Gagan Sikand Explained

Gagan Sikand
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:21 November 1984
Birth Place:Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Profession:Lawyer, businessman, politician
Alma Mater:University of Toronto
Brunel Law School
Residence:Mississauga, Ontario

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.[1] He worked for the provincial office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs.[2] 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.[3] [4] [5] 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.[6] On April 18, 2018 he was named Co-Chair of the Standing Joint Committee on the Library of Parliament.[7]

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.[8] As of September 21, 2016, the bill has passed first reading and is being consider by the house.[9]

On June 13, 2016 he was named Caucus Liaison for the Ontario Young Liberals.[10]

In 2017, Sikand abstained during the vote for Motion 103 to condemn Islamophobia. All other Liberal MPs present voted in favor of the motion.[11]

On October 20, 2020, Sikand took a medical leave of absence from Parliament, the leave was approved by the Chief Government Whip.[12]

On August 15, 2021, Sikand announced that he would not be seeking re-election in the next election.[13]

Notes and References

  1. New Members of Council . Milestones . College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario . March 2014 . 10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150924061542/http://www.cdho.org/milestones/Milestones_Mar14.pdf . September 24, 2015.
  2. News: Riding returns to red roots after blue run . Forani . Jonathan . Toronto Star . October 20, 2015 . GT2.
  3. News: Canada Votes . The Toronto Star . October 20, 2015 . GT13–GT15.
  4. Web site: 19 Indian-Canadians elected to Canadian parliament . Harpreet . Singh . . October 20, 2015 . October 20, 2015 . November 11, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151111145903/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/nris-in-news/19-indian-canadians-elected-to-canadian-parliament/articleshow/49464520.cms . dead .
  5. Web site: Sikand in, Butt out of Mississauga Streetsville . Iain . Colpitts . October 20, 2015 . The Mississauga News . Metroland Media.
  6. Web site: Gagan Sikand - Member of Parliament - Members of Parliament - House of Commons of Canada.
  7. Web site: Gagan Sikand. www.ourcommons.ca. en. 2018-04-26.
  8. News: Everything you need to know about the first batch of bills from the backbench . Kady . O'Malley . National Post . March 3, 2016.
  9. Web site: An Act to amend the Criminal Code (passive detection device) . Parliament of Canada . February 26, 2016 .
  10. OYLorg. OntarioYoungLiberals. 742513916975165441. 14 June 2016. A well deserved congratulations to MP @gagansikand, the OYL's new federal caucus liaison! We look forward to working with you! #onpoli.
  11. Web site: 2017-03-24 . M-103 passed March 23 and Jewish groups express misgivings about the motion . 2023-11-15 . The Canadian Jewish News . en-US.
  12. News: Callan . Isaac . Mississauga–Streetsville MP absent from Parliament since October on long-term medical leave . 24 February 2021.
  13. Web site: Newport . Ashley . Sitting Mississauga MP says he won't be seeking re-election . insauga.com . 16 August 2021 . 16 August 2021.