Herb Dhaliwal
Encyclopedia
Harbance Singh Dhaliwal, PC
(born December 12, 1952) is a Canadian
politician.
Born to a Sikh
family in Punjab, India
, Dhaliwal's family immigrated to Vancouver
when he was six. He attended John Oliver Secondary School, graduating in 1972. After graduating from the University of British Columbia
with a Bachelor of Commerce
degree, he started a maintenance company out of his basement. He's a top level executive of Dynamic Facility Services Ltd.. He became a self-made millionaire with diversified business interests including transportation, maintenance and real estate development.
He was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons
in the 1993 election
as the Liberal
Member of Parliament
(MP) for Vancouver South
.
Prime Minister
Jean Chrétien
recommended Dhaliwal's appointment to Cabinet (the first Indian-Canadian to become a federal cabinet minister) in 1997 as Minister of Revenue
. In 1999, he became Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
, and in 2002 he was appointed Minister of Natural Resources
and Minister with political responsibility for British Columbia
.
Dhaliwal was a firm supporter of Chrétien against Paul Martin
's attempt to force the Liberal leader to retire. As a result, Martin's campaign team targeted Dhaliwal and successfully took over his riding association
. Dhaliwal publicly denounced Martin's campaign team for this, and criticized them for restricting access to Liberal Party membership forms. Recently, allegations have been made by Warren Kinsella
, among others, that Martin's team exploited the fact that Dhaliwal's wife was suffering from cancer, although Dhaliwal was not with his wife, but rather travelling out of the country on the date of his riding's annual general meeting which he lost.
When Chrétien announced his resignation, Dhaliwal briefly considered running in the 2003 Liberal leadership campaign, but decided against it. Several months later, he endorsed Martin for leader and said he would be willing to serve in a Martin cabinet. But on December 3, 2003, he announced that he would not be running for re-election. This was widely seen as an indication that Dhaliwal thought (or had been told) that, like virtually all of Chrétien's supporters, he would not be appointed to Martin's cabinet.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
(born December 12, 1952) is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician.
Born to a Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
family in Punjab, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Dhaliwal's family immigrated to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
when he was six. He attended John Oliver Secondary School, graduating in 1972. After graduating from the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
with a Bachelor of Commerce
Bachelor of Commerce
A Bachelor of Commerce is an undergraduate degree in commerce and related subjects. The degree is also known as the Bachelor of Commerce and Administration, or BCA...
degree, he started a maintenance company out of his basement. He's a top level executive of Dynamic Facility Services Ltd.. He became a self-made millionaire with diversified business interests including transportation, maintenance and real estate development.
He was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
in the 1993 election
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
as the Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Vancouver South
Vancouver South
Vancouver South is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917 to 1997, and since 2004. It covers the southern portion of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia....
.
Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
recommended Dhaliwal's appointment to Cabinet (the first Indian-Canadian to become a federal cabinet minister) in 1997 as Minister of Revenue
Minister of National Revenue (Canada)
The Minister of National Revenue is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for the Canada Revenue Agency and the administration of taxation law and collection....
. In 1999, he became Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (Canada)
The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for supervising the fishing industry and administrating all navigable waterways in the country...
, and in 2002 he was appointed Minister of Natural Resources
Minister of Natural Resources (Canada)
The Minister of Natural Resources is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for Natural Resources Canada. As of January 19, 2010, the Minister of Natural Resources is Joe Oliver.-Ministers:Key:...
and Minister with political responsibility for British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
Dhaliwal was a firm supporter of Chrétien against Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
's attempt to force the Liberal leader to retire. As a result, Martin's campaign team targeted Dhaliwal and successfully took over his riding association
Riding association
In Canadian politics a riding association , officially called an electoral district association is the basic unit of a political party, that is it is the party's organization at the level of the electoral district, or "riding"...
. Dhaliwal publicly denounced Martin's campaign team for this, and criticized them for restricting access to Liberal Party membership forms. Recently, allegations have been made by Warren Kinsella
Warren Kinsella
Warren James Douglas Kinsella , is a Toronto-based Canadian, lawyer, author, musician, political consultant, commentator, and blogger...
, among others, that Martin's team exploited the fact that Dhaliwal's wife was suffering from cancer, although Dhaliwal was not with his wife, but rather travelling out of the country on the date of his riding's annual general meeting which he lost.
When Chrétien announced his resignation, Dhaliwal briefly considered running in the 2003 Liberal leadership campaign, but decided against it. Several months later, he endorsed Martin for leader and said he would be willing to serve in a Martin cabinet. But on December 3, 2003, he announced that he would not be running for re-election. This was widely seen as an indication that Dhaliwal thought (or had been told) that, like virtually all of Chrétien's supporters, he would not be appointed to Martin's cabinet.