Raj Saini
Raj Saini | |
---|---|
Raj Saini at the Waterloo Region CARP Debate at CIGI | |
Member of Parliament for Kitchener Centre | |
In office October 19, 2015 – September 20, 2021 | |
Preceded by | Stephen Woodworth |
Succeeded by | Mike Morrice |
Personal details | |
Born | (1967-08-21) August 21, 1967 (age 56) Bhiura or Balh, Himachal Pradesh, India |
Political party | Liberal |
Residence | Kitchener, Ontario |
Profession | Businessman |
Rajinder "Raj" Saini (born August 21, 1967) is an Indian-Canadian politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Kitchener Centre in the House of Commons of Canada from 2015 to 2021.
Background
Saini's political leanings were formed growing up in a Liberal household in Mississauga in the 1970s and 1980s, and later as a student at the University of Toronto,[1] where he completed a bachelor of science before going on to complete a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy at Boston's Northeastern University.[2]
Early career
Prior to becoming a Member of Parliament, Saini was a pharmacist, having moved to Kitchener to start Greenbrook Pharmacy,[1] a local independent business which he has co-owned and operated for more than 20 years.[3] Prior to becoming an elected official, Saini had long been involved in both his community and the Liberal Party. He is a past president and past vice-president of the Kitchener Centre Federal Liberal Association,[2] a Rotarian, and has served as a member of the Canadian International Council, Waterloo.[3]
Political career
Saini was first elected to Parliament in the 2015 federal election.[4] He said that one of his top priorities for his time in Ottawa would be addressing Canada's need for a national pharmacare policy.[1] He was a member of two parliamentary committees, the Foreign Affairs and International Development Committee, as well as the Access to Information, Privacy, and Ethics Committee.[5] Reflecting an interest in Foreign Affairs, Saini was a member of multiple Parliamentary Associations and Parliamentary Friendship Groups, including the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association, the Canada-Israel Interparliamentary Group, the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group, the Canadian Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), the Canadian Delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), and the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association (NATO PA). He was also an executive member of the Canada-Germany Interparliamentary Group.[5]
Saini spoke in the House of Commons on topics including the International Day for Tolerance, Public Safety Canada, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, and Canada's efforts to combat ISIL.[6]
Sexual harassment allegations
In 2021, allegations emerged that Saini engaged in inappropriate behaviour including unwanted sexual advances towards female staffers on four occasions.[7] On September 4, Saini announced he was ending his campaign for re-election, denying any wrongdoing.[8] Saini did not withdraw his candidacy prior to the close of nominations and his name remained on the ballot as the Liberal candidate for the September 20 vote.[9]
Regarding the alleged incidents, Saini had been cleared of wrongdoing by a workplace assessment independently commissioned by the House of Commons in the spring of 2020. The workplace assessment concluded that the staffer making the allegations was "creating a toxic environment and many staff and the MP report strained relationships with her" and recommended that "the employment relationship may need to be reconsidered ... in order to ensure a safe and healthy work environment for the remainder of the staff."[10] The staffer who made the allegations had her employment terminated with cause in August 2020 by the House of Commons. Saini was advised to seek a restraining order against the staffer by the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel, though he refused.[10]
Electoral record
| ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
Green | Mike Morrice | 17,872 | 34.9 | +8.9 | $110,414.01 | |||
Conservative | Mary Henein Thorn | 12,537 | 24.5 | +0.5 | $71,022.32 | |||
New Democratic | Beisan Zubi | 8,938 | 17.5 | +6.2 | $43,723.62 | |||
Liberal | Raj Saini[a] | 8,297 | 16.2 | -20.5 | $70,160.14 | |||
People's | Diane Boskovic | 3,381 | 6.6 | +4.7 | $2,346.29 | |||
Animal Protection | Ellen Papenburg | 154 | 0.3 | +0 | $8,074.38 | |||
Total valid votes/expense limit | 51,179 | 98.81 | -0.36 | $112,017.63 | ||||
Total rejected ballots | 525 | 1.02 | +0.19 | |||||
Turnout | 51,275 | 62.41 | – | |||||
Eligible voters | 82,159 | – | – | |||||
Green gain from Liberal | Swing | +9.28 | ||||||
Source: Elections Canada[11] |
- ^ Saini withdrew his candidacy, but after closure of nominations, so remained listed as the Liberal candidate on the ballot.
| ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
Liberal | Raj Saini | 20,316 | 36.69 | -12.09 | $71,251.01 | |||
Green | Mike Morrice | 14,394 | 25.99 | +22.94 | $72,289.70 | |||
Conservative | Stephen Woodworth | 13,191 | 23.82 | -6.54 | $86,969.26 | |||
New Democratic | Andrew Moraga | 6,238 | 11.27 | -5.34 | $15,354.69 | |||
People's | Patrick Bernier | 1,033 | 1.87 | – | none listed | |||
Animal Protection | Ellen Papenburg | 202 | 0.36 | – | none listed | |||
Total valid votes/expense limit | 55,374 | 99.17 | -0.28 | |||||
Total rejected ballots | 465 | 0.83 | +0.28 | |||||
Turnout | 55,839 | 66.57 | -0.93 | |||||
Eligible voters | 83,884 | – | – | |||||
Liberal hold | Swing | -17.52 | ||||||
Source: Elections Canada[12][13] |
2015 Canadian federal election | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
Liberal | Raj Saini | 25,504 | 48.78 | +16.49 | $100,662.46 | |||
Conservative | Stephen Woodworth | 15,872 | 30.36 | -10.00 | $126,009.07 | |||
New Democratic | Susan Cadell | 8,680 | 16.60 | -5.32 | $58,064.50 | |||
Green | Nicholas Wendler | 1,597 | 3.05 | -1.52 | $1,292.98 | |||
Libertarian | Slavko Miladinovic | 515 | 0.99 | – | – | |||
Marxist–Leninist | Julian Ichim | 112 | 0.21 | – | – | |||
Total valid votes/Expense limit | 52,280 | 100.00 | $209,331.18 | |||||
Total rejected ballots | 292 | 0.56 | – | |||||
Turnout | 52,572 | 68.46 | ||||||
Eligible voters | 76,797 | |||||||
Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +13.25 | ||||||
Source: Elections Canada[14][15] |
References
- ^ a b c "Newly elected MP Raj Saini ready to 'give back' to Kitchener". Therecord.com. 2015-10-28. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
- ^ a b "Raj Saini". Therecord.com. 2015-10-16. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
- ^ a b "Daily Exchange - Posting". Exchangemagazine.com. 2014-09-03. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
- ^ "Saini unseats Woodworth in bellwether of Kitchener Centre | CTV Kitchener News". Kitchener.ctvnews.ca. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
- ^ a b "Raj Saini". Parl.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
- ^ "Search: MP raj-sainiType:debate". Openparliament.ca. 2016-11-25. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
- ^ Burke, Ashley (31 August 2021). "Liberal candidate allowed to run for re-election despite past claims of inappropriate behaviour". CBC News. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ Rajsaini4kitcen [@RajSainiKitCen] (2021-09-04). "Please read my statement below. https://t.co/spJ6dtsXSA" (Tweet). Retrieved 2021-10-01 – via Twitter.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Raj Saini's name stays on the Kitchener-Centre ballot after scandal ends his bid for re-election". CBC News. 9 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ a b "Unfinished business — how a 'toxic environment' sank former Kitchener Centre MP Raj Saini's campaign". Waterloo Region Record. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
- ^ "List of confirmed candidates – September 20, 2021 Federal Election". Elections Canada. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
- ^ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
- ^ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- ^ "Voter Information Service - Find your electoral district". Elections.ca. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
- ^ [1] Archived 2015-08-15 at the Wayback Machine