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Society
Three Women and a
Parliament
Canada's 38th
Parliament has 10 Members of Parliament of South Asian origin. Three of
them form the trio of first women of South Asian origin in Parliament.
While Yasmin Ratansi and Ruby Dhalla won as Liberal Party candidates from
Ontario, Narinder (Nina) Grewal is the Conservative MP from British
Columbia. Functioning in a traditionally male-dominated aggressive field,
these women offer a role model for others. Their perseverance and hard
work through multiple struggles as immigrants and women of minority
communities has made their journey to Parliament Hill possible.
 Yasmin
Ratansi, 53, remembers when her detractors wrote her off as 'Muslim',
'woman', 'immigrant'. She says, "To people who like to label others I say:
Canada is a land of opportunities. So work hard and make things work for
yourself. I took things as a challenge. I always remembered what my father
used to say - 'Struggle is the meaning of life, victory is not in your
hands'."
Ratansi came to Canada in 1974 as a university graduate from England. Born
in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, she is a third generation South Asian living
out of Asia. Her grandparents migrated to Africa from the Kutch region in
Gujarat, India. She says, "When I came to Canada, I realized this is a
country which offers rich diversity. I fit in well. I was an Asian born in
Africa who went to study in former colonialist England, and was a Muslim.
With such diversity inside me, Canada was a natural place to settle and
since my move here I have never considered myself as anything but
Canadian."
Fourteen years after coming to Canada, Ratansi stood for federal elections
but lost. She persevered for 15 more years to run again from the same
constituency of Don Valley East in Toronto, Ontario. In the June (2004)
federal elections, Don Valley East was one of the closely watched
contests. The fight was tough with the Conservative Party having fielded a
heavyweight former Cabinet minister, David Johnson. But Ratansi emerged
victorious.
A general accountant and a management consultant by profession, Ratansi
comes across as a confident person. She asserts, "I have never looked at
politics as a male domain and have never considered my fight different
because I am a woman. I have taken things as a challenge. As an MP, I feel
that I am sensitive to certain issues because I am a woman."
Talk to her about her riding (constituency) and you find that she is not a
standard stump speech-always-ready kind of politician. "My priority areas
are providing adequate day care for children, housing, and helping single
mothers. Given that there are a number of new immigrants in my riding,
recognition of foreign credentials and language training remain on the top
of my agenda."
 Women's
issues remain a focus area for Nina Grewal, 46, as well. She and her
husband, Gurmant, are both MPs - a first in Canadian Parliament's 137-year
history. Grewal is quick to clarify that being a couple in Parliament does
not mean that she is willing to be overshadowed by her politically
experienced husband. She says, "People say that if they are husband and
wife they will think alike. This is not how it works for us. We are a team
so we take advice from each other."
For Grewal, the path to politics was not predictable. She was born in
Osaka, Japan, where her father was a businessman. When she was
four-and-a-half-years-old when her family moved to Liberia, West Africa.
Nina was sent to Shimla (India) by her parents where she studied in the
Convent of Jesus and Mary. She finished her college degree in History and
English Literature in India before getting married in 1982 ("My father
placed a matrimonial advertisement in 'The Tribune' newspaper and
Gurmant's parents responded.").
After marriage, the young couple moved to Liberia where their sons Japjot
and Livjot, now 19 and 21, were born. In the 1990s, when civil war broke
out in Liberia, the family made the difficult decision to move to the UK.
"From the UK, we moved to the USA where we stayed for a year and then came
to Canada in 1991." Within a record period of five years, her husband was
chosen MP from British Columbia. "At times, when Gurmant had a tight
schedule, I would attend functions and give speeches on his behalf. This
was good political training."
On her website, Grewal describes herself as a 'simple person with deep
values'. She says, "It is difficult being a woman in politics as I have to
work outside and manage the house." She says all her life she has managed
such challenges. "It was difficult initially when we immigrated to Canada.
We faced new challenges every day."
Ruby Dhalla, MP from Brampton-Springdale riding in Toronto, Ontario, was
born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her parents immigrated from
Jullundhar where her family continues to keep their ancestral house. Says
Dhalla, "Jullundhar remains my favorite place in India. When I was growing
up, we would go there every two years." In 1999, she Dhalla graduated as a
doctor of chiropractic in Canada.
The same year, she decided to pursue her Bollywood dreams. She went to
India for six months and travelled to Delhi, Mumbai and Pune, hosting
television shows and commercials. She also acted in a Bollywood movie, 'Kyon
Kisliye'. She remembers, "Places like Delhi and Mumbai are tremendous
fun as the people in these cities are progressive and are easy to get
along with."
This year (2004) when Prime Minister Paul Martin chose her to represent
Brampton-Springdale, there was opposition from the executives in her
riding association. Dhalla (who is single), was contesting against
candidates who were senior to her in age and experience.
"What worked to my advantage was that I have a deep knowledge of important
issues in my riding. I had debates with my opponents and it was clear to
the people that I could not only understand their problems better but also
come up with solutions from a fresh perspective." She says, "After
winning, I received a lot of congratulatory calls. Women are excited both
in Canada and India. If I can be a source of inspiration for women in
India to join politics there can be no higher honor for me."
Dhalla says she is planning to visit India soon "hopefully with the Prime
Minister". Ratansi, too, received an invite from Indian parliamentarians
at the recently-concluded Commonwealth conference. She says, "I would like
to visit Rajasthan as well as Punjab because I have heard such good things
about them."
Nina Grewal is equally enthusiastic about her connections with India:
"There is always a special bond with India." Whenever she travels to
India, and as soon as the airplane lands, she becomes emotional, she says.
"It is hard to explain in words what I feel for India."
– Naunidhi Kaur
November 7, 2004
By arrangement with
Womens Feature Service
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