Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria KC MPP is a Canadian lawyer and politician who has been the Ontario minister of transportation since 2023. He has sat as the member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Brampton South since 2018, representing the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party.

Sarkaria was previously the associate minister of red tape reduction from 2019 to 2021 and president of the Treasury Board of Ontario from 2021 to 2023. Sarkaria is the first turban-wearing Sikh to be appointed to cabinet.

Early and personal life

Sarkaria was born in Orangeville, Ontario.[1] Sarkaria’s parents immigrated from Punjab, India in the 1980s. His father drove a taxi and mother worked in a factory until they later became small business owners, after purchasing an inn outside of Orangeville.[2]

Sarkaria attended Wilfrid Laurier University, where he completed a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, majoring in finance. He worked in at TD Securities, before attending law school at the University of Windsor.[3] He worked at Miller Thomson as an associate corporate lawyer until his election.[4][5]

Political positions

Sarkaria was nominated to be the PC Party candidate for Brampton South on December 8, 2016.[6]Sarkaria is the first turban-wearing Sikh to be appointed to cabinet.[7]

Prior to his appointment as a minister, Sarkaria was the chair of the Select Committee on Financial Transparency and also served on the Standing Committee on Justice Policy. He also previously served as the parliamentary assistant to the solicitor general (formerly known as the minister of community safety and correctional services).[8]

He stepped down as the parliamentary assistant to the solicitor general on June 20, 2019 when he was appointed to the Executive Council of Ontario as the associate minister of small business and red tape reduction.

Electoral results

2025 Ontario general election: Brampton South
** Preliminary results — Not yet official **
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Progressive Conservative Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria 15,371 52.9 +7.5
Liberal Bhavik Parikh 9,324 32.1 +4.3
New Democratic Rajni Sharma 2,410 8.3 –10.8
New Blue Johnny Nolan 1,039 3.6 +0.2
Green Rajinder Boyal 911 3.1 –0.5
Total valid votes/expense limit
Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots
Turnout 35.8 ±0.0
Eligible voters 81,099
Progressive Conservative hold Swing +1.6
Source: Elections Ontario[9]
2022 Ontario general election: Brampton South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Prabmeet Sarkaria 12,980 45.38 +4.37
Liberal Marilyn Raphael 7,957 27.82 +8.92
New Democratic Andria Barrett 5,475 19.14 −14.70
Green Ines Espinoza 1,028 3.59 −0.26
New Blue Mike Mol 974 3.41  
None of the Above Mehdi Pakzad 188 0.66  
Total valid votes 28,602 100.0  
Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots 112
Turnout 28,714 35.81
Eligible voters 79,835
Progressive Conservative hold Swing −2.28
Source(s)
2018 Ontario general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Prabmeet Sarkaria 15,652 41.01%
New Democratic Paramjit Gill 12,919 33.85%
Liberal Sukhwant Thethi 7,212 18.89%
Green Lindsay Falt 1,472 3.86%
Libertarian Brian Watson 363 0.95%
Trillium John Grant 337 0.88%
Freedom Ted Harlson 214 0.56%
Total valid votes 100.0  
Source: Elections Ontario[10]
Progressive Conservative pickup new district.


Cabinet posts

Ontario provincial government of Doug Ford
Cabinet posts (2)
Predecessor Office Successor
Peter Bethlenfalvy President of the Treasury Board of Ontario
June 19, 2021–Present 		Incumbent
Position established Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction
June 20, 2019 – June 18, 2021 		Nina Tangri

References

  1. ^ Guardian, Iain Colpitts Brampton (May 7, 2018). "Ontario PC candidate Brampton South riding Prabmeet Singh Sakaria". Brampton Guardian. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  2. ^ ""Newborns and politicians-in-crisis keep similar hours": Small business minister Prabmeet Sarkaria on becoming a new dad while trying to save the economy". Toronto Life. June 18, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  3. ^ "Meet Prabmeet Sarkaria, MPP | Brampton South". Prabmeet Sarkaria, MPP. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  4. ^ "Prabmeet Sarkaria". LinkedIn.
  5. ^ "Exclusive Interview With Hon. Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria - CanadianSME Small Business Magazine". canadiansme.ca. February 21, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  6. ^ "Lawyer Prabmeet Sarkaria candidate for Ontario PC Party in Brampton South". Brampton Guardian. December 8, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  7. ^ Service, Tribune News. "Canada's Ontario gets first turban-wearing Sikh minister". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  8. ^ "Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria | Legislative Assembly of Ontario". June 7, 2018.
  9. ^ "Brampton South Unofficial Election Results". Elections Ontario. February 28, 2025. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  10. ^ "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 28, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prabmeet_Sarkaria
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