Gagan Sikand
{{Short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Gagan Sikand
| honorific-suffix =
| image =
| imagesize =
| riding = Mississauga—Streetsville
| parliament = Canadian
| term_start = October 19, 2015
| term_end = September 19, 2021
| predecessor = Brad Butt
| successor = Rechie Valdez
| party = Liberal
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1984|11|21}}
| birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| profession = Lawyer, businessman, politician
| alma_mater = University of Toronto
Brunel Law School
| residence = Mississauga, Ontario
| spouse =
| children =
}}
Gagan Sikand is a Canadian politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for the Greater Toronto Area riding of Mississauga—Streetsville from 2015 to 2021. He served as a member of the Liberal Party.
Background
Sikand attended the University of Toronto. He completed an Honours B.A. with a double major in crime and deviance and philosophy with a minor in anthropology. He obtained an LLB Law degree from Brunel Law School in London, England.{{cite magazine |title=New Members of Council |journal=Milestones |publisher=College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario |date=March 2014 |page=10 |url=http://www.cdho.org/milestones/Milestones_Mar14.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924061542/http://www.cdho.org/milestones/Milestones_Mar14.pdf |archive-date=September 24, 2015}} He worked for the provincial office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs.{{cite news |title=Riding returns to red roots after blue run |last=Forani |first=Jonathan |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=October 20, 2015 |page=GT2}} Born in Toronto, he has lived in Mississauga for over 30 years and in the riding of Mississauga-Streetsville for 29 years.
Politics
In the 2015 federal election, Sikand ran as the Liberal candidate in the riding of Mississauga—Streetsville. He defeated Conservative incumbent Brad Butt by 4,171 votes.{{cite news |title=Canada Votes |newspaper=The Toronto Star |date=October 20, 2015 |pages=GT13–GT15}}{{cite web |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/nris-in-news/19-indian-canadians-elected-to-canadian-parliament/articleshow/49464520.cms |title=19 Indian-Canadians elected to Canadian parliament |first=Harpreet |last=Singh |publisher=The Economic Times |date=October 20, 2015 |access-date=October 20, 2015 |archive-date=November 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151111145903/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/nris-in-news/19-indian-canadians-elected-to-canadian-parliament/articleshow/49464520.cms |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.mississauga.com/news-story/5968203-sikand-in-butt-out-of-mississauga-streetsville/ |title=Sikand in, Butt out of Mississauga Streetsville |first=Iain |last=Colpitts |date=October 20, 2015 |newspaper=The Mississauga News |publisher=Metroland Media}} He was a backbench supporter of the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He sat on the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Standing Joint Committee on the Library of Parliament.{{Cite web|url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/Parliamentarians/en/members/Gagan-Sikand(88858)/CurrentRoles|title = Gagan Sikand - Member of Parliament - Members of Parliament - House of Commons of Canada}} On April 18, 2018 he was named Co-Chair of the Standing Joint Committee on the Library of Parliament.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/Parliamentarians/en/members/Gagan-Sikand(88858)/CurrentRoles|title=Gagan Sikand|website=www.ourcommons.ca|language=en|access-date=2018-04-26}}
On February 26, 2016, he introduced a Private Member's Bill that would allow police to use a device that could detect the presence of alcohol for a car driver without having to administer a breathalyzer test.{{cite news |title=Everything you need to know about the first batch of bills from the backbench |first=Kady |last=O'Malley |newspaper=National Post |url=http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-politics/kady-omalley-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-first-batch-of-bills-from-the-backbench |date=March 3, 2016}} As of September 21, 2016, the bill has passed first reading and is being consider by the house.{{cite web |title=An Act to amend the Criminal Code (passive detection device) |publisher=Parliament of Canada |date=February 26, 2016 |url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/LegisInfo/BillDetails.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&billId=8118649}}
On June 13, 2016 he was named Caucus Liaison for the Ontario Young Liberals.{{cite tweet|user=OYLorg|author=OntarioYoungLiberals|number=742513916975165441|date=14 June 2016|title=A well deserved congratulations to MP @gagansikand, the OYL's new federal caucus liaison! We look forward to working with you! #onpoli}}
In 2017, Sikand abstained during the vote for Motion 103 to condemn Islamophobia. All other Liberal MPs present voted in favor of the motion.{{Cite web |date=2017-03-24 |title=M-103 passed March 23 and Jewish groups express misgivings about the motion |url=https://thecjn.ca/news/canada/jewish-groups-wary-passage-m-103/ |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=The Canadian Jewish News |language=en-US}}
On October 20, 2020, Sikand took a medical leave of absence from Parliament, the leave was approved by the Chief Government Whip.{{cite news |last1=Callan |first1=Isaac |title=Mississauga–Streetsville MP absent from Parliament since October on long-term medical leave |url=https://thepointer.com/article/2021-02-24/mississauga-streetsville-mp-absent-from-parliament-since-october-on-long-term-medical-leave |date=24 February 2021}}
On August 15, 2021, Sikand announced that he would not be seeking re-election in the next election.{{cite web |last1=Newport |first1=Ashley |title=Sitting Mississauga MP says he won't be seeking re-election |url=https://www.insauga.com/sitting-mississauga-mp-says-he-wont-be-seeking-re-election |website=insauga.com |date=16 August 2021 |access-date=16 August 2021}}
Electoral record
{{2019 Canadian federal election/Mississauga—Streetsville}}
{{Canadian election result/top|CA|2015|percent=yes|change=yes|expenditures=yes}}
{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Gagan Sikand|26,792|47.8|+12.81|–}}
{{CANelec|CA|Conservative|Brad Butt|22,621|40.4|-5.72|–}}
{{CANelec|CA|NDP|Fayaz Karim|5,040|9.0|-6.0|–}}
{{CANelec|CA|Green|Chris Hill|1,293|2.3|-1.36|–}}
{{CANelec|CA|Christian Heritage|Yegor Tarazevich|253|0.5|–|–}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes/Expense limit|55,999|100.0 | |$219,652.47}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Total rejected ballots|217|–|–}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Turnout|56,216|67.6%|–}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Eligible voters|83,122}}
{{CANelec/gain|CA|Liberal|Conservative|+9.26%}}
{{CANelec/source|Source: Elections Canada[http://www.elections.ca/Scripts/vis/candidates?L=e&ED=35063&EV=41&EV_TYPE=1&PC=&PROV=ON&PROVID=35&MAPID=&QID=8&PAGEID=17&TPAGEID=&PD=&STAT_CODE_ID=-1 Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Mississauga—Streetsville, 30 September 2015][http://www.elections.ca/content2.aspx?section=can&dir=cand/canlim&document=index&lang=e Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150815061116/http://www.elections.ca/content2.aspx?section=can&dir=cand%2Fcanlim&document=index&lang=e |date=August 15, 2015 }}}}
{{end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{official website|https://gsikand.liberal.ca/}}
- {{Canadian Parliament links|18517}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sikand, Gagan}}
Category:Alumni of Brunel University London
Category:Businesspeople from Toronto
Category:Canadian people of Indian descent
Category:Canadian people of Punjabi descent
Category:Liberal Party of Canada MPs
Category:Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario
Category:Ontario civil servants
Category:Politicians from Toronto
Category:University of Toronto alumni
Category:21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada