Harinder Takhar
Encyclopedia
Harinder Jeet Singh Takhar is a politician in Ontario
, Canada
. Takhar was born to a Sikh
family in the India
n state of Punjab, with a background in farming and civil service work. He moved to Canada in 1974, and arrived in Mississauga
, Ontario in 1977. He lives with his family in Mississauga.
in the 2003 provincial election
, and was appointed Minister of Transportation on October 23, 2003, by Premier
Dalton McGuinty
. He is the first Indian-Canadian to hold a cabinet post in Ontario.
In May 2006, Takhar was sworn in as the first Minister of the newly-created Ministry of Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Takhar was re-elected to the Ontario Legislature in October 2007 for the redistributed riding of Mississauga-Erindale for a second term. In July 2008, Takhar was appointed as Minister of Small Business and Consumer Services.
In June 2009, Takhar‘s mandate was again changed and he was sworn in as the Minister of Government Services.
caught him visiting his company despite its having been placed in a blind trust
when he joined the cabinet. Cabinet ministers are required to keep an arms-length relationship with any business they own to avoid a conflict of interest
. Premier McGuinty refused to bow to opposition demands for Takhar's resignation but conceded that the minister had shown poor judgement http://www.cbc.ca/ottawa/story/ot-takhar20050617.html. Takhar insisted he was visiting the company only to speak with his wife, who is the company's CEO. The matter was sent to the province's Integrity Commissioner which issued a decision on January 4, 2006, that Takhar had violated the province's integrity guidelines by failing to maintain an arms-length relationship with the trustee of his blind trust. Following the release of the decision, McGuinty issued a statement that he would not fire Takhar. Takhar was reassigned to the new position of Minister of Small Business and Entrepreneurship on May 23, 2006. Donna Cansfield
was assigned Takhar's Transportation portfolio.
In 1995, the Financial Post
recognized the company among Canada's top 100 best-managed private companies. In 1999, Chalmers received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Award of Excellence from the Mississauga Board of Trade.
Takhar received the 2001 Community Service Award from the Society of Management Accountants of Ontario for "demonstrating selflessness and kindness for the benefit of society."
Takhar holds a Master's degree in economics and political science, and an undergraduate degree in English, economics and political science. Takhar has been designated a Certified Management Accountant and professional administrator. He has also taken a number of leadership courses at the University of Toronto
and York University
, and taught CMA and CGA accredited courses at Sheridan College
for thirteen years. He is also a Fellow of the Society of Management Accountants of Canada.
|-
|Harinder Takhar
|align="right"|21,294
|align="right"|47.6%
|align="right"|N/A
|-
|David Brown
|align="right"|14,838
|align="right"|33.2%
|align="right"|N/A
|-
|Shaila Kibria
|align="right"|5,117
|align="right"|11.4%
|align="right"|N/A
|-
|Richard Pietro
|align="right"|3,495
|align="right"|7.8%
|align="right"|N/A
|}
|-
|Harinder Takhar
|align="right"|18,466
|align="right"|47.45
|align="right"|+7.19
|-
|Rob Sampson
|align="right"|15,846
|align="right"|40.72
|align="right"|-10.91
|-
|Michael Miller
|align="right"|3,237
|align="right"|8.32
|align="right"|+3.29
|-
|Jeffrey Scott Smith
|align="right"|776
|align="right"|1.99
|-
|John R. Lyall
|align="right"|588
|align="right"|1.51
|}
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
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...
. Takhar was 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 the 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...
n state of Punjab, with a background in farming and civil service work. He moved to Canada in 1974, and arrived in Mississauga
Mississauga, Ontario
Mississauga is a city in Southern Ontario located in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and in the western part of the Greater Toronto Area. With an estimated population of 734,000, it is Canada's sixth-most populous municipality, and has almost doubled in population in each of the last two decades...
, Ontario in 1977. He lives with his family in Mississauga.
Political career
Harinder Takhar was elected to the Ontario Legislature as a LiberalOntario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
in the 2003 provincial election
Ontario general election, 2003
The Ontario general election of 2003 was held on October 2, 2003, to elect the 103 members of the 38th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, and was appointed Minister of Transportation on October 23, 2003, by Premier
Premier of Ontario
The Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario...
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
. He is the first Indian-Canadian to hold a cabinet post in Ontario.
In May 2006, Takhar was sworn in as the first Minister of the newly-created Ministry of Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Takhar was re-elected to the Ontario Legislature in October 2007 for the redistributed riding of Mississauga-Erindale for a second term. In July 2008, Takhar was appointed as Minister of Small Business and Consumer Services.
In June 2009, Takhar‘s mandate was again changed and he was sworn in as the Minister of Government Services.
Scandal
In June 2005, Takhar faced criticism after the Toronto SunToronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
caught him visiting his company despite its having been placed in a blind trust
Blind trust
A blind trust is a trust in which the fiduciaries, namely the trustees or those who have been given power of attorney, have full discretion over the assets, and the trust beneficiaries have no knowledge of the holdings of the trust and no right to intervene in their handling...
when he joined the cabinet. Cabinet ministers are required to keep an arms-length relationship with any business they own to avoid a conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
. Premier McGuinty refused to bow to opposition demands for Takhar's resignation but conceded that the minister had shown poor judgement http://www.cbc.ca/ottawa/story/ot-takhar20050617.html. Takhar insisted he was visiting the company only to speak with his wife, who is the company's CEO. The matter was sent to the province's Integrity Commissioner which issued a decision on January 4, 2006, that Takhar had violated the province's integrity guidelines by failing to maintain an arms-length relationship with the trustee of his blind trust. Following the release of the decision, McGuinty issued a statement that he would not fire Takhar. Takhar was reassigned to the new position of Minister of Small Business and Entrepreneurship on May 23, 2006. Donna Cansfield
Donna Cansfield
Donna H. Cansfield, is a politician in Ontario, Canada, who has represented the riding of Etobicoke Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 2003...
was assigned Takhar's Transportation portfolio.
Business background
Takhar has held leadership positions with several Canadian companies, including AGRA Industries Limited, Linear Technology Inc./Gennum Corporation and Timex Canada Inc. He served as the president and chief executive officer of the Chalmers Group of Companies until his election to the Ontario legislature.In 1995, the Financial Post
Financial Post
The Financial Post was an English Canadian business newspaper, which published from 1907 to 1998. In 1998, the publication was folded into the new National Post, although the name Financial Post has been retained as the banner for that paper's business section and also lives on in the Post’s...
recognized the company among Canada's top 100 best-managed private companies. In 1999, Chalmers received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Award of Excellence from the Mississauga Board of Trade.
Takhar received the 2001 Community Service Award from the Society of Management Accountants of Ontario for "demonstrating selflessness and kindness for the benefit of society."
Takhar holds a Master's degree in economics and political science, and an undergraduate degree in English, economics and political science. Takhar has been designated a Certified Management Accountant and professional administrator. He has also taken a number of leadership courses at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
and York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
, and taught CMA and CGA accredited courses at Sheridan College
Sheridan College
Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning is a diploma and degree granting Canadian polytechnic institute with approximately 15,000 full time students and 35,000 continuing education students...
for thirteen years. He is also a Fellow of the Society of Management Accountants of Canada.
Political offices
Electoral record
|-
|Harinder Takhar
|align="right"|21,294
|align="right"|47.6%
|align="right"|N/A
|-
|David Brown
|align="right"|14,838
|align="right"|33.2%
|align="right"|N/A
|-
|Shaila Kibria
|align="right"|5,117
|align="right"|11.4%
|align="right"|N/A
|-
|Richard Pietro
|align="right"|3,495
|align="right"|7.8%
|align="right"|N/A
|}
|-
|Harinder Takhar
|align="right"|18,466
|align="right"|47.45
|align="right"|+7.19
|-
|Rob Sampson
Rob Sampson
Rob Sampson is a politician in the Canadian province of Ontario. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2003, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Mike Harris.-Career:Sampson has a Bachelor of Arts degree and an MBA from Queen's...
|align="right"|15,846
|align="right"|40.72
|align="right"|-10.91
|-
|Michael Miller
|align="right"|3,237
|align="right"|8.32
|align="right"|+3.29
|-
|Jeffrey Scott Smith
|align="right"|776
|align="right"|1.99
|-
|John R. Lyall
|align="right"|588
|align="right"|1.51
|}