Parm Gill

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Parm Gill
Gill in 2020
Minister of Red Tape Reduction
In office
June 24, 2022 – January 26, 2024
PremierDoug Ford
Preceded byNina Tangri (Associate Ministry of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction)
Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism
In office
June 18, 2021 – June 24, 2022
PremierDoug Ford
Preceded byLaura Albanese (2018)
Succeeded byMichael Ford
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament
for Milton
In office
June 7, 2018 – February 16, 2024
Preceded byIndira Naidoo-Harris[1]
Succeeded byto be elected
Member of Parliament
for Brampton—Springdale
In office
May 2, 2011 – August 4, 2015
Preceded byRuby Dhalla
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Personal details
Born
Paramjit Gill

(1974-05-17) May 17, 1974 (age 49)
Moga district, Punjab, India[2]
Political partyConservative Party of Canada (federal)
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (provincial)
ProfessionEntrepreneur

Parm Gill (born May 17, 1974) is a Canadian politician. He had represented the riding of Milton in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario between 2018 and 2024.

As a member of the Conservative Party, he represented the riding of Brampton—Springdale in Ontario in the House of Commons of Canada from 2011 to 2015, holding roles as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and the Minister of International Trade from 2013 until his defeat in the 2015 federal election.

He was elected to the provincial legislature, representing Milton for the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, in the 2018 provincial election. In 2021, he was elevated to the Cabinet as the Minister for Citizenship and Multiculturalism, and became the Minister of Red Tape Reduction in 2022. In January 2024, he announced his departure from provincial politics to run for the Conservatives in the 45th Canadian federal election.[3][4]

Early life[edit]

Gill was born on May 17, 1974, in Moga, Punjab in India.[5]

He moved to Canada at a young age.[citation needed] Before politics, he was an entrepreneur and business executive.[5] He worked on his family's businesses, which include a furniture manufacturing factory and some restaurants that he operated with his older brother.[6]

Political career[edit]

According to Gill, he had become involved in federal politics because the thought of Canada legalizing same-sex marriage "pushed him over the edge."[7] In the 2006 federal election, Gill ran in York West, and lost to Liberal MP Judy Sgro by over 15000 votes.[8] In the 2008 federal election, Gill ran in Brampton—Springdale against incumbent Ruby Dhalla, but was narrowly defeated by 773 votes.[6] The election campaign between the two were heated, and during an all-candidates' debate, Dhalla brought up how Gill's brother had been charged with vandalizing her campaign signs in 2006, even though the charges were dropped, and Gill attacked Dhalla for failing to do enough for a boy beaten by police in India after stealing her aide's purse.[9]

He was elected as a Conservative Party of Canada Member of Parliament representing Brampton Springdale in the 2011 election, defeating Dhalla.[6]

After witnessing increased gang activity in his riding, Gill toured Western Canadian cities in December 2011 to speak with police and community organizations to see how this could be stopped.[10] In May 2012, Gill introduced a private members bill, C-394, which made it a crime to target someone for recruitment into a gang.[10][11] It was eventually passed into law in June 2014.[12][13]

In September 2013, Gill was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs.[5] During Rob Ford's drug scandal, Gill was one of the few federal politicians to offer support for the embattled mayor, calling him a "great mayor" who was "doing a wonderful job" in November 2013, and claimed that Torontonians were happy with his record.[14]

In January 2015, Gill was appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to the role of a Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade.[15] In May 2015, Gill wrote letters of support to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for two of his constituents' competing applications for a community radio station in Brampton. The Conflict of Interest Act bars parliamentary secretaries from writing such letters to the CRTC and other administrative tribunals, and in October 2013, ethics commissioner Mary Dawson had issued a directive to that effect.[16] The Ethics Commissioner ruled in February 2016 that although he had acted in good faith, Gill had violated the Conflict of Interest Act.[17][18]

2015 election[edit]

Redistribution of federal ridings took place and concluded shortly before the 2015 federal election. Gill's riding, Brampton-Springdale, was eliminated,[19] and he ran in the new riding of Brampton North.[20]

In August 2015, the Huffington Post reported that a supporter of Gill's who previously bundled donations to Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis, had switched his allegiance and had induced Liberal supporters into donating to Gill without their consent. In October 2015, a week and a half before voting day, it was reported that the commissioner of Elections Canada launched an investigation into these claims.[21][22]

During the election, Gill criticized the provincial Ontario Liberal Party and Premier Kathleen Wynne's proposed updates to the sexual education curriculum, which had not been changed since 1998. The changes included teaching that homosexuality was acceptable in Grade 3, teaching about puberty in Grade 4 as opposed to Grade 5, and teaching about masturbation and gender expression in Grade 6.[23] Gill described the changes as "graphic and explicit" in a taxpayer-funded mailout which conflated the provincial party's education policies with those of separate federal Liberal party, which has no constitutional jurisdiction in the field. In the mailout, Gill also said that it was part of a Liberal attack on family values and parent's right to control the education of their children.[24] In a 2015 video with the Punjabi Post, Gill described some segments of the new education curriculum as "disgusting."[7]

Gill lost to Liberal candidate Ruby Sahota.[20]

Provincial politics[edit]

On October 29, 2016, Gill announced that he would seek the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario nomination in Milton for the 42nd Ontario general election.[25] On June 18, 2017, he won the nomination.[26] In June 2017, then Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown said that Gill's position on gay rights had shifted, and he was now "100 per cent" in favour of gay rights.[7]

On June 7, 2018 Gill won the Ontario general election in the riding of Milton as a member of the Progressive Conservatives.[27] In 2021, he was appointed the Ontario Minister for Citizenship and Multiculturalism from 2021 to 2022, when he became the Minister of Red Tape Reduction.[28]

45th Canadian Federal Election[edit]

On January 25, 2024, Gill announced that he would be resigning as a Minister and MPP to run in the 45th Canadian federal election in Milton.[28] He was acclaimed as the Conservative candidate despite an allegations that he mislead a prospective candidate about his residency.[29] Gill officially resigned as MPP on February 16, 2024.[30] The provincial by-election to replace him is scheduled for May 2, 2024.[31]

Personal life[edit]

Gill lives in Milton with his wife Amarpal, with whom he has two sons, Daman and Raman, and a daughter, Parmeet.[32][failed verification]

Electoral record[edit]

2022 Ontario general election: Milton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Parm Gill 16,766 43.07 +1.40
Liberal Sameera Ali 15,086 38.75 +8.92
New Democratic Katherine Cirlincione 3,777 9.70 −12.54
Green Oriana Knox 1,612 4.14 −0.88
New Blue John Spina 1,579 4.06  
Consensus Ontario Masood Khan 107 0.27  
Total valid votes 38,927 99.41
Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots 231 0.59 -0.32
Turnout 39,158 42.70 -13.40
Eligible voters 91,696
Progressive Conservative hold Swing −3.76
Source(s)
  • "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2022. Archived from the original on May 18, 2023.
  • "Statistical Summary by Electoral District" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2022. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023.
2018 Ontario general election: Milton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Parm Gill 18,249 41.67 +4.12
Liberal Indira Naidoo-Harris 13,064 29.83 -13.26
New Democratic Brendan Smyth 9,740 22.24 +7.83
Green Eleanor Hayward 2,200 5.02 +1.44
Libertarian Benjamin Cunningham 366 0.84
Social Reform Enam Ahmed 170 0.39
Total valid votes 43,789 99.09
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 403 0.91
Turnout 44,192 56.11
Eligible voters 78,764
Progressive Conservative notional gain from Liberal Swing +8.69
Source: Elections Ontario[33]
2015 Canadian federal election: Brampton North
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Liberal Ruby Sahota 23,297 48.37 +20.21 $136,386.70
Conservative Parm Gill 15,888 32.99 -15.88 $194,312.26
New Democratic Martin Singh 7,946 16.50 -2.34 $78,854.84
Green Pauline Thornham 915 1.90 -1.78 $146.44
Communist Harinderpal Hundal 120 0.25 – –
Total valid votes/Expense limit 48,166 100.00   $206,076.29
Total rejected ballots 318 0.66 –
Turnout 48,484 66.13 –
Eligible voters 73,321
Liberal notional gain from Conservative Swing +18.05
Source: Elections Canada[34][35]
2011 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Conservative Parm Gill 24,617 48.3% – –
Liberal Ruby Dhalla 14,231 27.9% – –
New Democratic Manjit Grewal 9,963 19.6% – –
Green Mark Hoffberg 1,926 3.8% – –
Communist Liz Rowley 219 0.4% – –
Total valid votes 50,956 100.0% –
2008 Canadian federal election: Brampton—Springdale
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Liberal Ruby Dhalla 18,577 41.03 −6.3 $80,011
Conservative Parm Gill 17,804 39.32 +5.5 $86,444
New Democratic Mani Singh 5,238 11.57 −6.1 $21,152
Green Dave Finlay 3,516 7.76 +3.9 $746
Communist Dimitrios Kabitsis 135 0.29 +0.1 $407
Total valid votes/expense limit 45,270 100.0 – $87,594
Total rejected ballots 419 0.92
Turnout 45,689 54.24 −7.0
Electors on the lists 84,239
2006 Canadian federal election: York West
Party Candidate Votes % Expenditures
Liberal Judy Sgro 21,418 63.78 $48,741.93
Conservative Parm Gill 6,244 18.59 $71,005.65
New Democratic Sandra Romano Anthony 4,724 14.07 $8,845.73
Green Nick Capra 1,002 2.98 $1,692.18
Independent Axcel Cocon 192 0.57 $1,801.61
Total valid votes 33,580 100.00
Total rejected ballots 261
Turnout 33,841 57.90
Electors on the lists 58,450

References[edit]

  1. ^ Halton
  2. ^ Chaudhry, Amrita (May 4, 2011). "Moga man Gill trumps Ruby Dhalla". Indian Express. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  3. ^ Aguilar, Bryann (January 25, 2024). "Parm Gill resigns from Ford cabinet, steps down as Milton MPP to run for federal seat". CP24. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  4. ^ "Hansard Transcript 2024-Feb-20 | Legislative Assembly of Ontario". www.ola.org. February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Parm Gill". lop.parl.ca. Library of Parliament. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c Grewal, San (May 3, 2011). "Conservative Parm Gill defeats Ruby Dhalla in Brampton-Springdale". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  7. ^ a b c Ferguson, Rob (June 19, 2017). "Ontario PC Leader Patrick Brown says newest candidate Parm Gill now supports gay rights, despite past comments". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  8. ^ "York West". CBC.ca. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  9. ^ Boyle, Theresa (October 15, 2008). "Bitter battle between Dhalla and Gill". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  10. ^ a b McKnight, Zoe (May 4, 2012). "Ontario MP's gang recruitment bill finding support". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  11. ^ Kaplan, Ben (May 5, 2012). "Erasing signs of gang life". National Post. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  12. ^ "Bills that became law so far in this session of Parliament". CBC News. June 19, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  13. ^ "LEGISinfo - Private Member's Bill C-394 (41-2)". www.parl.ca. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  14. ^ Goodman, Lee-Anne (November 1, 2013). "Conservative MP Parm Gill: Rob Ford a 'great mayor'". CTV News. The Canadian Press. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  15. ^ "Parm Gill Is Now Parliamentary Secretary To The Minister Of International Trade | Indo-Canadian Voice". www.voiceonline.com. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  16. ^ Bronskill, Jim (October 8, 2015). "Tory candidate subject of ethics probe after lobbying CRTC for radio licences". CBC News. The Canadian Press. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  17. ^ Bronskill, Jim (August 25, 2016). "Ethics commissioner says Liberal MP's CRTC letter was improper". iPolitics. The Canadian Press. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  18. ^ Dawson, Mary (February 24, 2016). "The Gill Report" (PDF). Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  19. ^ "Proposed Boundaries – Ontario - Redistribution Federal Electoral Districts". www.redecoupage-federal-redistribution.ca. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  20. ^ a b Grewal, San (October 20, 2015). "Liberal Ruby Sahota wins in Brampton North". Toronto Star. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  21. ^ Raj, Althia (August 26, 2015). "Parm Gill Tory Donation Shows Up On Liberal Supporter's Credit Card". HuffPost Canada. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  22. ^ Raj, Althia (October 8, 2015). "Parm Gill, Conservative Candidate, Investigated By Elections Commissioner". The Huffington Post Canada. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  23. ^ Ross, Selena (September 9, 2015). "Ontario's new sex-ed curriculum threatens to become federal election issue". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  24. ^ Maloney, Ryan (April 15, 2015). "Parm Gill's Mailout On Ontario Sex Ed Curriculum Links Policy To Federal Liberals". HuffPost Canada. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  25. ^ "Parm Gill, MPP on Facebook". Facebook. Archived from the original on April 30, 2022.[user-generated source]
  26. ^ "Gill wins provincial PC nomination in Milton". Inside Halton. June 19, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  27. ^ Peesker, Saira (June 8, 2018). "PC Parm Gill takes Milton in decisive victory". InsideHalton.com. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  28. ^ a b "Ontario PCs' Parm Gill resigns from cabinet to run for Poilievre's Conservatives". CBC News. January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  29. ^ MacCharles, Tonda (February 13, 2024). "Conservative riding association protests 'unfair and undemocratic' decision to parachute former Doug Ford minister into federal riding". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  30. ^ "Hansard Transcript 2024-Feb-20 | Legislative Assembly of Ontario". www.ola.org. February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  31. ^ "Ontario Newsroom". news.ontario.ca. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  32. ^ "PARM GILL". Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  33. ^ "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. p. 6. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  34. ^ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Brampton North, 30 September 2015
  35. ^ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates

External links[edit]

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