Raminder Singh Gill (born 1950 or 1951) is an Indian-born Canadian politician in
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
. He was a member of the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2003, and has unsuccessfully sought election to the
House of Commons of Canada on three occasions. He served as a citizenship judge from 2006 to 2011.
Background
Gill was born to a
Sikh family in
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
, India.
He was educated at the
Parkdale Collegiate Institute
Founded in 1888, Parkdale Collegiate Institute is a public high school located on Jameson Avenue in Parkdale, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the heart of what is considered ' Little Tibet', which is the home of the largest concentratio ...
and later attended the
where he graduated with a
Master's Degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. 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 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. 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. He ran in the
1997 federal election, as a
Progressive Conservative in the riding of
Mississauga West
Mississauga West was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 2003. It was located in the city of Mississauga in the province of Ontario. This riding was created in 1987 from Mississauga North rid ...
. He finished third, well behind
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
Steve Mahoney
Steven W. Mahoney, (born July 18, 1947) is a Canadian politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 1995, and a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2004. In the latter capacity, he served as ...
.
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
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
Dave Toor by about 4,000 votes.
During his time in government he served as
Parliamentary assistant
In UK politics, a parliamentary assistant is an unelected partisan member of staff employed by a Member of Parliament (MP) to assist them with their parliamentary duties. Parliamentary assistants usually work at the House of Commons in the ...
to several ministers including the
Minister of Labour Minister of Labour (in British English) or Labor (in American English) is typically a cabinet-level position with portfolio responsibility for setting national labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, traini ...
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 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 by 7,800 votes.
In also ran in the
2006 federal election in the riding of
Mississauga—Streetsville
Mississauga—Streetsville is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. This riding is centred on the villages of Streetsville and Meadowvale.
Mississauga—Stre ...
, 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