Election Watch - Indophobia

Election Watch by Digital Public Square is a series of reports based on our ongoing monitoring of online narratives promoting extremism, violence, and polarization amid the upcoming Canadian federal election.

This post was made in collaboration with Revontulet.

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What’s the narrative?

“Indian immigrants are invading Canada.” This narrative alleges that Canada is being “overrun” by South Asian immigrants. Supporters of this narrative argue that jobs and housing are being taken by South Asian immigrants to the detriment of others, calling Canada the “New India” and “the new third world.” They also argue that Canada’s political system is displacing what they consider to be “real Canadians”. 
This argument is based on the discriminatory premise that “real Canadians” are a distinct group that excludes South Asian immigrants. It may also reflect backlash to the growing participation of South Asian Canadians in political institutions.

Concerns around immigration, cost of living, the housing market, and job opportunities are some of the top issues in this election. Frustrations with these issues are contributing to rising anti-South Asian sentiment in Canada. 
The favourability of Canada’s immigration policies has declined in recent years, with growing concerns from across the political spectrum around whether the system is being mismanaged. The number of international students and their possible strain on the job and housing markets has been a focal point of the debate. This has contributed to rising xenophobia towards South Asian immigrants, as India has historically been Canada’s top source for international students, and many South Asians of non-Indian descent are racialized as Indian.

Who’s promoting the narrative?

According to our ongoing monitoring of online discourse, the narrative about Indian immigrants “invading” Canada with calls for deportation mostly appears in far-right media spaces. However, anti-South Asian sentiments are common and mainstream on many social media platforms. Comment sections across the internet, such as on X, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Reddit, and news articles, regularly hold anti-South Asian sentiments.

These sentiments permeate across communities, political identities, and topics of interest. For example, Reddit communities discussing jobs, politics, and neighbourhood matters all regularly host comments disparaging South Asian immigrants, claiming they are all Indian immigrants and saying that they are “dirty” or “have no place in Canada.” Some South Asian Canadians on Reddit have even warned others who are thinking of coming to Canada that they would not advise it due to their experiences with racism.

The main objective of the “invasion” narrative appears to be to capitalize on socioeconomic frustrations to encourage large-scale deportation efforts similar to those in the United States. They also seek to undermine the legitimacy of South Asian candidates running in the upcoming federal election. These attacks have been made against members from across the political spectrum, including the NDP, the Liberal Party, the Conservative Party, and the People’s Party.

Why’s it important?

Indophobia has been on the rise in online spaces, especially in Canada. A few factors may be contributing to this rise: concerns around housing and jobs, intra-community violence, and bilateral tensions with India.

First, the concern around housing and jobs may stem from concerns of over-immigration amidst a cost of living crisis. Indian immigrants, particularly students, have been the scapegoat for a weak labour market and high cost of living. However, recent studies have found that international students are not major contributors to housing market stress; rather, it’s a complex problem that has been steadily worsening for decades.

Second, anxieties around community safety have arisen as a result of intra-community tensions that have spilled over into violence, such as the incident between Hindu nationalists and pro-Khalistani Sikhs outside of a Brampton temple in 2024. While these tensions are not new, violence between these two communities is uncommon in Canada.

Third, bilateral relations between Canada and India have become strained. In the wake of the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023, then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were “credible allegations” of Indian involvement in the act. This incident led to a steep degradation in the bilateral government relationship between Canada and India. The subsequent caps on foreign student visas and immigration soured relations even further. In February, Minister of Immigration Marc Miller made statements that universities are sourcing students from too narrow a range of countries, which has been spun to claim that Canadian universities are “bringing in too many Indian students.”

Each of these factors are complex issues that don't have easy answers; however, they are being simplified to justify Indophobia and scapegoating of South Asians. These factors collectively contribute to wariness, uncertainty, and animosity towards South Asian Canadians, and add to xenophobic discourse that has been legitimized since Trudeau’s Liberals announced plans to cut back on immigration numbers in August 2024 and caps on foreign student numbers in September 2024. Additionally, US President Donald Trump’s deportation policies and rhetoric risk exacerbating this sentiment in Canada. Canadians should be vigilant around narratives like these, as they serve to increase polarization between communities and undermine social cohesion.

Digital Public Square does not include links to or screenshots of content promoting extremism, violence, and polarization so that it is not amplified.