Ruby Sahota

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific_prefix = The Honourable

| name = Ruby Sahota

| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|MP|size=100%}}

| image = Ruby Sahota.jpg

| caption = Sahota in 2025

| office = Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)

| term_start = May 13, 2025

| term_end =

| primeminister = Mark Carney

| predecessor = Position established

| office1 = Minister of Democratic Institutions

| term_start1 = December 20, 2024

| term_end1 = March 14, 2025

| primeminister1 = Justin Trudeau

| predecessor1 = Dominic LeBlanc

| successor1 = Arielle Kayabaga

| office2 = Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

| term_start2 = December 20, 2024

| term_end2 = March 14, 2025

| primeminister2 = Justin Trudeau

| predecessor2 = Filomena Tassi

| successor2 = Position abolished

| office3 = Chief Government Whip

| term_start3 = January 8, 2024

| term_end3 = December 20, 2024
Interim: January 8, 2024 – July 9, 2024

| primeminister3 = Justin Trudeau

| predecessor3 = Steven MacKinnon

| successor3 = Mona Fortier

| riding4 = Brampton North—Caledon
{{small|Brampton North (2015–2025)}}

| parliament4 = Canadian

| term_start4 = October 19, 2015

| term_end4 =

| predecessor4 = Riding established

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1979|6|22|mf=yes}}

| birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada

| death_date =

| death_place =

| profession = Attorney

| alma_mater = {{plainlist|

}}

| party = Liberal

| residence = Brampton, Ontario, Canada{{cite web|url=https://www.elections.ca/res/rep/off/ovr2019app/51/table12E.html|title=Official Voting Results|publisher=Elections Canada|access-date=January 23, 2021}}

| spouse = Tejinder Sahota

| children = 1

| website = {{URL|rsahota.liberal.ca|Official website}}

}}

Ruby Sahota[https://www.cooley.edu/alumni/graduates-holding-office Alumni Elected Officials | WMU Cooley Law School] Western Michigan University] {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|MP}} (born June 22, 1979){{cite web |last1=Sahota |first1=Ruby |title=Ruby Sahota on Twitter: "Thanks for the birthday wishes & cake #TeamSahota - They are truly amazing individuals working hard for #Brampton" |url=https://twitter.com/MPRubySahota/status/745730439843807232 |website=twitter.com |publisher=Twitter |date=June 22, 2016|access-date=February 12, 2019}}{{cite news |title=Meet the candidates: Ruby Sahota is the Liberal party candidate for Brampton North |url=https://www.bramptonguardian.com/politics/federal-elections/meet-the-candidates-ruby-sahota-is-the-liberal-party-candidate-for-brampton-north/article_171b1e06-b932-552c-b41a-4b1c58d58d25.html |access-date=July 20, 2024 |work=Brampton Guardian |date=September 1, 2021}} is a Canadian lawyer and politician. A member of the Liberal Party, she served as the Minister of Democratic Institutions from 2024 to 2025 and has represented the federal riding of Brampton North in the House of Commons of Canada since 2015.{{cite web | url=https://www.thestar.com/news/federal-election/federal-ridings-toronto-gta/2015/10/20/liberal-ruby-sahota-wins-brampton-north.html | title=Liberal Ruby Sahota wins in Brampton North| publisher=Toronto Star | work=San Grewal | date=20 October 2015 | access-date=20 October 2015}}{{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 | publisher=The Economic Times | date=20 October 2015 | access-date=20 October 2015}} She also previously served as the Chief Government Whip from January to December 2024.

Early life and education

Sahota was born in Toronto after her parents arrived in Canada from Punjab, India in the late 1970s,{{cite web|url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=42&Ses=1&DocId=8151826|title=Debates (Hansard) No. 30 - March 10, 2016 (42-1) - House of Commons of Canada|website=www.parl.gc.ca}} and was raised in Brampton. Her father previously was the Chairman of the Ontario Sikhs and Gurdwara Council.{{cite web|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/captain-amarinder-singh-allegations-against-canadian-minister-baseless-4616077/|title='Captain's allegations against Canadian minister baseless'|date=17 April 2017|website=indianexpress.com}}

Sahota attended Brampton's Central Peel Secondary School from 1993 to 1998, and then graduated with an Honours bachelor's degree in Political Science and Peace Studies at McMaster University in 2003.https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubysingh {{Self-published source|date=June 2022}} She then attended Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, graduating in 2007.{{Cite web |date=2016-08-03 |title=Benchmark {{!}} Summer 2016 by Cooley Law School - Issuu |url=https://issuu.com/cooleylawschool/docs/benchmark-summer2016/22 |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=issuu.com |language=en}}

Legal career

From 2007 to 2012, Sahota practiced law in Cleveland, Ohio, focusing on commercial litigation.{{cite web |title=Benchmark | Summer 2016 |url=https://issuu.com/cooleylawschool/docs/benchmark-summer2016/22 |website=issuu.com |publisher=issuu |date=July 24, 2016|access-date=February 12, 2019}}[http://rubysahota.liberal.ca/biography/ Ruby Sahota Biography], Liberal.ca.

Political career

Sahota sought the Liberal nomination for the newly created riding of Brampton North, winning it on March 1, 2015.[http://www.canindia.com/2015/03/another-ruby-wins-liberal-nomination-for-brampton-north/# Another Ruby wins Liberal nomination for Brampton North], Can-India News, March 5, 2015.

The general election campaign involved some controversy, as Sahota's campaign criticized leaflets circulated by her opponent, Conservative incumbent Parm Gill, which it was alleged were deliberately aimed at confusing Sahota with previous Liberal Party MP Ruby Dhalla.Althia Raj, [http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/08/23/ruby-sahota-parm-gill_n_8028556.html Ruby Sahota, Liberal Candidate, Incensed At Tory Parm Gill's Name Game], The Huffington Post, August 24, 2015. Sahota defeated Gill to win the election.

Once elected, Sahota was appointed to both the Standing Committee on the Status of Women and the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs. She was subsequently named to the Special Committee on Electoral Reform. On February 1, 2017, she was elected Chair of the Federal Liberal Ontario Caucus by her peers. As Caucus Chair, she presides over meetings, leads discussions, and is an important link between Ontario Liberal MPs and the Prime Minister's Office and Cabinet.

Sahota was appointed interim Chief Government Whip on January 8, 2024, replacing Steven MacKinnon while he was appointed interim Government House Leader while Karina Gould was on maternity leave. MacKinnon was promoted to Minister of Labour on July 9, 2024 making Sahota's appointment as whip permanent.{{cite news |title=Brampton MP Ruby Sahota named government whip in Liberal cabinet adjustment |url=https://www.insauga.com/brampton-mp-ruby-sahota-named-government-whip-in-liberal-cabinet-adjustment/ |access-date=July 19, 2024 |work=InSauga |date=January 9, 2024}}

Sahota became Minister of Democratic Institutions and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario in December 2024. She was appointed by Prime Minister Mark Carney to be part of the 30th Canadian Ministry as Secretary of State (Combatting Crime).{{Cite web |last=Rumbolt |first=Ryan |date=2025-05-13 |title=Brampton MP Ruby Sahota will take on crime file in new cabinet role {{!}} inBrampton |url=https://www.insauga.com/brampton-mp-ruby-sahota-will-take-on-crime-file-in-new-cabinet-role/ |access-date=2025-05-13 |website=INsauga {{!}} Ontario Local News Network |language=en-US}}

Personal life

She is married to podiatrist Dr. Tejinder Sahota and has a son named Nihal.

Electoral record

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|2021|percent=yes|change=yes|prelim=no}}

{{CANelec/source|Source: Elections Canada{{cite web |title=List of confirmed candidates – September 20, 2021 Federal Election |url=https://www.elections.ca/content2.aspx?section=can&dir=cand/lst&document=index&lang=e |website=Elections Canada |access-date=2 September 2021}}}}