Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
, Canada. He was a member of the
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (french: Assemblée législative du Manitoba) is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at provincial gener ...
from 2003 to 2016, representing the
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* t ...
.
Early life and career
Jha was born in
Deoghar
Deoghar (pronounced ''Devaghar'') is a major city in Jharkhand, India. It is a holy sacred place of Hinduism. It is one of the 12 ''Jyotirlinga''s sites of Hinduism (Baidyanath Temple). The sacred temples of the city make this a place for pil ...
,
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...
, now a part of the
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n state of
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . It ...
. He has a degree in
mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...
from BIT Sindri, and has taken postgraduate training in
industrial engineering
Industrial engineering is an engineering profession that is concerned with the optimization of complex process (engineering), processes, systems, or organizations by developing, improving and implementing integrated systems of people, money, kno ...
and
management
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
.Directory of Achievers: Mr. Bidhu Jha Bihar and Jharkhand.com, accessed September 4, 2007. He moved to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
in 1969 and founded Optimum Ergonomics Ltd. in 1978, specializing in office and computer furnishings. He later founded the Optimum Technology Corporation, specializing in international trade and business development.
Jha authored the screenplay for a full-length feature film entitled '' Namumkin'' (1988), telling the story of an
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
n family exiled from
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada Oumee (, ; 16 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. He ruled as a military dictator and is considered one of the most brutal despots in modern w ...
's
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
. He later served as president of Winnipeg's Indian Association, and led a flag-raising ceremony in 1997 to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of India's independence. In 2001, he organized a dinner for
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
Ujjal Dosanjh
Ujjal Dev Dosanjh ( pa, ਉੱਜਲ ਦੇਵ ਦੁਸਾਂਝ) (), (born September 9, 1947) 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 ...
to mark his selection as Canada's first provincial leader of South Asian background.
Jha served on the board of Manitoba Telephone System in 1986-87, and has also served on the boards of the
Canadian Cancer Society
The Canadian Cancer Society (french: Société canadienne du cancer) is Canada's largest national cancer charity and the largest national charitable funder of cancer research in Canada.
History
The idea to form the Canadian Cancer Society origin ...
and Deer Lodge Foundation. In 2002, he received a
Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal
The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'or de la Reine Elizabeth II) or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...
and an Asia Pacific Award of Entrepreneurship from the
Asper School of Business
The Asper School of Business is located on the University of Manitoba, Fort Garry Campus in South Winnipeg, Manitoba. The school began in 1937 as the University of Manitoba Faculty of Management. The school was renamed in 2000 in honour of Izzy ...
at the
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.
John Loewen
John Loewen (; born December 21, 1949) is a businessman and politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1999 to 2005 as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party, and campaigned for the House of ...
in the south Winnipeg division of
Fort Whyte
Fort Whyte is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was created in 1999, after the provincial electoral boundaries commission determined that southwestern Winnipeg had experienced enough population growth to ...
. The New Democratic Party won a majority government across the province. After the election, Jha was appointed to the Board of the Manitoba Crown Corporations Council. He later chaired a Taxi-Cab Safety Working Group, which was convened after five Winnipeg drivers were murdered over the course of ten years. He issued a report calling for the installation of safety shields, cameras and recording devices; safety shields were made mandatory in 2002.
Jha was elected for the northeast Winnipeg division of Radisson in the 2003 general election, as the NDP won a second consecutive majority government across the province. On November 4, 2003, he was appointed Legislative Assistant to the Minister of Energy, Science and Technology. The following year, he was named as Legislative Assistant to the
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
. He played an active role in securing repairs for the Prendergast Community Centre, and accompanied Premier
Gary Doer
Gary Albert Doer (born 31 March 1948) is a former Canadian politician and diplomat from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He served as Canada's ambassador to the United States from 19 October 2009, to 3 March 2016. Doer previously served as the 20th p ...
on a trade mission to India in 2006.
Jha broke ranks with his government in 2005 to oppose the construction of a large hog-processing facility in the Radisson division. Many of his constituents were against the project, and Jha argued that the facility should be built outside of the city. In response to criticism, Premier Doer announced in 2007 that the plant would not be constructed.
Some believed that Jha's seat would be vulnerable in the 2007 provincial election, but he was re-elected by an increased margin."Riding to victory 12 key areas to watch this election", ''Winnipeg Free Press'', 21 April 2007, A6; Mia Rabson, "Battle is fierce for NDP 'safe seat'", ''Winnipeg Free Press'', 20 May 2007, A9.
Jha has won the seat for the third time in a row in 2011
Electoral record
All electoral information is taken from
Elections Manitoba
Elections Manitoba (french: Élections Manitoba) is the non-partisan agency of the Government of Manitoba responsible for the conduct and regulation of provincial elections in Manitoba.
Its responsibilities are to operate free of political influe ...
. Expenditure entries refer to individual candidate expenses.