Liberal candidate wins Beaches–East York by a wide margin, marking a new milestone for Canada’s Bangladeshi community
Sadia J. Choudhury:
— Liberal Party candidate Tanvir Shahnawaz has won the federal by-election in Toronto’s Beaches–East York riding by a decisive margin, becoming the second Canadian Member of Parliament of Bangladeshi descent elected to the House of Commons.
With preliminary results reported from 197 of the riding’s 200 polling stations, Shahnawaz had secured 17,251 votes, or 55.3 percent of the total. His closest challenger, New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate Shannon Devine, received 8,159 votes, or 26.2 percent, giving Shahnawaz an initial winning margin of 9,092 votes.
Shahnawaz’s victory represents a significant milestone for Canada’s Bangladeshi community and its growing participation in mainstream Canadian politics. His election expands the community’s representation in the federal Parliament and highlights the increasing political engagement of Canadians of Bangladeshi heritage.
Before Shahnawaz’s election, Dolly Begum, a Liberal candidate from the Scarborough Southwest riding, became the first Canadian MP of Bangladeshi descent. Shahnawaz’s victory now brings the number of Bangladeshi-origin MPs in the House of Commons to two.
The election also carries a notable connection to the Bangladeshi media community in Canada. Shahnawaz’s father, Shahnawaz, served for many years as a news editor at the Bengali-language newspaper Thikana during the publication’s difficult period in the early 1990s.
The younger Shahnawaz’s entry into federal politics has therefore drawn particular attention among members of Canada’s Bangladeshi community, where his family has longstanding ties.
Community leaders and supporters have welcomed the election as an important step forward in political representation, particularly for a newer generation of Bangladeshi-Canadian voters and public figures.
Shahnawaz’s victory in Beaches–East York marks another chapter in the growing presence of Canadians of Bangladeshi heritage in the country’s political institutions and reflects the community’s expanding role in Canada’s civic and political life.
