Trio of Brampton MPs named to PM’s new cabinet; could turn the city’s fortunes around 

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the MPs he will rely on most to deliver what he promised to Canadians.  

During the oath-taking ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, 28 ministers and 10 secretaries were sworn in as part of Carney’s new cabinet. Ten new “Secretary of State” positions will support the cabinet and “provide dedicated leadership on key issues and priorities within their minister’s portfolio”. 

Brampton was one of the biggest winners. Three of the city’s five Liberal MPs (the Conservatives won one seat) were sworn into key positions including Shafqat Ali (Brampton—Chinguacousy Park) who is the new President of the Treasury Board, and Maninder Sidhu (Brampton East) who is now Minister of International Trade. Ruby Sahota (Brampton North—Caledon) is the Secretary of State in charge of “Combating Crime”.

The positioning of local representatives into such key positions should help Brampton get critically needed fair-share funding from Ottawa. Historically, per-capita dollars for badly needed transportation projects, environmental initiatives, foundational infrastructure investments and housing have not flowed from federal coffers, despite the income taxes Brampton residents pay.

Prior to entering politics Ali was an entrepreneur by profession, first elected in 2021 in the riding of Brampton Centre. As head of Canada’s Treasury Board he is responsible for ensuring the federal government can deliver the projects, services and initiatives that have to be covered by Ottawa’s revenues. Though it is largely an accounting role, Ali will be able to advise his government about how effectively it delivers on its mandate, from a financial perspective.

Maninder Sidhu is the new Minister for International Trade.

(The Pointer files)

Sidhu’s appointment as the Minister for International Trade could potentially benefit Brampton significantly, if for example, he can attract investments in the auto sector, one of the city’s key employers. 

The expansion of advanced manufacturing through foreign direct investment, food distribution, construction, and even technology sectors could also greatly benefit Brampton, if the city can capitalize on any agreements Sidhu is able to secure. 

With its sprawling warehousing, transportation and logistics industries, Brampton would benefit from almost any expansion of trade that would see more goods move through the area on the way to North American markets.

Sahota, a lawyer and lifelong resident of Brampton, knows the challenges crime poses in Canada’s large cities. She can now help shape policy to confront illegal guns arriving from the U.S., the scourge of illicit drugs being transported between the two countries and the role jurisdictions such as Peel have played in this illegal trade due to the large trucking operations located in cities like Brampton and Mississauga because of their proximity to major transportation corridors and hubs. 

Brampton has also suffered from organized crime, with  networks operating in the city involved in drug trafficking and gang activity. Peel has become a major part of the nexus for human trafficking in Canada, largely because of its geographic location near key transportation infrastructure. Sahota also represents a city tied to international crime, with local auto thefts connected to global rings and the drug trade, while illicit drugs flow in and out of the area through its transportation corridors and globally connected criminal networks. 

Sahota will also be responsible for addressing violent crime against women and the increasing rate of calls to police due to mental health crises, which along with domestic violence are overwhelming forces across the country.

She has been vocal about issues including bail reform and action to address illegal firearms coming from the U.S. Sahota previously served as minister of democratic institutions and economic development minister for southern Ontario. 

Ruby Sahota is the new Secretary of State responsible for “combatting crime”.

(The Pointer files)

The trio of Brampton MPs named to key positions will be  joined by a fellow Peel Liberal MP in cabinet; Rechie Valdez, Mississauga-Streetsville, was named Minister of Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism). The creation of the WAGE ministry came after Carney was heavily criticized for not creating the position in his first, briefly formed cabinet prior to the April election. 

To address issues such as the increasing rate of intimate partner violence in Peel, declared an epidemic in both Brampton and Mississauga, Valdez's appointment could mark a major turning point as agencies working on the frontlines to protect women seek investments and upstream solutions to prevent these crimes from happening in the first place. 

She is also well positioned to help fix a badly broken criminal justice system that too often allows violent men out on bail, while repeat offenders are routinely able to escape justice.

The appointment of two Sikh-Canadians to the cabinet, Sahota and Sidhu, signals to India that Carney is committed to the community, which has long been a key source of votes and donations to the Liberals. India continues to assert pressure on Canada for allegedly supporting Sikh indepedence sympathies within the large community across the country, while its government faces evidence in a U.S. indictment of orchestrating the assassination and harassment of Canadian and American Sikhs.

With three Brampton MPs now in cabinet, a range of issues important to the city's residents suddenly have key advocates in the most powerful corridors of this country.  

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