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Bal Gosal

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The Honourable
Baljit Singh Gosal
ਬਲਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਗੋਸਲ
PC
File:BalGosal.jpg
Minister of State for Sport
In office
May 18, 2011 – November 4, 2015
Prime MinisterStephen Harper
Preceded byGary Lunn
Succeeded byCarla Qualtrough
Member of Parliament
for Bramalea—Gore—Malton
In office
May 2, 2011 – October 19, 2015
Preceded byGurbax Singh Malhi
Succeeded byRiding Abolished
Personal details
Born
Baljit Singh Gosal

(1960-05-04) May 4, 1960 (age 64)
ratainda, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district, Punjab, India
Political partyConservative
SpousePawanjit Gosal
ProfessionInsurance broker

Baljit Singh Gosal (Punjabi: ਬਲਜੀਤ ਗੋਸਲ; born May 4, 1960) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 2011 federal election.[1] He represents the electoral district of Bramalea—Gore—Malton as a member of the Conservative Party, and served as Minister of State (Sport) in the cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.[2] Gosal was one of five Visible Minorities serving in the Harper Ministry in Cabinet. He was defeated by Liberal candidate Ramesh Sangha in the 2015 election.

Early life

Born in India, Gosal immigrated to Canada in 1981 settling in Northern British Columbia.[3] Soon after, he moved to Brampton with his wife, Pawanjit.[3] His formal education includes a Bachelor of Science degree from DAV College Jalander/Punjab University India in 1981 and a Stationary Engineer 4th class Certificate. Gosal began working in the financial sector first in 1984 for McDonnell Douglas Canada and later in 1994 for Prudential Insurance, which later became London Life. In 2004 Gosal joined Goodison Insurance and Financial Services and in 2008 he joined Rai Grant insurance brokers where he worked as an Insurance Broker and a Financial Security Advisor.[3]

2011 election

In the 2011 election Gosal defeated long-time Liberal Member of Parliament Gurbax Singh Malhi and future NDP MPP Jagmeet Singh Dhaliwal in a close three-way race.

Parliamentarian

As Minister of State for Sport, Gosal was the Minister responsible for Canada at the 2012 summer Olympics in London and lead the Canadian delegation to the 2014 Sochi winter Olympics. On June 29, 2012, Gosal announced the endorsement of all Canadian provincial ministers responsible for sport of the New Canadian Sport Policy.[4]

According to a social media analysis, Bal Gosal was one of Canada’s most active MPs on Twitter.[5]

Background

An active member of the Brampton community, Gosal had been a member of the Peel Regional Police Services Board, Peel Children’s Aid Society and on the Brampton Board of Trade Marketing Committee.[6] He also has coached and organized amateur soccer and volunteered at the YMCA.[3] Gosal served as the Treasurer and founding member of the Ontario Federation of Sports and Cultural Organization, and as the Director, past Secretary, and Treasurer of the Ontario Khalsa Darbar Sports and Cultural Centre.[3] He and his wife have three children.[7]

Controversy

During the 2015 federal election, three volunteers from Bal Gosal's campaign team were caught on video, destroying campaign signs for opposition candidates, prompting Liberal candidate Ramesh Sangha to file a complaint with Peel Regional Police and Elections Canada.[8] In a written statement, the Gosal campaign stated that it admonished the actions of the videotaped volunteers and had dismissed them from the campaign.[9]

Electoral record

Brampton Centre

2015 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes %
Liberal Ramesh Sangha 19,277 48.8%
Conservative Bal Gosal 13,345 33.8%
New Democratic Rosemary Keenan 5,893 14.9%
Green Saul Marquard T. Bottcher 844 2.1%
Marxist–Leninist Frank Chilelli 173 0.4%
Turnout 39,532 61.16%

Bramalea—Gore—Malton

2011 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Conservative Bal Gosal 19,907 34.44% -2.68% –
New Democratic Jagmeet Singh Dhaliwal 19,368 33.51% +24.49% –
Liberal Gurbax Singh Malhi 16,402 29.40% -15.65% –
Green John Moulton 1,748 3.02% -2.14% –
Marxist–Leninist Frank Chilelli 371 0.64% +0.02%
Total valid votes 57,796 100.00% –
Total rejected ballots – – –
Turnout – – – –

Source: Elections Canada

Brampton West

2006 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Colleen Beaumier 27,988 49.1 +4.7
Conservative Bal Gosal 20,345 35.7 -4.3
New Democratic Jagtar Singh Shergill 6,310 11.1 +0.6
Green Jaipaul Massey-Singh 2,340 4.1 +0.7
Total valid votes 56,983 100.0

References

  1. ^ Election 2011: Bramalea—Gore—Malton. The Globe and Mail, May 2, 2011.
  2. ^ The Ministry - Prime Minister of Canada Archived 2008-10-02 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ a b c d e About- Bal Gosal http://www.balgosal.com/?page_id=2
  4. ^ https://twitter.com/BalGosal/status/218071702695985152
  5. ^ http://www.ipolitics.ca/2014/01/07/mps-tweet-big-but-fall-short-on-social/
  6. ^ The Canadian Ministry http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/bio.asp?id=98
  7. ^ http://www.pch.gc.ca/eng/1307462014191/1307464332128
  8. ^ Fraser, Laura (16 October 2015). "Brampton Liberals file police complaint alleging Conservatives broke signs". CBC News. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  9. ^ Belgrave, Roger (16 October 2015). "VIDEO: Conservative volunteers booted after election signs toppled". Brampton Guardian. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
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