Latest news with #HarbGill
Hindustan Times
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Canada polls: 6 Indo-Canadians with Gill as surname get elected to parliament
Toronto: The Canada elections on Monday has delivered one oddity: The most common name in the next House of Commons will be Gill. There was just a single Gill present in the previous House, but that number has risen to seven. So, veteran MP Marilene Gill of the Bloc Quebecois is a Francophone Quebecker, who retained her seat of Cote-Nord – Kawawachikamach – Nitassinan in Quebec will have plenty of company. But the six newcomers are all Indo-Canadians with roots in Punjab and curiously, all of them are represent the opposition Conservative Party. Among them, businessperson Amarjeet Gill made a splash as he defeated Cabinet Minister Kamal Khera of the ruling Liberal Party. Also on the list is Parm Gill, who was in the provincial Cabinet in Ontario before successfully making the transition to national politics and winning the riding (constituency) of Milton East - Halton Hils South, though with a slender margin. Making history in a sense was retired police officer Harb Gill, who won the riding of Windsor West. As the local outlet Windsor Star noted, 'In what many might see as a shocking upset, Conservative Harb Gill has ousted 23-year NDP incumbent Brian Masse in Windsor West, flipping the riding blue for the first time in its nearly six-decade history.' Meanwhile, 25-year-old businessperson Sukhman Gill, who was born on his family's blueberry farm in the area, won the Abbotsford – South Langley riding in British Columbia. Alberta provided two more Gills. Dalwinder Gill, who is in real estate, captured Calgary McKnight defeating incumbent Liberal MP George Chahal. Finally, Amanpreet Gill, former president of the Dashmesh Culture Centre, emerged victorious from Calgary Skyview. The Gill numbers could have been higher but Conservative candidate Harjit Singh Gill lost to sitting MP Sukh Dhaliwal from Surrey-Newton in British Columbia. And accountant Amy Gill could have joined the group as its only Liberal member, but she narrowly lost to sitting New Democratic Party MP Don Davies from Vancouver Kingsway, by a margin of just over 300 votes. Why this sudden profusion of Gills? 'It's a common name in Canada, and they (the candidates) had a good name in the community and were approached by the party,' explained Maninder Singh Gill, managing director of the Surrey-based Radio India. He said the immigration of the community to Canada was drawn from 52 villages around Moga, Ludhiana and Faridkot in Punjab. He pointed out their presence in politics wasn't new as Lachhman Singh Gill was briefly Chief Minister of Punjab between 1967 and 1968.
CBC
29-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Voter turnout surges in Canada's southernmost ridings
Social Sharing Thousands more voters flocked to local polls in this election than during the last federal race, according to preliminary results from Elections Canada. With all polls reporting, voter turnout — a rate that's calculated by dividing the number of valid votes by the number of registered voters — was up in each of Canada's five southernmost ridings compared to the 2021 federal election. The numbers are unofficial and do not yet include voters who registered on election day. In four of the ridings, a direct comparison is also made more difficult by recent changes to riding boundaries. Still, the figures paint an early picture of a more engaged electorate, both nationally and in the country's manufacturing heartland, despite a short campaign. The highest local turnout was in the riding of Essex, where 73 per cent of voters cast their ballot. It's a jump of more than six percentage points compared to the last federal contest. Turnout in the renamed and expanded Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong riding also soared past the 70 per cent mark, hitting nearly 72 per cent, compared to 67 per cent last time. At the national level, turnout sat at 68.66 per cent with most polls reporting on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET – a jump of six percentage points compared to 2021, and the highest it's been since 1993. The Conservatives' Harb Gill beat longtime NDP MP Brian Masse in Windsor West, where turnout was up more than five percentage points, from 53.1 to 58.13 per cent. Windsor West was the only local riding to retain its 2021-era borders after a regular redistribution process reshaped the other four ridings in the region. One of those ridings is neighbouring Windsor—Tecumseh—Lakeshore, where Conservative candidate Kathy Borrelli eked out a narrow victory against incumbent Liberal MP Irek Kusmierczyk. Turnout there leapt from 60.5 to 66.42 per cent. Results in that riding and a handful of other close races across the country were delayed until Tuesday as Elections Canada dealt with a burst of ballots, particularly special ones from Canadians abroad, deployed soldiers, incarcerated people, and others. "As a result of the very high volume of international and national ballots received at the Elections Canada counting facility in Ottawa, including 10-15 thousand received just before the 6pm EST deadline, it has taken longer to process, count, and report on all votes cast," said Elections Canada spokesperson Nathalie de Montigny. "Special ballot counters worked long into election night to ensure Canadians could have timely election results, while adhering to the procedures required by the Canada Elections Act," she added. In Chatham-Kent—Leamington, turnout was also up nearly five percentage points, from 63.5 to just above 68 per cent. Here is the full riding breakdown: Windsor West Population: 130,162 2025 preliminary turnout: 58.13 per cent (54,894 of 94,427 registered electors) 2021 final turnout: 53.1 per cent Windsor—Tecumseh—Lakeshore Population: 131,097 2025 preliminary turnout: 66.42 per cent (70,019 of 105,426 registered electors) 2021 final turnout: 60.5 per cent Essex Population: 131,691 2025 preliminary turnout: 73.03 per cent (80,189 of 109,799 registered electors) 2021 final turnout: 66.6 per cent Chatham-Kent—Leamington Population: 134,226 2025 preliminary turnout: 68.04 per cent (72,365 of 106,351 registered electors) 2021 final turnout: 63.5 per cent Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong Population: 128,154 2025 preliminary turnout: 71.66 per cent (76,328 of 106,509 registered electors) 2021 final turnout: 67 per cent
CBC
29-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Conservative Harb Gill unseats longtime incumbent in Windsor West
Conservative Harb Gill won the seat for Windsor West in Monday's federal election. It unseats the NDP's Brian Masse who has held the riding since 2002. The CBC's Jacob Barker reports.
