Raminder Singh Gill (born 1950 or 1951) is an Indian-born Canadian politician in
Ontario. He was a member of the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...
from 1999 to 2003, and has unsuccessfully sought election to the
House of Commons of Canada
The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The House of Common ...
on three occasions. He served as a citizenship judge from 2006 to 2011.
Background
Gill was born to a
Sikh
Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...
family in
Punjab, India.
He was educated at the
Parkdale Collegiate Institute and later attended the
University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering where he graduated with a
Master's Degree in Engineering.
He works as a chemical engineer in private life, and has invented environmentally friendly products such as "The Alternative Bleach", offered by the
President's Choice
President's Choice ( French: Le choix du Président) or PC are a line of grocery products or services offered by a Canada based company, Loblaw Companies Ltd. The various products are available at the companies retail locations.
History
Pr ...
company. He started a private firm called Genpro Canada Ltd in 1990. Gill has been a director of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers of Canada, and is a member of the
Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario
Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO; known until 1993 as the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario, APEO) is the self-regulatory body that governs Ontario's 85,000 professional engineers, and sets standards for and regulates engineering ...
. He was also a founding member of the Malton Cougars Soccer Club.
Politics
Gill tried several times to enter politics but was unsuccessful. In 1982, he ran for a seat on Peel District School Board, but lost. In 1993 he sought the federal Liberal nomination for
Bramalea—Gore—Malton—Springdale, but lost to
Gurbax Malhi
Gurbax Singh Malhi () (born 12 October 1949) is an Indian-born Canadians, Canadian politician. A Liberal Party of Canada, Liberal, he was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Bramalea—Gore—Malton in 1993 Canadian federal electio ...
. He ran in the
1997 federal election, as a
Progressive Conservative in the riding of
Mississauga West. He finished third, well behind
Liberal Steve Mahoney.
Provincial politics
In the
1999 provincial election, Gill ran for the
Ontario Progressive Conservatives in the riding of
Bramalea--Gore--Malton--Springdale, which has a large Indian-Canadian community. The riding is located in the "905 region", which at the time was a primary base of support for the Ontario Tories. Gill was elected, defeating
Liberal Dave Toor by about 4,000 votes.
During his time in government he served as
Parliamentary assistant to several ministers including the
Minister of Labour and to the
Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities.
The Liberal Party made strong gains in the 905 area in the
2003 provincial election, and Gill lost his seat to Liberal candidate
Kuldip Kular
Kuldip Singh Kular (born December 12, 1948) is an Indian-born Canadian politician and former Member of Provincial Parliament in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2003 to 2011 representing the rid ...
by almost 4,000 votes, following a bitter and divisive campaign.
Federal politics
In the
Canadian general election of 2004, Gill ran as a candidate of the
Conservative Party in the redistributed riding of
Bramalea--Gore--Malton. Although this seat was actively targeted by the Conservatives, Gill lost to incumbent Liberal
Gurbax Singh Malhi
Gurbax Singh Malhi () (born 12 October 1949) is an Indian-born Canadian politician. A Liberal, he was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Bramalea—Gore—Malton in 1993, and served as its representative in the House of Commons fo ...
by 7,800 votes.
In also ran in the
2006 federal election in the riding of
Mississauga—Streetsville, against Liberal incumbent
Wajid Khan. He lost that contest as well, losing by about 5,800 votes to Khan.
Citizenship judge
In the fall of 2006 Gill was appointed as a Federal citizenship judge. Some considered the move as a patronage appointment. Gill was thought to have been "fasttracked" into the post, bypassing the usual screening process. In 2009, he was reappointed to this position,
but he was not reappointed in 2012.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gill, Raminder
Living people
1950s births
Canadian chemical engineers
Canadian Sikhs
Conservative Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons
Candidates in the 1997 Canadian federal election
Indian emigrants to Canada
Politicians from Brampton
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs
Canadian politicians of Punjabi descent
Punjabi people
University of Toronto alumni
Canadian politicians of Indian descent
Canadian citizenship judges