Moe Sihota | |
---|---|
President of the British Columbia New Democratic Party | |
In office November 29, 2009 –November 17, 2013 | |
Preceded by | Sav Dhaliwal |
Succeeded by | Craig Keating |
Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Esquimalt-Metchosin Esquimalt-Port Renfrew (1986-1991) | |
In office October 22,1986 –May 16,2001 | |
Preceded by | Frank Mitchell |
Succeeded by | Arnie Hamilton |
Personal details | |
Born | Duncan,British Columbia,Canada | February 18,1955
Political party | New Democrat |
Munmohan Singh "Moe" Sihota (born February 18,1955) is a former Canadian broadcaster and politician. [1] He was the first Canadian of South Asian and Indian descent to be elected to provincial parliament. [2]
He was born in Duncan,British Columbia and attended St. George's Boys School,Vancouver,on scholarship. He earned a bachelor's degree in social work from the University of British Columbia in 1977,was awarded a scholarship to Warwick School of Economics in 1981,and earned a law degree from the University of Victoria in 1982. He was a social worker in White Rock from 1978 to 1979 and a lawyer in Esquimalt in 1984.
His political career began during his undergraduate years at the University of British Columbia serving as the Ombudsman for the UBC student society,the Alma Mater Society,as well as serving as an elected student representative on the UBC Board of Governors. He became President of the Young New Democrats in 1978 and also served as the President of Cowichan—Malahat—The Islands Federal NDP as well as being the campaign manager for Frank Mitchell and Jim Manly who were elected to the British Columbia Legislature and the House of Commons of Canada respectively. In 1984,Sihota was elected as an alderman for Esquimalt.
In 1986,Sihota ran as the NDP Candidate in the riding of Esquimalt-Port Renfrew to replace the retiring Mitchell. He held the seat easily and became the first Indo-Canadian to be elected to any federal or provincial riding.
In 1991,Sihota ran for and won re-election in the new riding of Esquimalt-Metchosin as part of an NDP landslide victory. Subsequently,he was named by Premier Mike Harcourt in his first cabinet,the Minister of Labour and Consumer Services as well as Minister Responsible for Constitutional Affairs,becoming the first Indian-Canadian cabinet minister in a province of Canada.
He continued to serve in several cabinet posts under the Harcourt New Democratic government as well as under the subsequent governments of Glen Clark and Dan Miller,but was forced to resign from cabinet several times.
During his career,he created 200 new provincial parks,extended workers' compensation coverage to farm workers,and changed BC logging practices. He also served on the board of directors of BC Hydro and Power Authority,the Insurance Corporation of BC,the Workers Compensation Board,and the BC Buildings Corporation. [3]
Sihota resigned as Minister of Labour in 1995 after the Law Society of BC suspended his licence to practice for 18 months,due to finding him guilty of professional misconduct. [4] He was reinstated to Cabinet in 1996,but resigned again in December of the same year due to new allegations of corruption,abuse of office,and conflict of interest. The new allegations were related to actions he performed while in office that benefited his friend and former Vancouver MP Herb Dhaliwal. In his memoirs,"A Measure of Defiance",former BC Premier Mike Harcourt commented that "Although the B.C. Law Society denied the allegation,the hint that the investigation of our outspoken environment minister was politically motivated was too strong to be dismissed that quickly. There was no public outcry over the incident and to most of his constituents,reporters and even political adversaries,Moe's credibility did not suffer seriously." [5]
In 1991,Sihota helped his friend Dhaliwal become appointed to the board of B.C. Hydro in 1991,after Dhaliwal provided Sihota with a substantial mortgage guarantee. [6] The opposition BC Liberals then requested an investigation by Conflict Commissioner Ted Hughes. Hughes later found that Sihota had not been in a conflict of interest. However,Hughes also said at the time of the finding that had the new laws been in place during Dhaliwal's appointment in 1991,Sihota would have been found to be in a conflict of interest. [7]
In 1996 Dhaliwal had applied to the Motor Carrier Commission for several licences related to a limousine company partly owned by Dhaliwal and run by Sihota's cousin. It was later revealed by the former Commission chairman that Sihota had made repeated calls and wrote several letters to the commission in relation to Dhaliwal's applications. [6] Sihota again resigned from cabinet in 1996. A new investigation was started not by the Conflict of Interest Commissioner,but by fellow NDP party member and Glen Clark deputy minister Doug McArthur. Although McArthur found that Sihota had "exercised poor judgment and bullied commission staff",he found that Sihota had not been in a conflict of interest. [7] Glen Clark then reappointed Sihota back to cabinet in 1998.
After retiring from politics following the NDP's defeat in the,2001 provincial election,Sihota became a television host for The New VI (formerly A-Channel now CTV2) in Victoria. He left the station in 2004 when his phone-in show,VILand Voices, was cancelled due to re-organization. He currently provides political commentary for CBC Radio's Early Edition Political Panel.
Since 2004,Sihota has pursued several business opportunities and is currently a part-owner and director of the Northern Bear Golf Club (Edmonton,AB),Four Points Sheraton (Victoria,BC) and Walton's Lakefront Resort (Osoyoos,BC).
In 2012,Vancouver Magazine named Sihota as one of B.C's 50 most influential citizens. [8]
In 2015,Sihota received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal for contributions to Canadian Society.[ citation needed ]
In 2005,the Parvasi Awards were created to honour outstanding achievements by Canadian Punjabis. Mr. Sihota was the recipient of the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of being the first Indo-Canadian elected to a Canadian Legislature and the first Indo-Canadian ever to be appointed to a cabinet. [9]
The 100 Year Journey Project chronicles the stories of the first 100 South Asians that impacted Canadian Society,chartered new territories and broke new ground. Sihota received the 2015 Pioneers and Navigators Award for his work in Politics and Public Policy. [10]
After the election of the New Democratic Government in Alberta,Sihota joined Edmonton's Canadian Strategy Group to provide political and policy advice to Alberta Corporations,Trade Unions and non-profits. [11]
In November 2009,Sihota was elected to the position of president of the BC New Democratic Party. In October 2010,the media revealed that Sihota was being paid a salary for his position as president, [12] with payments from the Canadian Union of Public Employees,United Steelworkers,and the British Columbia Federation of Labour. [13] Sihota was elected to a second term at the 2011 party convention. [14]
Sihota,along with party leader Adrian Dix,faced criticism for running a poor campaign following the NDP's unexpected defeat in the 2013 provincial election. On September 21,2013,the day after Dix announced his intention to step down as leader,Sihota announced that he would be stepping down as party president at the end of his term in November 2013. [14] He was credited with modernizing the NDP's fundraising capacity and implementing outreach to the business community during his term. [14]
Sihota currently lives in Victoria,British Columbia and is married with two children,Rajan and Karina. Karina works for the Canadian Labour Congress and Rajan works in digital marketing for rock bands.
The New Democratic Party of British Columbia is a social democratic political party in British Columbia,Canada. The party sits on the centre-left of the political spectrum and is one of the two major parties in British Columbia;since the 1990s,its rival was the business-oriented BC United until the Conservative Party of British Columbia reconstituted itself for the 2024 British Columbia general election,with BC United withdrawing its candidates and endorsing the Conservatives. The party is currently formally affiliated with the federal New Democratic Party and serves as its provincial branch.
Ujjal Dev Dosanjh,is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as the 33rd premier of British Columbia from 2000 to 2001 and as a Liberal Party of Canada member of Parliament from 2004 to 2011. He was minister of health from 2004 until 2006,when the party lost government. He then served in the Official Opposition from January 2006 until 2011. Dosanjh was one of four visible minorities to serve in Paul Martin's Ministry.
Glen David Clark is a Canadian retail executive and former politician who served as the 31st premier of British Columbia from 1996 to 1999.
Michael Franklin Harcourt,OC is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 30th premier of British Columbia from 1991 to 1996,and before that as the 34th mayor of Vancouver,BC's largest city,from 1980 to 1986.
Joy Kathryn MacPhail is a former Canadian politician in British Columbia. A longtime member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party,she served as a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from 1991 to 2005 and as a Minister of the Crown from 1993 to 1999,and 2000–2001.
The 1991 British Columbia general election was the 35th provincial election in the Province of British Columbia,Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on September 19,1991,and held on October 17,1991. The incumbent Social Credit Party of British Columbia,which had been beset by scandals during Bill Vander Zalm's only term as premier,was defeated by the New Democratic Party of Mike Harcourt. Liberal Party leader Gordon Wilson surprised observers by leading his party to winning one-third of the votes cast,and forming the official opposition in the legislature after having held no seats at all since 1979. The new legislature met for the first time on March 17,1992.
Gulzar Singh Cheema is an Indian-born Canadian physician and politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1988 to 1993,and a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 2001 to 2004,making him one of only a few Canadian politicians to have sat in two provincial legislatures since Confederation. He is the first Indian-born provincial legislator in Canada. He was also a cabinet minister in the government of Premier of British Columbia Gordon Campbell from 2001 to 2004,and was a candidate of the Liberal Party of Canada in the federal election of 2004.
Jenny Wai Ching Kwan is a Canadian politician who is the member of Parliament (MP) for Vancouver East. A member of the New Democratic Party (NDP),Kwan was elected to the House of Commons in 2015.
Arthur Daniel Miller is a Canadian politician. He served as interim leader of the New Democratic Party of British Columbia and as the 32nd premier of British Columbia for six months from August 25,1999 to February 24,2000,following the resignation of Glen Clark.
Penny Priddy is a politician from British Columbia (BC),Canada. She served as member of Parliament (MP) from 2006 to 2008,representing the electoral district of Surrey North in the House of Commons of Canada. Prior to that,she was a Surrey city councillor (2002–2005),a member of the BC legislature representing Surrey-Newton (1991–2001),and a trustee with the Surrey School District (1986–1991). She is the only woman in Canadian history to be elected to school board,city council,a provincial legislature and the House of Commons.
David Zirnhelt is a Canadian politician,businessman and rancher from British Columbia. A member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party,he was a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Cariboo and Cariboo South from 1989 to 2001,and served in the cabinets of premiers Mike Harcourt,Glen Clark,Dan Miller and Ujjal Dosanjh.
Sue Hammell is a Canadian politician who was the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Surrey-Green Timbers in the province of British Columbia from 1991 to 2001,and from 2005 to 2017. A member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party,she served in several cabinet posts under Premiers Mike Harcourt,Glen Clark and Ujjal Dosanjh.
Harbhajan Singh "Harry" Lali is a former MLA in the Canadian province of British Columbia.
Randall C. Garrison is a Canadian politician. Elected to the House of Commons in the 2011 federal election,he represents the electoral district of Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke and is a member of the New Democratic Party. He serves as the party's critic for lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender issues,succeeding former MP Bill Siksay,and for National Defence. Since becoming an MP,he has introduced legislation to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code,return federal environmental protection to the Goldstream River,and lobbied the government to implement an action plan concerning the endangered Southern resident killer whales. A former criminology and political science instructor at Camosun College,Garrison is openly gay and lives in Esquimalt,British Columbia,with his partner,Teddy Pardede.
Graham Preston Bruce is a former Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia,representing the electoral district of Cowichan-Malahat from 1986 to 1991 as part of the Social Credit Party (Socred),and the district of Cowichan-Ladysmith from 2001 to 2005 as a BC Liberal. He was a cabinet minister under premiers Rita Johnston and Gordon Campbell.
Andrew J. Petter is a former academic and provincial politician in British Columbia,Canada. He represented the electoral district of Saanich South in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1991 to 2001. A member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party caucus,he served in various cabinet posts under premiers Mike Harcourt,Glen Clark,Dan Miller and Ujjal Dosanjh,including as Attorney General of British Columbia from February to November 2000.
Punjabi Canadians number approximately 950,000 and account for roughly 2.6% of Canada's population,as per the 2021 Canadian census. Their heritage originates mostly from the Punjab region of India.
The Glen Clark ministry was the combined Cabinet that governed British Columbia from February 22,1996,to August 25,1999. It was led by Glen Clark,the 31st premier of British Columbia,and consisted of members of the New Democratic Party (NDP).
The Harcourt ministry was the combined Cabinet that governed British Columbia from November 5,1991,to February 22,1996. It was led by Mike Harcourt,the 30th premier of British Columbia,and consisted of members of the New Democratic Party (NDP).