VANCOUVER A former Manitoba MLA defeated four other challengers to win a unique all Sikh B.G. Liberal nomination battle in Vancouver Frase review An estimated 2.500 delegates packed Vancouver Technical secondary School for the all Sikh race a B.C. first won by Dr. Gulzaar Cheema on the second ballot Cheema, 40, who runs a family practice in Delta was the first Sikh elected to the Manitoba legislature. He served from 1988 to 1993 before moving to Vancouver with his wife and two kids.
“We are going to work hard, the NDP are weak and we are strong.” Cheema told delegates after defeating contractor Jatinder Minhas, business manager Jagdeep Sanghem, notary public and immigration consultant Jagdish Singh, and Realtor Darshan Bains, the only woman in the race.
The nominating meeting had been delayed for a week so organizers could book a larger meeting hall capable of holding new members signed up by the candidates.
Party workers also had to pare the riding’s membership list after discovering that about 2,800 of the 6,300 members signed up before the meeting were duplicates.
Cheema attributed the mix-up to Indo Canadian politeness when canvassers came calling “People are being polite to the point where it causes problems,” he said, They don’t want to say no and of fend.” About nine per cent of the riding’s 24.734 voters are Indo-Canadian
The riding is now held by the NDP’s Bernie Simpson, who made an appearance with Premier Mike Harcourt just a few hours before the Liberal meeting at a Sikh gurdwara in the riding to hand out a government grant.
COURTESY: THE PROVINCE
Article extracted from this publication >> January 27, 1995
