Kamal Khera’s meteoric rise from nurse to Cabinet minister

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Kamal Khera with PM Justin Trudeau after her swearing in as minister

By Asia Samachar | Canada |

Kamalpreet Khera must be pinching herself. At 32, she is part of the new Cabinet announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Her meteoric rise saw the first-generation Canadian moving from a newly elected parliamentarian in 2015 to the Cabinet in a mere six years. She has served as parliamentary secretary at various ministries since 2015.

Kamal joins veteran ministers Harjit Singh Sajjan and Anita Anand in the 38 member Cabinet unveiled yesterday (26 Oct 2021) as Trudeau sets to govern after emerging tops, though short of an outright majority, at the recent federal general elections.

When first elected ,Kamal, then 26, was the youngest Liberal MP in the House, and the second-youngest overall behind the NDP’s Pierre-Luc Dusseault. She represented Brampton West.

In the same year, she was made a parliamentary secretary at the international development ministry. She later served in the same capacity at national revenue and health ministries.

She immigrated to Canada from Delhi, India, at a very young age. She attended York University where she earned her Bachelors of Science in Psychology with Honours and her Bachelors of Science in Nursing with Honours.

Harjit and Kamal are the only two Sikhs in the new Cabinet. In 2015, Harjit, then 42 years-old, made headlines when he was roped into the Cabinet as Canada’s defence minister. Three other Sikhs who joined him were Navdeep Singh Bains, then 38 years-old, as Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development; Amarjeet Singh Sohi as Minister for Infrastructure and first-time MP Bardish Kaur Jhagger as Minister for Small Business and Tourism.

Harjit continues as a minister, but with a new portfolio. He moves from defence to international development, with media reports suggesting the move follows a series of high-profile sexual misconduct scandals which have rocked senior echelons of the military. He is also the minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada.

Taking over from Harjit at defence is Anita who served as public services and procurement minister during the pandemic.

Anita, who is on leave as a professor of law at the University of Toronto, entered Parliament in 2019, holding the distinction of being the first Indian Canadian of a Hindu background to become a federal minister in Canada. She served as minister of public services and procurement from 2019 to 2021. Born in 1967 and raised in rural Nova Scotia, she moved to Ontario in 1985.

Harjit is a former detective with the Vancouver Police Department, a former Lieutenant Colonel with the British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught’s Own), and a long-time advocate for youth education and mentorship programs.

For 11 years, Harjit was a member of the Vancouver Police Department, based primarily in South Vancouver. He completed his career as a detective with the gang crime unit. As a member of the British Columbia Regiment, he participated in four operational deployments – one to Bosnia and three to Afghanistan.

In Canada’s most recent national election last month, the Trudeau-led Liberals Party won 159 seats out of 338 in the House of Commons, meaning they need the support of another party to pass legislation.

RELATED STORY:

4 Sikhs take up Cabinet berth in Canada (Asia Samachar, 5 Nov 2015)

ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |

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