E-Paper
New government in Canada province has 2 Indian-origin ministers
The new government in the Canadian province of British Columbia has two ministers of Indian-origin - Harry Bains and Ravi Kahlon.
Sixteen years after Ujjal Dosanjh was the first and, till date, only premier of Indian origin of a Canadian province, as he led the government in British Columbia, his New Democratic Party (NDP) has returned to power as its leader John Horgan became the province’s 36th Premier.
As the Indo-Canadian community’s support to the NDP helped propel it to power, particularly in Surrey region, two members of the new 22-strong Cabinet hail from this area. Jinny Sims will be British Columbia’s Minister of Citizens’ Services while Harry Bains will be the labour minister.
Sims is a former MP who was defeated in the 2015 federal elections and won her set from the Surrey-Panorama riding (as constituencies are called in Canada) during the May 9 elections.
Bains has been a veteran legislator, having won multiple elections since 2005. He was re-elected from Surrey-Newton.
The provincial election had witnessed a hung assembly and for two months, the government was led by outgoing premier Christy Clark of the Liberal Party.
The Indo-Canadian presence in ministerial ranks is bolstered by the appointment of Ravi Kahlon, elected from Delta North, as parliamentary secretary for sport and multiculturalism. A relative newcomer to politics, Kahlon is known for having twice been a member of the Canadian men’s field hockey team at the Olympic Games.
