Famous Hindus in Canada 2026: MPs, Ministers, Leaders

Quick answer: Famous Hindus in Canada in 2026 include Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the first Hindu federal cabinet minister; Conservative MPs Shuvaloy Majumdar and Arpan Khanna; former MP Chandra Arya, who moved the motion recognising November as Hindu Heritage Month; the late Deepak Obhrai, the first Hindu elected to the House of Commons; and temple founders Dr Budhendranauth Doobay (Vishnu Mandir, Richmond Hill) and Pandit Roopnauth Sharma (Ram Mandir, Mississauga).

Canada's Hindu community is young by the standards of the country's history, but it has already produced a foreign minister, several members of Parliament, and temple founders whose work is recognised by the Governor General. This guide introduces seven people whose public lives have shaped how Hindus are seen in Canada. It is grouped by field rather than ranked, and every profile links to the source behind it.

How Hindus came to Canada

Hindu migration to Canada grew mainly after the immigration reforms of the 1960s, including the points system introduced in 1967, which opened the door to skilled professionals and students from India. Hindu families also came from the wider diaspora: from the Caribbean (especially Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago), where their ancestors had arrived as indentured labourers between 1838 and 1917; from East Africa; from Sri Lanka; and from Fiji. Today Hindu Canadians are concentrated in the Greater Toronto Area, Greater Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa.

That mix shows in the people below. Some arrived as students or professionals from India; Deepak Obhrai was born in Tanzania; the two temple founders built institutions that welcome Hindus of every regional and national background. Together their stories trace the community's arc from temple-building in the 1970s, such as the Vishnu Mandir in 1979, to the cabinet table.

Federal ministers and MPs

Anita Anand

Current role: Minister of Foreign Affairs (since May 2025) and MP for Oakville East. Anita Anand was sworn in as Foreign Minister on 13 May 2025 under Prime Minister Mark Carney, and was still in the role in September 2026. She has represented Oakville, now Oakville East, in the House of Commons since 2019.

Her cabinet career has spanned some of the federal government's most demanding portfolios: Minister of National Defence (2021-2023) and President of the Treasury Board (2023-2024), before Foreign Affairs. The Canadian Encyclopedia describes her as the first Hindu person to serve as a federal Cabinet minister, and Tribune India reported that she took her 2025 oath on the Bhagavad Gita. Source: The Canadian Encyclopedia

Shuvaloy Majumdar

Current role: Conservative MP for Calgary Heritage (since 2023) and critic for Canada-U.S. relations (since June 2026). Shuvaloy Majumdar was first elected in 2023 and re-elected in 2025. In June 2026 he was named the Conservative critic for Canada-U.S. relations in a shuffle of the party's critic roles.

He is described as Canada's first MP of Bengali heritage. Before entering Parliament he worked as a policy adviser to Stephen Harper and John Baird. The news agency IANS describes him as a Bengali Hindu. Source: Sakshi Post (IANS)

Arpan Khanna

Current role: Conservative MP for Oxford (since 2023). Arpan Khanna won the Oxford by-election in Ontario on 19 June 2023 and was re-elected in 2025. He worked as a lawyer before entering politics. IANS describes him as a Punjabi Hindu, a useful reminder that Canada's Indo-Canadian MPs come from many faith backgrounds. Source: House of Commons - Roles

Chandra Arya

Current role: Founder of the Hindu Public Affairs Council of Canada (2025). Chandra Arya was the Liberal MP for Nepean, in Ottawa, from 2015 to 2025. The Liberals revoked his nomination for Nepean in March 2025, and he is no longer an MP.

His most lasting parliamentary legacy for Hindu Canadians is Hindu Heritage Month: he moved the House of Commons motion recognising November as Hindu Heritage Month, which was adopted in 2022. After leaving Parliament he founded a lobby group that, according to The Globe and Mail, calls itself unapologetically Hindu. IANS also lists him as Hindu. Source: The Globe and Mail

The late Deepak Obhrai

Conservative MP for Calgary East / Calgary Forest Lawn (1997-2019). The late Deepak Obhrai, who was born in Tanzania, represented his Calgary riding for more than two decades. Global News described him as the first Hindu elected to the House of Commons. He died on 2 August 2019. Source: Global News

Temple founders and community leaders

Politicians are the most visible Hindu Canadians, but the community's foundations were laid by the people who built temples, trained priests and represented Hindus in interfaith life. Two of them are recognised nationally.

Dr Budhendranauth Doobay

Founder of the Vishnu Mandir, Richmond Hill (1979); Member of the Order of Canada (appointed 2024). Dr Budhendranauth Doobay, a retired surgeon, founded the Vishnu Mandir in Richmond Hill, north of Toronto, in 1979, and also founded the Gandhi Memorial Peace Garden. In 2024 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada. The Governor General's citation describes him as a religious leader who founded the Vishnu Mandir temple and shares Hinduism's teachings with Canadian communities. Source: Governor General of Canada

Pandit Roopnauth Sharma

Founder and spiritual leader, Ram Mandir, Mississauga; President, Hindu Federation; President, Canadian Multi-faith Federation. Pandit Roopnauth Sharma combines temple leadership with interfaith service. He serves as a Hindu chaplain within Correctional Service Canada's interfaith chaplaincy and received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. His G20 Interfaith Forum biography calls him a Hindu priest and the founder of the Mississauga Ram Mandir. Source: G20 Interfaith Forum

Threads that connect these stories

Firsts in Parliament: the first Hindu MP (the late Deepak Obhrai, 1997) and the first Hindu federal cabinet minister (Anita Anand, 2019).
Faith in public life: Anita Anand's 2025 oath on the Bhagavad Gita, and the 2022 Commons motion on Hindu Heritage Month moved by Chandra Arya.
Many backgrounds: Bengali, Punjabi and East African roots among the MPs alone, reflecting the diversity of Hindu Canadians.
Institution builders: temples in Richmond Hill and Mississauga, interfaith federations and prison chaplaincy, recognised by the Order of Canada and a Jubilee Medal.

If you are planning to visit a temple in the Toronto area during the festival season, our Navratri 2026 Canada city-by-city guide and Diwali 2026 Canada muhurat guide list local dates and times. Check each temple's official website for current timings.

At a glance: famous Hindus in Canada

Name	Country	Field	Known for
Anita Anand	Canada	Federal politics	Foreign Minister; first Hindu federal cabinet minister
Shuvaloy Majumdar	Canada	Federal politics	MP, Calgary Heritage; first MP of Bengali heritage
Arpan Khanna	Canada	Federal politics	MP for Oxford since 2023
Chandra Arya	Canada	Politics and advocacy	Hindu Heritage Month motion; former Nepean MP
The late Deepak Obhrai	Canada	Federal politics	First Hindu elected to the House of Commons
Dr Budhendranauth Doobay	Canada	Temple founder	Vishnu Mandir, Richmond Hill; Order of Canada
Pandit Roopnauth Sharma	Canada	Temple founder	Ram Mandir, Mississauga; interfaith leader

Frequently asked questions

Who was the first Hindu elected to Canada's House of Commons?

The late Deepak Obhrai, Conservative MP for Calgary East (later Calgary Forest Lawn) from 1997 to 2019, is described by Global News as the first Hindu elected to the House of Commons. He died on 2 August 2019.

Who was Canada's first Hindu federal cabinet minister?

Anita Anand. The Canadian Encyclopedia describes her as the first Hindu person to serve as a federal Cabinet minister (2019). She has since been Minister of National Defence, President of the Treasury Board and, since May 2025, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Did Anita Anand take her oath on the Bhagavad Gita?

Yes. Tribune India reported that she took her 2025 oath as Foreign Minister on the Bhagavad Gita.

Why is November Hindu Heritage Month in Canada?

The House of Commons adopted a motion in 2022, moved by then-MP Chandra Arya, recognising November as Hindu Heritage Month.

Which famous Hindu Canadians founded temples?

Dr Budhendranauth Doobay founded the Vishnu Mandir in Richmond Hill in 1979, and Pandit Roopnauth Sharma founded the Ram Mandir in Mississauga, where he remains spiritual leader.

How did you choose the people on this list?

Each person has publicly practised or spoken about their Hindu faith, or is described as Hindu by a reputable source that we link to. The list is grouped by field and is not a ranking.

Editor's note

Editor's note (9 October 2026): This guide has been restored at its original address. Inclusion is based on each person's public statements or on reputable reports of their Hindu faith, linked beside each profile. Roles and titles are as of 9 October 2026 and may change with elections, cabinet shuffles and appointments. We do not comment on anyone's politics, and the order within each section is not a ranking.