NRI, Gurbax S. Malhi was first elected to the House
of Commons in 1993 Federal General Election. He was
re-elected in: 1997, 2000, 2004 and 2006
Following a number of committee appointments, Mr.
Malhi was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the
Minister of Labour, on September 13, 2001. He held
this position until December 12, 2003, when he was
sworn into Queen's Privy Council, as part of his new
appointment as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister
of Industry, with Special Emphasis on Entrepreneurs
and New Canadians.
Mr. Malhi has also served as a member of the Standing
Committee on Human Resorces Development. He has been
the Chairman of the House of Commons Standing Committee
for the Library of Parliament, as well he has served
as a member of the House of Commons Standing Committee
on Industry; Government Operations; and Procedure
and House Affairs. Among his other Parliamentary Committee
appointments include the Special Committee of Parliament
and Senators; and the sub-committee on Business and
Supply, along with many other Parliamentary Committees,
Associations and Friendship Groups.
In September 2002, Mr. Malhi was recognized as an
Ambassador of Peace by the Inter-religious And International
Federation of World Peace. In addition, in October
2002, he was awarded the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal
for his commitment and contributions to Canadian Society.
The Malhi Record of Community Service:
(Gurbax Malhi has been a part of the Riding of Bramalea-Gore-Malton
(and Springdale), since 1979.)
Since 1993, The Honourable Gurbax Malhi M.P. and
his staff have been providing:
• Reliable, accessible; and efficient answers
to your questions.
• Congratulatory messages for graduation, anniversary
and other special occasions.
• Meeting with numerous people per day when within
the Riding, including
constituents and a variety of business people, educators,
interest groups etc.
• Holding a weekly constituent day where up to
80 constituents are individually met
with in his office.
• Attending 400-500 events annually within the
riding, ranging from BBQ's to festivals,
to graduations to weddings, and so on.
Gurbax S. Malhi
The Honourable Gurbax Singh Malhi, PC, MP, BA (born
October 12, 1949 to a Sikh family in Chugha Kalan,
Punjab, India) is a Canadian politician. He is currently
a member of the Canadian House of Commons, representing
the riding of Bramalea—Gore—Malton for the
Liberal Party.
Malhi was educated at Punjab University, and has
a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, English
and History. He moved to Canada in 1974, and was initially
a factory worker before becoming a real estate agent.
He is also a founder-director of the Canadian-Sikh
Cultural and Sports Centre, and was a volunteer member
of the Peel Police Ethic Race Relations Committee,
and served on the Parents' Advisory Council for Marvin
Heights Public School in Mississauga.
He was first elected to parliament in the federal
election of 1993, defeating Progressive Conservative
incumbent Harry Chadwick and Reformer Darlene Florence
in the BGM riding. He and fellow Liberal Herb Dhaliwal
were the first two Canadian Sikhs elected to the Canadian
House of Commons.
Malhi was also the first "turbaned Sikh"
elected to parliament anywhere in the western world.
Prior to 1993, Canadian law prohibited members of
parliament from wearing headgear of any sort in the
Commons. Malhi's insistence on wearing a turban caused
the law to be changed shortly after the election.
Mahli was re-elected in the 1997 election over Florence
and PC candidate Beryl Ford. In 1998, the riding's
name was changed to Bramalea—Gore—Malton—Springdale.
He was re-elected with the greatest majority of his
career in the 2000 election. He was again re-elected
with a significant plurality over Conservative Raminder
Singh Gill in the 2004 election, despite the fact
that his riding was a key Conservative target.
Malhi is a devout religious Sikh, and has introduced
numerous ceremonies of the Sikh religion to Parliament
Hill (including the yearly Akand Path ceremony and
the hill's first ever Diwali celebration). He was
also instrumental in having the government of Canada
produce a Canada Post stamp bearing the Khanda Sahib
symbol.
Malhi has also been critical of past human-rights
abuses by the Indian government in Punjab. In 1995,
he held an exhibition on parliament hill which drew
attention to the Golden Temple riots ten years earlier.
In 1997, he succeeded in having the Canadian government
open a liaison office in Chandigarh.
When Paul Martin was sworn in as Prime Minister in
late 2003, he appointed Malhi as Parliamentary Secretary
to the Minister of Industry, with special emphasis
on Entrepreneurs and New Canadians. After the 2004
election, he was named Parliamentary Secretary to
the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development,
and later was named the Parliamentary Secretary to
the Minister of National Revenue.
Malhi was part of a Canadian delegation that visited
India in early 2005, following the south asian tsunami
of late 2004. Malhi also attempted to meet with 59
Punjabis being detained in Iran, but was denied a
visa by the Iranian government.
