Jagrup Brar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Surrey-Fleetwood | |
| Assumed office May 9, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Fassbender |
| In office May 12, 2009 ā May 14, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Riding Established |
| Succeeded by | Peter Fassbender |
| Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Surrey-Panorama Ridge | |
| In office October 28, 2004 ā May 12, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Gulzar Cheema |
| Succeeded by | Stephanie Cadieux[1] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1957/1958 (age 67ā68)[2] |
| Political party | New Democrat |
Jagrup Brar is a Canadian politician. He is a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in British Columbia, Canada. He represented the ridings of Surrey-Panorama Ridge from 2004 to 2009 and Surrey-Fleetwood from 2009 to 2013 and since 2017 as a member of the New Democratic Party of British Columbia.
Background[edit | edit source]
Born in India,[3] Brar moved to Canada for his studies at the University of Manitoba where he received a Master's degree in Public Administration.[3] In 1994 he moved to Surrey.[citation needed]
For over a decade, Brar worked in both the public and non-profit sectors, helping professionals develop their careers, and working with employers to develop strategies meant for recruiting a highly skilled as well as multicultural workforce.[4] As the former executive director of the Surrey Self Employment and Entrepreneur Development Society (SEEDS), he helped trained new entrepreneurs in developing and launching successful small business ventures.
Political career[edit | edit source]
He was first elected in October 2004 during a by-election with 6,740 votes (53.59%) [5] He then became a member of British Columbia's 37th Legislative Assembly.[6] He was also a member of BC's 38th Legislative Assembly [7] after being elected in 2005 with 11,553 votes (53.17%).[8]
In early 2012 Brar participated in the Raise the Rates MLA Welfare Challenge by living on $610 for one month, the standard wage given to welfare recipients in B.C. at the time. Brar lived in a small room in Vancouver's notorious Downtown Eastside for part of the month-long challenge. He lost 26 pounds during the event and reported feeling constantly hungry and his mind "fuzzy" due to a lack of adequate nutrition and sleep. He kept a blog of his experiences and the media exposure surrounding the event significantly raised public awareness of welfare rates in B.C.[9]
In August 2012, Brar was criticized by B.C.'s Liberal Party for praising Cuba's health and education system on a Punjabi radio station after a holiday in the communist country.[10]
He was defeated in the 2013 provincial election by BC Liberal candidate Peter Fassbender. In the 2017 provincial election Brar defeated Fassbender in a re-match.
Electoral record[edit | edit source]
Template:British Columbia provincial election, 2020/Surrey-Fleetwood Template:British Columbia provincial election, 2017/Surrey-Fleetwood Template:British Columbia provincial election, 2013/Surrey-Fleetwood
References[edit | edit source]
- ā Surrey-Panorama
- ā NDP's Jagrup Brar identifies health as top issue The Leader [Surrey, B.C] 22 Oct 2004: 16.
- ā 3.0 3.1 "Jagrup Brar". www.leg.bc.ca. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
- ā [1] Archived 2006-06-27 at the Wayback Machine - New Democrats
- ā [2] Archived 2006-09-03 at the Wayback Machine - 2004 By-election results
- ā [3] Archived 2006-10-03 at the Wayback Machine 37th Legislative Assembly
- ā [4] Archived 2006-02-21 at the Wayback Machine 38th Legislative Assembly
- ā [5] Archived 2006-10-08 at the Wayback Machine BC elections
- ā "NDP MLA Jagrup Brar prepares to bring welfare lessons back to B.C. legislature". The Georgia Straight. January 25, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ā "Liberal accuses B.C. NDP MLA of pushing communism". CBC News. August 28, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2018.