Uppal, Gosal in Canadian ministry
Thursday, May 19, 2011The Tribune
Two of the eight Indo-Canadians, Tim Uppal from Alberta and Bal Gosal from Ontario, elected to the House of Commons early this month, have been included in the Canadian Council of Ministers.
Uppal has been made Minister of State for Democratic Reforms and Gosal Minister of State for Sports.
Uppal becomes the first-ever turbaned Sikh to become a Federal Minister in a country other than India.
Herb Dhaliwal was the first Indo-Canadian to become Federal Minister in Canada in the Liberal government headed by Jean Chretien. He was followed by Ujjal Dosanjh who remained Federal Health Minister in the subsequent Liberal government headed by Paul Martin.
Uppal, who has been elected for the second time from Edmonton-Sherwood, earlier served on the standing committees for Health, Citizenship and Immigration. He also worked as senior adviser with the Conservative Party of Canada. He has a long history of community involvement. He was named The Outstanding Young Edmontonian for 2005 by the Junior Chamber of Commerce . He was awarded an Alberta Centennial Medallion from the Government of Alberta.
He was a member of the Capital Health Community Council and the City of Edmonton Chief of Police Advisory Council. Gosal, who defeated six-time MP Gurbax Singh Malhi from Bramalea-Gore-Malton and newcomer Jagmeet Singh of the New Democratic Party, has worked as a commercial insurance broker. He has been a member of the Peel Regional Police Services Board and Peel Children’s Aid Society and has served as a member of the Brampton Board of Trade Marketing Committee. There was talk of four-time MP Nina Grewal, elected from Fleetwood-Port Kells with an impressive margin, and Parm Gill, who defeated glamour girl Ruby Dhalla (Liberal) in Brampton-Springdale, being made ministers.
Other names being mentioned were of Deepak Obhrai, who won for the fourth time from Calgary East. He was Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs in the last Conservative government.
