Ruby Sahota Reflecting on Three Years as her Member of Parliament
The Voice of Canada News:
I can still remember Monday, October 19th, 2015 like it was yesterday. The weekend had been shockingly cold, but that day it was just warm enough that you could walk to the voting station without a coat. It was a welcome end to a long and hard-fought campaign.
The 2015 federal campaign, as many of you will remember, was one of the longest in Canada’s history, more than double the length of most that had come before it. But I was lucky enough to have a team that was up to the challenge. This was one of the most important lessons I have learned as a politician; a good support network can help you get through anything.
I have had an interest in politics since I was very young. I was lucky enough to be born into a family that was very politically engaged: my father was elected mayor of his hometown in India at the age of 18, one of the youngest ever to hold the position. Discussions about the news and what our representatives were doing were served next to the daal and roti at our dinner table. When I made the decision to seek the Liberal nomination in Brampton North, my family were among the first to give me their support. They were with me on the night of October 19th, when all of our hard work paid off.
The first few months after being elected were a whirlwind. Your life changes dramatically when you are elected; you are suddenly responsible for two offices and staff, not to mention the most important responsibility of engaging with and advocating for over 100,000 constituents.
The work is, and continues to be, unlike anything I have ever done before. It can be a hard life; I spend a lot of nights away from my family and young son. But it has also been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help the city I grew up in and the country I call home.
Just last week, my colleagues and I on the Standing Committee of Procedure and House Affairs finished studying C-76, the bill that will undo damage done by the Harper Government’s Unfair Elections Act. Bill C-76 did a great job strengthening Canada’s democratic institutions, including making the electoral process more accessible and restoring voting rights. Our committee’s study has only made the bill stronger, with additional rules and prohibitions that will help to curtail foreign influence in our elections.
With Brampton being one of the youngest and fastest-growing cities in the country, I have also been working with my colleagues to pass measures that help the middle class and those working hard to join it. One of the very first things our Government did when we were elected was cut taxes for the middle class. Combined with our Canada Child Benefit, a typical middle class family of four will be $2,000 better off by this time next year.
We have taken great strides to encourage bold ideas and turn Canada into a world-leading innovation economy. Innovation Canada is constantly finding new ways to connect entrepreneurs to the advice and funding they need to grow. The Innovation Superclusters Initiative is encouraging regions from coast to coast to coast to transform their local economies into industry leading hubs of cutting-edge research and technology. Small and Medium Businesses are being encouraged to solve some of the most important problems facing the public and private sectors through the Innovative Solutions Canada program. To further support this innovation, our government has lowered the small business tax rate to 9% starting next year – making this the lowest small business tax rate among the G7 countries.
These are just a few of the initiatives our Government has undertaken that I am proud to have worked on. Every step our Government has taken over the past three years has been towards a better future for all Canadians, including an economy that works for everyone.
Brampton North, I can never thank you enough for choosing me to represent you in the Parliament of Canada. I look forward to continuing with my colleagues to move this vision forward.
