Darshan Singh Canadian

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Darshan Singh Canadian (aka Darshan A. Sangha) (born 1917, Langeri, Punjab, India; died September 25, 1986) was a trade union activist and Communist organizer in Canada and India.

He immigrated to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1937. Upon his arrival his uncle attempted to get him a job at Dominion Sawmills resulting in the uncle being fired and Sangha being hired at five cents less pay an hour. He became active in the Labour-Progressive Party (as the Communist Party of Canada was known). He was one of the founders of the International Woodworkers of America and served as one of the union's organizers as well as its general secretary from 1942 to 1946. He led striking woodworkers on a march on the provincial capital of Victoria in 1946. He fought for the rights of B.C.'s East Indian woodworkers.

He returned to India upon its independence in 1947 and adopted "Canadian" as his surname.

He became active in the Communist Party of India becoming party secretary in Punjab. He represented Garhshanker, Hoshiarpur district as member of Punjab State Legislature for three terms until his assassination in 1986, in retaliation for his comments against Sikh extremism.

[edit] Sources