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Sikh-Canadian Politician Appointed To Ontario Cabinet As Province’s Minister of The Status of Women:
Harinder Kaur Malhi
NEWS REPORT
A Sikh-Canadian lawmaker was inducted into the Cabinet of the Ontario province in Canada as its Minister of the Status of Women on Thursday, January 18, 2018.
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said the reshuffle promoting, inter alios, MPP Harinder Kaur Malhi will bring more “gender, regional and background diversity” in the Cabinet.
“The knowledge and skills [the new blood in the cabinet brings] to these roles will be crucial as we continue our work to create more fairness and opportunity for the people of Ontario,” the Premier said. “In a changing economy, our plan is about making sure everyone has a fair shot at getting ahead. That’s why it is also important to me that this updated cabinet continues to reflect both the diversity and the geography of our province.”
Harinder Kaur, 38, belongs to the ruling Liberal Party and is a Member of the Provincial Parliament (MPP’) for Brampton-Springdale. She is the daughter of Canada's first turbaned Member of Parliament, Sardar Gurbax Singh Malhi who is now retired from office.
Notably, in April 2017, Harinder Kaur had introduced a motion in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario that described the 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom in India as “genocide”.
It read: "That, in the opinion of this House ... should reaffirm our commitment to the values we cherish – justice, human rights and fairness – and condemn all forms of communal violence, hatred, hostility, prejudice, racism and intolerance in India and anywhere else in the world, including the 1984 genocide perpetrated against the Sikhs throughout India, and call on all sides to embrace truth, justice and reconciliation."
The motion was handily passed by the legislature.
At least two other Sikh-Canadian MPPs - Amrit Kaur Mangat and Vic Singh Dillon - are also currently part of Ontario’s ruling party and government.
January 20, 2018
Conversation about this article
1: Tony Singh (Canada), January 21, 2018, 12:20 PM.
Amrit Kaur Mangat succumbed to Indian government pressure and voted against Ms. Malhi's motion about the Genocide of Sikhs in India. Mangat has been blacklisted by the Sikh community.
2: GC Singh (USA), January 22, 2018, 12:08 AM.
Harinder Kaur's leadership on the 1984 Sikh genocide motion in the Ontario legislature is much appreciated. Similarly this year in a rare display of unity, most of the Gurdwaras in Canada, United States and now in Europe have banned the entry of Indian Government representatives in their official capacity in the Gurdwaras because of their gross interfere in Sikh diaspora affairs, using visa offices to pressure Sikhs traveling to their homeland, continuing genocide and harassment of Sikhs in India and arrest, torture and imprisonment of Sikh activists who dare to expose Indian atrocities. But all Gurdwara managements also made it clear that no one is banned from attending the services as a humble devotee irrespective of his or her religion or background, including Indian officials in their personal capacity. But the entire Indian Government and its propaganda mills - specially The Tribune and Hindustan times have gone into a tizzy and have been lying and twisting the meaning of this ban to impute that it is against any religion or community. This united action of the diaspora Sikhs has drawn a line in the sand and now Indian Government assets in the garb of Sikhs and agent saboteurs who routinely engage in community destabilizing activities and engineer unnecessary squabbles are likely to be exposed.