ONTARIO: Progressive Conservatives win solid majority; 10 South Asians elected (update)

DOUG Ford is the next Premier of Ontario as the Progressive Conservatives won a solid majority in Thursday’s provincial election.

Andrea Horwath’s New Democrats will be the Official Opposition.

Premier and Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne, who was re-elected in Don Valley West, announced she will step down as leader of the Ontario Liberal Party.

 

Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell met with Ford on Friday and invited him to officially assume the position of Premier of Ontario and form a government.

Ford announced that he has selected a transition team and has already begun briefings on government activities and the decisions necessary to choose his Cabinet. Premier Wynee and Ford have agreed that the transition of power will take place on June 29.

“I have accepted the invitation of the Lieutenant Governor and look forward to assuming the job as the Premier of Ontario,” said Ford. “I will be working with my team to fulfill my campaign commitments and deliver change for the people.”

 

Prominent Liberal cabinet ministers such as Charles Sousa, Yasir Naqvi, Steven Del Duca and Glenn Thibeault lost their seats.

The PCs will have 76 MPPs [MLAs are called Members of Provincial Parliament or MPPs in Ontario] and the NDP will have 40 MPPs, while the Liberals will have only seven – one short of official party status. Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner won his party’s first seat.

Ford’s message that he would cut taxes, the price of gas, hydro rates and beer, and eliminate the deficit while spending billions on transit and infrastructure projects quite obviously resonated with Ontario voters.

But we will have to wait and see what all Ford actually delivers.

Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau in a statement said:

“Ontarians have chosen to elect a majority government led by the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party.

“On behalf of the Government of Canada, I offer my sincere congratulations to Doug Ford who will have the honour and privilege to serve as Premier.

“I look forward to working with the new provincial government to create good, middle class jobs, make Ontario a world-leading centre for innovative and sustainable technologies, and build infrastructure that meets the needs of Ontarians.

“Together, we will continue to work to grow Ontario’s economy and address issues of importance to Ontarians and all Canadians.

“I also thank Kathleen Wynne for her years of service as Premier.”

 

Here are the South Asian winners (seven PC and three NDP)

 

PC: Prabmeet Sarkaria – Brampton South

PC

Prabmeet Sarkaria (Brampton South)

 

Prabmeet is currently a corporate and commercial Associate at Miller Thomson LLP. He has a law degree from the University of Windsor as well as a Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University where he majored in Finance. Prior to going into law, he worked at TD Securities.

Passionate about community service, Prabmeet is an active volunteer. He serves on the City of Brampton’s Property Standards Committee and helped establish Hockey for Humanity; a non-profit organization that holds annual charity hockey tournaments.

Prabmeet is also an active board member for KarmaGrow; a non-profit organization that builds community gardens in the Greater Toronto Area.

Prabmeet is an avid sports fan who enjoys playing and watching hockey, basketball, baseball, and football.

 

PC: Deepak Anand – Mississauga-Malton

PC

Deepak Anand (Mississauga-Malton)

 

Deepak Anand currently owns a small and successful business which supplies auto parts across the country.
A chemical engineer by trade from India, Deepak also has a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the prestigious Schulich School of Business with a focus on sustainable business practices.
Deepak was on the Board of Telecare Brampton and Indus Community Services.
Furthermore, he is currently a director for the Canadian Federation of Truckers which defends Trucker Rights and is the Co-Chair of the Malton Building Community Project which is an umbrella organization that represents various community agencies. Deepak is also the founder of Meaningful Media which is an organization that focuses on bringing different charities and social agencies together and bringing light to social issues. Moreover, he is also the producer and host for Radio Saanjh which is a weekly radio show that is aired on 770AM, in which he discusses local social issues and highlights the different community work people are doing throughout the region.
Some of the other projects Deepak is proud of include: e-Seniors in which he and a team of a few youths taught basic computer skills to seniors during the summer, Colours Can Talk which was an interactive program that engaged children with autism and he is a mentor for many new immigrants and students.

 

 

NDP: Gurratan Singh – Brampton East

NDP

Gurratan Singh (Brampton East)

 

A lawyer by profession, Gurratan’s unique upbringing has fueled his passion for justice and equity

He has spent over a decade serving the Brampton communities through pro–bono legal advice, youth mentorship, organizing and advocating for young people

A community champion, Gurratan is the City of Brampton’s Chair of the Equity and Inclusion, founding member of Sikh Heritage Month Foundation and a Board Member of Peel Art Gallery

He was an instrumental figure behind [his brother] Jagmeet Singh’s ascent to MPP and leader of the Federal NDP and is determined to fight for change for the better and bring Brampton East the leadership people need in order to access better health care, seniors care and education

 

PC: Amarjot Singh Sandhu – Brampton South

PC

Amarjot Singh Sandhu (Brampton West)

 

Born in Punjab, India, Amarjot first moved to Canada in 2008 to further his studies. He holds a bachelor degree in computer science and engineering from Punjab Technical University India, and also post-graduated in wireless networking from George Brown College in Toronto.

Amarjot spent three years working as a network analyst with a telecommunications company before becoming a realtor with Royal Lepage Flower City in Brampton. As a realtor, Amarjot understands how unaffordable life has become for families under the Wynne Liberals.

As a long-time political volunteer, Amarjot knows how to deliver results. Amarjot is passionate about his community, and wants to build a better future for all. He wants to deliver better health care, education, and jobs to the people of Brampton West.

 

 

NDP: Sara Singh – Brampton Centre

NDP

 

Sara Singh (Brampton Centre)

Born and raised in Brampton, Sara is a multilingual Ph.D. candidate at Ryerson University with a Master of Arts in International Development Studies

She has a long history of local advocacy being the founding director of Broadening Horizons, Board Director at Community Living Ontario, and former vice-president Brampton Caledon Community Living

She has been a strong fighter of local businesses, workers’ rights and she’s committed to bringing families in Brampton-Centre change for the better

Sara is also committed to putting an end to sky-rocketing auto insurance rates and postal code discrimination

 

 

PC: Parm Gill – Milton

PC

Parm Gill (Milton)

 

First elected to the House of Commons in 2011, Parm is an experienced legislator who knows how to deliver results for his community.

During his time on Parliament Hill, Parm served on several different committees, including the Standing Committees of Public Safety and National Security, Health, Canadian Heritage, and Veterans Affairs and International Trade.

As a Member of Parliament, Parm introduced a Private Member’s Bill, Bill C-394. The bill helps to keep our streets, neighbourhoods, and communities safer.  He introduced his bill because the safety and security of his community is a top priority. His bill received unanimous support from the government and is now law.

In addition to this, Parm served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veteran Affairs as well as to the Minister of International Trade.

Parm is proud to call Milton home along with his wife and three children. Prior to his election into public service, Parm was involved in several family businesses in the manufacturing and hospitality industries. Parm studied at the Ivey Business School of Western University and completed his studies in the executive MBA program.

 

 

PC: Nina Tangri -Mississauga-Streetsville

PC

 

Nina Tangri (Mississauga-Streetsville)

Nina is a tireless advocate for improving the welfare of Ontarians in her daily life.

To aid in improving healthcare, she has served as Vice-Chair on the Board of Directors at the Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga. She is also a cabinet member of Erinoak Kids, Ontario’s largest treatment centre for children living with disabilities, Nina is also a supporter of many sports and cultural clubs, spending countless hours working volunteering within in Mississauga-Streetsville and beyond.

In acknowledgement for her dedication to the community, Nina has been awarded the Global Peace and Friendship Award, the National MacDonald Cartier award for outstanding volunteer work, and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Award.
Professionally, Nina has over 30 years experience in financial management. She is currently the CEO of Tangri Insurance & Financial Group, and President of Tangri-BMT Insurance Brokers. Her skills in financial planning, business management, and legal acuity are an asset not only for her business, named one of the top insurance brokerages in Canada by “Insurance Magazine” in 2016.

Married with three children, Nina is passionate about giving back to the community she is proud to call home. She is a supporter of many sports and cultural clubs, and spends countless hours working in a volunteer capacity.

 

 

NDP: Doly Begum – Scarborough Southwest

NDP

Doly Begum (Scarborough Southwest)

Doly came to Canada as a child with her hard-working parents and younger brother. She has lived in Scarborough most of her life.
She is a graduate of the University of Toronto and has a Masters in Development, Administration & Planning from University College London.
As Co-Chair of the Scarborough Health Coalition and Vice-Chair of Warden Woods Community Centre, she has worked hard to make lives better for the people of Scarborough.
Doly was the chief coordinator of the province-wide Keep Hydro Public campaign that successfully stopped the privatization of Toronto Hydro and Wasaga Distribution.

[Doly is originally from Bangladesh]

 

 

PC: Vijay Thanigasalam – Scarborough-Rouge Park

PC

Vijay Thanigasalam (Scarborough-Rouge Park)

Vijay is truly passionate about the community and genuinely cares about the well-being of future generations.

Vijay has been an active member of the Scarborough community for over a decade.

He completed his Bachelor of Commerce in Finance at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) in Oshawa, and works as a financial advisor with one of Canada’s leading banks.

He has been an advocate for youth development and employment opportunities, and wants to build an Ontario where young people can pay less and get ahead.

Vijay has a proven track-record of success, and is a leader that will bring true representation to Scarborough-Rouge Park and its youth to Queen’s Park.

[His family fled Sri Lanka during the civil war and settled in the area in 2003.]

 

 

PC: Logan Kanapathi – Markham-Thornhill

PC

LOGAN KANAPATHI

Markham-Thornhill

 

Logan came to Canada in the late 1980s as a refugee, and eventually started his own successful insurance firm.

He was first elected as a councillor for Markham in 2006, becoming the first Canadian of Tamil descent ever elected to public office. He was re-elected in 2010 and 2014. During his time as a councillor, Logan has been a strong advocate for fiscal responsibility and currently serves as Chief of the Budget Committee.

A long-time community activist, Logan is an Advisory Board Member of several charitable organizations such as the Canadian Tamil Medical Association, South Asian Autism Awareness Centre, and Cherish Integrated Services.

For nine years Logan has been a strong voice for his community, and as MPP he will work tirelessly so that Markham-Thornhill families pay less and get ahead.

 

 

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