Niki Sharma first Indo-Canadian Deputy Premier of British Columbia

Four Punjabis have been inducted as ministers in the new Cabinet of British Columbia (BC) province government announced by its Premier David Eby on Monday. Niki Sharma has been made Deputy Premier, a position similar to Deputy CM in India, of the province.

Niki has become the first woman of colour and Indo-Canadian to hold the office of Deputy Premier in BC. She served as attorney general in the previous Cabinet, and has retained the profile.

Ravi Kahlon, who was Housing Minister in the last term, has been given the charge of Municipal Affairs as well. Jagrup Brar, who previously served as Minister of State for Trade, will take on a new portfolio dedicated solely to Mining. Another Punjabi, Ravi Parmar, who was parliament secretary in the last term, has been promoted as the Minister of Forest in the new Cabinet.

Apart from these, three Punjabi women, Harwinder Sandhu, Sunita Dhir and Jessie Sunner, have been made parliament secretaries in the new Cabinet. Raj Chauhan, another Punjabi, is likely to become Speaker again.

Niki Sharma, a long-time public servant, focused on representing indigenous people as a lawyer. As BC’s Attorney General, she led efforts to make online spaces safer, introduced a nation-leading Anti-Racism Act and led expansion of family law legal aid.

In 2020, Niki was elected as MLA for Vancouver-Hastings for the first time. On December 7, 2022, she was appointed by Premier David Eby as Attorney General of British Columbia.

Jagroop Brar won from Surrey Fleetwood for a record seventh term. He lost just once in 2013 and won all polls he had contested so far. Born in Bathinda, he was part of the Indian national basketball team. He moved to Canada for studies and settled there. He has been active in politics since 2004 when he was elected an MLA for the first time.

Ravi Kalhon, who has won from the Delta North seat for the third time, was a hockey player and has represented Canada at several international events, including the 2000 and 2008 Summer Olympics. In 2017, he was made parliament secretary and following his re-election in 2020, he was named Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation.

Ravi Parmar has worked for the government of British Columbia in various capacities. He was Chief of Staff to the Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery, and Innovation. Parmar was a key architect of the Stronger BC Economic Plan, which aimed at supporting small business and recuperating BC’s economy following the COVID-19 pandemic.