Ruby Sahota

Ruby Sahota[3] PC MP (born June 22) is a Canadian Liberal politician who was elected as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada to represent the federal riding Brampton North during the 2015 Canadian federal election.[4][5]

Ruby Sahota
Chief Government Whip (interim)
Assumed office
January 8, 2024
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau
Preceded bySteven MacKinnon
Member of Parliament
for Brampton North
Assumed office
October 19, 2015
Preceded byRiding established
Personal details
BornJune 22[1]
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Political partyLiberal
SpouseTejinder Sahota
Children1
ResidenceBrampton[2]
Alma materMcMaster University (BA)
Western Michigan University (JD)
ProfessionAttorney
Websitersahota.liberal.ca

Early life and education

Sahota was born in Toronto after her parents arrived in Canada in the late 1970s,[6] and was raised in Brampton. Her father previously was the Chairman of the Ontario Sikhs and Gurdwara Council.[7]

Sahota attended Brampton's Central Peel Secondary School from 1993 to 1998, and then graduated with an Honours bachelor's degree in Political Science and Peace Studies at McMaster University in 2003.[8] She then attended Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, graduating in 2007.

From 2007 to 2012, Sahota practiced law in Cleveland, Ohio, focusing on commercial litigation.[9][10] She became a lawyer after.

Political career

Sahota sought the Liberal nomination for the newly created riding of Brampton North, winning it on March 1, 2015.[11]

The general election campaign involved some controversy, as Sahota's campaign criticized leaflets circulated by her opponent, Conservative incumbent Parm Gill, which it was alleged were deliberately aimed at confusing Sahota with previous Liberal Party MP Ruby Dhalla.[12] Sahota defeated Gill to win the election.

Once elected, Sahota was appointed to both the Standing Committee on the Status of Women and the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs. She was subsequently named to the Special Committee on Electoral Reform. On February 1, 2017, she was elected Chair of the Federal Liberal Ontario Caucus by her peers. As Caucus Chair, she presides over meetings, leads discussions, and is an important link between Ontario Liberal MPs and the Prime Minister's Office and Cabinet.

Personal life

She is married to podiatrist Dr. Tejinder Sahota and has a son named Nihal.

Electoral record

2021 Canadian federal election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LiberalRuby Sahota22,97653.87+2.44
ConservativeMedha Joshi13,29231.16+3.49
New DemocraticTeresa Yeh6,38614.97-1.92
Total valid votes42,654
Total rejected ballots
Turnout42,65456.61-8.58
Eligible voters75,344
Source: Elections Canada[13]
Liberal holdSwing-0.53
2019 Canadian federal election: Brampton North
PartyCandidateVotes%±%Expenditures
LiberalRuby Sahota25,97051.42+3.05$76,162.12
ConservativeArpan Khanna13,97327.67-5.32$100,060.30
New DemocraticMelissa Edwards8,38216.90+0.40$17,829.85
GreenNorbert D'Costa1,5163.00+1.10$0.00
People'sKeith Frazer5101.01none listed
Total valid votes/expense limit50,50299.03
Total rejected ballots4960.97
Turnout50,998 65.19
Eligible voters78,229
Liberal holdSwing+4.11
Source: Elections Canada[14][15]
2015 Canadian federal election: Brampton North
PartyCandidateVotes%±%Expenditures
LiberalRuby Sahota23,29748.37+20.21$136,386.70
ConservativeParm Gill15,88832.99-15.88$194,312.26
New DemocraticMartin Singh7,94616.50-2.34$78,854.84
GreenPauline Thornham9151.90-1.78$146.44
CommunistHarinderpal Hundal1200.25
Total valid votes/expense limit48,166100.00 $206,076.29
Total rejected ballots3180.66
Turnout48,48466.13
Eligible voters73,321
Liberal notional gain from ConservativeSwing+18.05
Source: Elections Canada[16][17]

References