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Ruby Dhalla, DC , (born February 18 , 1974 ) is a Canadian politician. She has represented the riding of Brampton—Springdale in the Canadian House Of Commons since 2004 as a member of the Liberal Party . Along with British Columbia Conservative Member Of Parliament (MP) Nina Grewal , Dhalla is the first Sikh woman to serve in the Canadian House of Commons. EARLY LIFE Dhalla was born in Winnipeg , Manitoba , to an immigrant family from the India n state of Punjab . She first attracted international attention in 1984 , when she was ten years old and living in Winnipeg's north end. After the shooting of Sikhs by India n soldiers at Punjab's Golden Temple , Dhalla wrote a letter to Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi , urging her to resolve the situation without further violence. Gandhi personally replied to Dhalla's letter, and referred to it at a press conference some months before her assassination. Dhalla received a Bachelor Of Science degree in Biochemistry with a minor in Political Science from the University Of Winnipeg in 1995 . She moved to Toronto in the same year, and graduated with a Doctor Of Chiropractic Medicine from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in 1999 . She now co-owns a chain of chiropractic clinics in Toronto, Brampton , Mississauga and Aurora with her brother, Neil Dhalla. Dhalla has also worked as an actress, and played a leading role in "Kyon? Kis Liye?" (translated as "Why? And For Whom?"), a Bollywood -inspired Hindi -language film shot in Ontario. She finished second in the Miss India Canada pageant in 1993 . She joined the Liberal Party in 1986 , and worked extensively for the party over the next eighteen years. She volunteered for Winnipeg candidate David Walker in the 1988 Federal Election , and later became a prominent member of the Winnipeg Young Liberals organization. In 1998 , she was elected youth representative of the party's standing committee on multiculturalism. Dhalla supported Paul Martin 's bid to become Liberal Party leader in 2003 . MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT In May 2004 , Martin designated Dhalla as the Liberal candidate for Brampton—Springdale in the 2004 Federal Election . This decision was opposed by some members of the local riding executive, who had favoured Andrew Kania for the nomination. When the election was called, Kania and his supporters unexpectedly endorsed New Democratic Party candidate Kathy Pounder over Dhalla in protest. One of Dhalla's supporters in the election was Comedian Mike Bullard , for whom Dhalla has worked as a chiropractor. Bullard joked during the campaign that he was helping her because "all my back trouble is on the Right ". She was elected by a comfortable margin despite the nomination controversy, while the Liberals won a Minority Government nationally. She was later appointed to the Standing Committee on Health. Dhalla was a prominent organizer of the "Canada for Asia" Benefit Concert in January 2005 , along with Senator Jerry Grafstein and singer Tom Cochrane . The event raised money for victims of the previous month's Tsunami disaster in southeast Asia. In October 2005, Dhalla organized a relief effort for victims of an earthquake in Pakistan . She has also promoted an easier process for foreign credential recognition, to assist recent Canadian immigrants in gaining professional employment. Dhalla was the second youngest member of Canada's Liberal caucus in the 38th Canadian Parliament , being eight months older than Mark Holland . She voted in favour of Canada's Same-sex Marriage legislation in 2005, on the grounds that the Canadian Charter Of Rights And Freedoms confers equality on different groups in society. The Liberal government was defeated by a Motion Of No Confidence in late 2005, and A New Election was called for early 2006. Dhalla officially launched her campaign in early December, with Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal as a star attendee. Conservative candidate Sam Hundal attempted to use same-sex marriage as a Wedge Issue among recent immigrant voters during the campaign, but was largely unsuccessful. Dhalla was easily re-elected, as the Conservatives won a minority government at the national level. She is now the associate critic for consumer affairs in the Official Opposition . Paul Martin resigned as Liberal leader on the night of his party's election defeat. Soon after, Dhalla announced that she was considering a bid for the party leadership. TABLE OF OFFICES HELD EXTERNAL LINKS ELECTORAL RECORD All electoral information is taken from Elections Canada . Italicized expenditures refer to submitted totals, and are presented when the final reviewed totals are not available. NOTES AND SOURCES |
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