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Who is Navjit Kaur Brar, first turban-wearing Sikh woman elected councillor in Canada’s Brampton?
Born and raised in Brampton, Brar served as a frontline health worker during the pandemic and has little political experience. During the campaign, she vowed to build new infrastructure, reduce crime, and improve road safety

History has been made in Canada’s Brampton with Navjit Kaur Brar becoming the first turban-wearing Sikh woman to be elected city councillor.Brar, an Indo-Canadian healthcare worker and respiratory therapist, was elected Brampton City Councillor on Monday.Let’s take a closer look at Brar:Brar’s parents moved to Canada from Punjab in the 1980s.Brar was born on 20 May, 1986, in the city of Brampton. where she grew up, as per DNA.She got her BSc from the University of Toronto and then further achieved her RT diploma from Canadore College in Ontario’s North Bay.She began her medical career in 2011 as a respiratory therapist at Lincare Inc. in Ontario’s Richmond Hill. She later joined the William Osler Health System in 2013 when she began working at Brampton Civic Hospital.
She is mother to three children including a boy and two girls, as per the report.Brar served as a frontline worker during the pandemic, according to SheThePeople.Her political careerBrar has little political experience.Her campaign saw her knock on over 40,000 doors and spoke to over 22,500 residents in the last two months.Brar focused on three areas during her pitch to voters — building new infrastructure, reducing crime, and improving road safety."Over the past 3 years, I've spoken to countless Bramptonians and the sentiment I hear is that they are all hurting, they feel unheard, they feel left behind. With the rising cost of living It's getting harder to raise and provide for your family in Brampton... As your city councilor I will fight for better services for all Bramptonians and ensure that your voices are heard," Brar said in her campaign pitch, as per MSN.
Brar won the race in Wards 2 and 6, which had no incumbent.The mother of three beat Jermaine Chambers, a former Conservative MP candidate for Brampton West, as she secured 28.85 per cent of the votes cast.Chambers, the nearest contender received 22.59 per cent and Carmen Wilson came in third at 15.41 per cent.Brar previously ran as the Ontario NDP candidate in Brampton West and lost to the current Progressive Conservative MPP Amarjot Sandhu.‘Just a respiratory therapist’“I would love to have my children going to university right here in Brampton," Brar told the Brampton Guardian."And then when we talk about health care, we have one hospital for 700,000 people. As a health care worker, I can definitely feel that we need more health care services in Brampton.”“I think a lot of people can relate to me. I’m just a respiratory therapist. I’ve actually worked with a lot of people. I’m a mom of three and a lot of people in Brampton are families,” Brar said.Brar said she planned to work hard to represent all demographics in her ward. “I’m excited. I’m so proud of all Bramptonians who have voted, making sure our voices are being heard more than ever before,” she said.“I am so proud of @Navjitkaurbrar. She was a selfless and dedicated front-line healthcare worker during the pandemic. She has stepped up for public service and I am confident she will be a phenomenal addition to Brampton City Council,” Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, who won a second term in the recent election, tweeted.Elections for municipal government are held every four years on the fourth Monday of October, which fell on 24 October this year.Another Sikh candidate, Gurpartap Singh Toor, knocked off his opponent Gurpreet Dhillon in Wards 9 and 10 by a scant 227 votes.The report said as many as 40 Punjabis were in the fray for Brampton civic elections and only 87,155 of the 354,884 eligible voters turned up to cast ballots — an abysmal voter turnout of approximately 24.56 per cent.The Indo-Canadian community, along with the councillor candidates, had raised concerns over the election date overlapping with Diwali — one of the most-awaited festivals celebrated by the large swathe of Indian diaspora in Canada.“It is very problematic that the elections are taking place on Diwali day, especially the municipal election that has always seen a low voter turnout,” said Gurpratap Singh Toor.With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
First Published:Oct 27, 2022, 16:21:38 IST
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