Brampton MP Ruby Sahota will take on crime file in new cabinet role

Former lawyer and Brampton MP Ruby Sahota has been given a new role in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cabinet, advising ministers on combating crime.

Carney announced his cabinet selections on Tuesday, which included Liberal Brampton MPs Shafqat Ali appointed as president of the Treasury Board and Maninder Sidhu named Minister of International Trade.

But Sahota, who won the newly blended riding of Brampton North—Caledon in the April 28 federal election, has been named as Secretary of State (Combatting Crime).

The veteran Brampton MP is one of nine secretaries of state, “who will provide dedicated leadership on key issues and priorities within their minister’s portfolio,” the government says.

“Canada’s new Ministry is built to deliver the change Canadians want and deserve,” Carney said in a statement, adding that the appointees are “expected and empowered to show leadership – to bring new ideas, a clear focus, and decisive action to their work.”

Sahota has held many roles since first being elected in Brampton North in 2015, including Chief Government Whip and Minister of Democratic Institutions, and sat on the Standing Committee on the Status of Women and the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.

She won the new riding of Brampton North—Caledon Sahota with 22,682 votes to 22,032 for Conservative candidate Amandeep Judge.

Before entering politics, Sahota graduated from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School and worked as a lawyer in Ohio.

Other cabinet shuffles on Tuesday included MPs Anita Anand and Mélanie Joly swapping roles as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Industry, while former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was named Minister of Transport and Internal Trade.