 "Who is Ruby Dhalla, Indian-origin leader in race to be Canada’s PM?")
An Indian-origin leader in Canada is vying to be prime minister.
Liberal Party candidate Ruby Dhalla has joined the race to replace Justin Trudeau as Canada’s prime minister.
Dhalla, a former MP, would also be Canada’s first woman of colour prime minister if she succeeds.
Canada’s Liberal Party is set to choose its leader on March 9.
But who is Dhalla? What do we know about her?
Let’s take a closer look:
Who is she?
As per Mint, Dhalla was born in Winnipeg’s Manitoba.
Her parents are immigrants from Punjab.
Dhalla told NDTV, “My mother came to Canada in 1972 and I have the opportunity to, through her wishes, through a lot of hard work, drive and determination, but also because of the great country that Canada is, to fulfill a Canadian dream.”
Dhalla has been part of the Liberal Party since she was a teenager.
As per The Times of India, she gained fame after writing a letter at age 10 to then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Indira, who talked about Dhalla’s letter during a press conference, personally wrote back to the young girl.
As per Mint, Dhalla had a role in the Bollywood-inspired film Kyon? Kis Liye?
She was also runner-up in the 1993 Miss India-Canada pageant.
Dhalla later shifted to Ontario where she worked as a chiropractor.
She previously served as Member of Parliament (MP) for the now-defunct constituency of Brampton-Springdale from 2004 to 2011.
Dhalla was the first Indian-origin woman to be elected to Canada’s Parliament for three straight terms.
Dhalla is CEO of the Dhalla Group, which is in the “healthcare, real estate, and hospitality” industries.
She describes herself as a ‘self-made businesswoman.’
‘Will deport illegal immigrants’
Dhalla is running on an anti-illegal immigration platform.
Dhalla wrote on X, “As Prime Minister, I will deport illegal immigrants and clamp down on human traffickers. That’s my promise to you.”
As per Mint, her opponents include ex-Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor Mark Carney, and Chrystia Freeland, former minister of finance and deputy prime minister, and Chandra Arya.
Dhalla has also said Canada faces major issues including the cost of housing, crime rates, food prices, and the threat of tariffs from the US.
“Given the tariff threats that Canada is facing, it will have a big impact on Canadian workers and on the Canadian economy”, Dhalla told NDTV.
She added that India and Canada, given the huge diaspora there, ought to strengthen the relationship.
“Workers and business people in Canada should also get an opportunity to work with other countries,” she told the outlet.
Her political slogan is ‘Canada’s comeback starts now.’
She also posted on X, “Thank you so much, thank you to God, I am so grateful to all of you. We are on the verge of creating history by electing the first woman of color as the leader of the Liberal Party and the next prime minister of Canada.”
“Phase 1 is over, we go on to phase 2 and engage with liberals all across the country, who have signed up as members of our party. I’m incredibly excited to be officially accepted as a candidate by the Liberal Party. My candidacy will engage an entirely new demographic of people into our party and into the Canadian political system,” she added.
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