His ‘pind’ is in Ludhiana. At 35, Angad Singh Dhillon is Canada’s new Ambassador to UAE

Angad, who moved to Canada in 2010 for higher studies, said, “Nothing can really take Punjab out of me… I still eat Indian food at least five days a week. But of course, my loyalties are all with the country where I now live and serve, Canada.”

According to Global Affairs Canada, “Angad Singh Dhillon was one of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s closest advisers,” and “he supported the Prime Minister in re-engaging Canada’s diplomatic relationships with key bilateral partners, including India and China, by helping restore high-level channels of communication and cooperation.” Global Affairs is the federal department that manages the country’s diplomatic relations.

Angad completed his schooling at Yadavindra Public School (YPS), Mohali. He completed his 12th from the pre-university international relations school, Mahindra United World College, Pune. When he was 19, he moved to Canada in 2010 for his bachelor’s degree in international relations from Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick.

Angad entered Canadian politics in 2015. He served as one of the closest advisers to PM Mark Carney. He joined the party as a field organiser in the Peel region during the federal election campaign. He then moved to Ottawa and joined the Liberal Research Bureau, where he contributed to policy-related work involving South Asian and East European communities.

During his visits to India, his village Ghungrana is always on his itinerary. “It is simply not possible that when I am in India, I don’t visit Ghungrana. We have our ancestral house and farm in the village. This year in March, when PM Carney was on a visit to Mumbai, I also visited my village.”

Angad said his long stays at the village with his grandparents connected him to rural Punjab. “We used to visit our village for summer and winter vacations to spend time with my grandparents. My grandfather was in politics, so we used to have rallies in the village… So, whenever I am in India, even for two days, I visit my pind where I belong. My pind is where I feel a sense of belonging… that’s where I am from… My pind is a constant reminder of where I come from.”

Angad has also previously served as Chief of Staff to two federal cabinet ministers in the small business and transport portfolios. He supported Canada’s engagements at the G7, G20, UN General Assembly, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), International Transport Forum, and Conference of the Parties (COP), Global Affairs Canada said.

His paternal great-grandfather, Gurnam Singh, was a member of the SGPC (Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee) in 1937 and also a close associate of SAD veteran and reformist Master Tara Singh. His grandfather, Jagjit Singh Dhillon, was also a senior Akali Dal leader. Jagjit Singh was a progressive farmer and served as a member of the High Powered Committee on Agriculture constituted by the Government of India, led by the then Prime Minister, V P Singh. Angad also said his paternal grandmother, late Dhanwant Kaur, had a great impact on his life and was a constant inspiration.

His father, Chandigarh-based Naininder Singh Dhillon, worked with several MNCs in the agriculture sector. His mother, Harpreet Kaur Dhillon, is an advocate at the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Angad’s maternal grandfather, Avtar Singh Gill, was an additional sessions judge and a writer on Sikh history.