Ruby Dhalla

She is the youngest woman member of the new Canadian parliament.

Ruby Dhalla, a 30-year-old politician of Indian origin, is the youngest woman member of the Canadian parliament.

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Rumoured to become a cabinet member, she has been politically inclined since she was just 10 years old.

Born in Manitoba, she wrote to then Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi to deal intelligently with the troubles brewing in Punjab and even received a reply.

Prime Minister Paul Martin appears to have recognised Dhalla's political potential when he stepped in to appoint her as his candidate back in May.

"Obviously the decision about the cabinet is one that's made in Ottawa but we are extremely pleased to even be considered for such a position," said Andrew Lopez, communications chair for Dhalla.

"Both the Globe & Mail and Toronto Star newspapers mentioned Ruby as a possible cabinet member, as well as the Daily in Ottawa. But whether she is taken or not, we are just happy that we are being considered.

"It's so good for all Canadians to have a woman of colour as an MP, whether she is Indian or Hispanic or black Canadian," asserted Lopez.

Dhalla, who was away in Montreal and could not be reached, has a chain of rehabilitation healthcare clinics in the Greater Toronto Area and has been an active Liberal since she was a teenager.

A graduate of the University of Winnipeg with a bachelor of science, she moved to Toronto in 1995 to pursue her studies as a doctor of chiropractic medicine, graduating in 1999. Her mother single-handedly brought her up with help from Dhalla's maternal uncle, Paul Dhillon.

She has also been involved in numerous volunteer activities within the South Asian community and in healthcare advocacy. Interestingly, she has also been part of the movie scene, acting in films here and coordinating shows in India, her mother Tavinder told IANS.

Within the Liberal Party, in 1988, she began volunteering for her local candidate David Walker in his successful bid to become the MP for Winnipeg North Centre.

In 1989, she was one of the youngest Liberals to co-chair a senior party annual general meeting.

"I was just a l0-year-old girl when I first dreamed of being an MP, a voice for my community, a voice for our Canada.

"On June 28, my dream came true because I had the support and faith of so many that want to see a better Brampton-Springdale," Dhalla said in a prepared statement put online to her constituents.

"Our community faces complex challenges, I am confident that together we will address your concerns."

Said Tavinder: "Ruby was 12 when she was selected for a trip to Ottawa from Winnipeg. She was in many debates in her school and got so many awards in science. All of Winnipeg knew her."

Dhalla is one of two South Asian women elected to parliament in the June 28 elections, the other being Nina Grewal from British Columbia.

Since healthcare is a primary issue in Canada, Dhalla makes a useful addition to Liberal political fortunes, embattled as the party is with a minority government and a citizenry fed-up with unfulfilled promises so far as quality socialised medicine is concerned.

"As a chiropractor, I have a very good understanding of some of the issues, the concerns and the challenges that healthcare professionals face," Dhalla has said to media and in public.

"When I went door to door that is what the constituents saw, that I really understood what are some of the needs in healthcare."