish a really inclusive democracy, we should meet individuals the place they’re linguistically, culturally and regionally. Ethnic networks are usually not detours from political life. They’re on-ramps. And multilingualism is just not a barrier to participation. It’s the language of democracy.
