Moe Sihota
| Moe Sihota | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister Responsible for Constitutional Affairs of British Columbia | |
|
In office November 5, 1991 – September 15, 1993 | |
| Premier | Michael Harcourt |
| Minister of Labour and Consumer Services of British Columbia | |
|
In office November 5, 1991 – September 15, 1993 | |
| Premier | Michael Harcourt |
| Preceded by | James Thomas Rabbitt |
| Succeeded by | Dan Miller |
| Minister of Environment, Lands and Parks of British Columbia | |
|
In office September 15, 1993 – May 10, 1995 | |
| Premier | Michael Harcourt |
| Preceded by | John Cashore |
| Succeeded by | Elizabeth Cull |
| Minister of Multiculturalism & Human Rights of British Columbia | |
|
In office September 15, 1993 – May 10, 1995 | |
| Premier | Michael Harcourt |
| Preceded by | Anita Hagen |
| Succeeded by | Ujjal Dosanjh |
| Minister of Environment, Lands and Parks of British Columbia | |
|
In office August 16, 1995 – June 17, 1996 | |
| Premier | Michael Harcourt, Glen Clark |
| Preceded by | Elizabeth Cull |
| Succeeded by | Paul Ramsey |
| Minister of Education, Skills and Training of British Columbia | |
|
In office June 17, 1996 – December 12, 1996 | |
| Premier | Glen Clark |
| Preceded by | Paul Ramsey |
| Succeeded by | Joy MacPhail |
| Minister of Labour of British Columbia | |
|
In office June 17, 1996 – December 12, 1996 | |
| Premier | Glen Clark |
| Preceded by | Penny Priddy |
| Succeeded by | Joy MacPhail |
| Minister Responsible for Public Service of British Columbia | |
|
In office October 20, 1998 – July 21, 1999 | |
| Premier | Glen Clark |
| Succeeded by | Helmut Giesbrecht |
| Minister of Social Development and Economic Security of British Columbia | |
|
In office July 21, 1999 – February 24, 2000 | |
| Premier | Glen Clark, Dan Miller |
| Succeeded by | Jan Pullinger |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
February 18, 1955 Duncan, British Columbia |
| Political party | New Democrat |
Munmohan Singh "Moe" Sihota (born February 18, 1955) is a Canadian former broadcaster and politician.[1]
He was born in Duncan, British Columbia and attended St. George's Boys School, Vancouver, on scholarship. He earned a bachelor's degree in social work from the University of British Columbia in 1977, was awarded a scholarship to Warwick School of Economics, London, 1981 and a law degree from the University of Victoria in 1982. He was a social worker in White Rock in 1978-9 and an attorney in Esquimalt in 1984.
Political career
His political career began during his undergraduate years at UBC:
- Ombudsman, UBC (1975).
- Vice president, UBC, Board of Governors (1977).
- President, Young New Democrats (1978).
- President, Federal Riding of Cowichan/Malahat/The Islands (1981–84).
- Successfully managed election campaigns for Frank Mitchell (1983) and Jim Manly (1984).
- Alderman, Esquimalt (1984)
- Elected M.L.A. for Esquimalt/Port Renfrew (1986).
- The first Indian-Canadian to be elected to any federal or provincial riding and the first Indian-Canadian cabinet minister in a province of Canada.
He served in several cabinet posts under the New Democratic governments of Mike Harcourt, Glen Clark and Ujjal Dosanjh, but was forced to resign from cabinet several times.
During his career, he created 200 new Provincial Parks, extended Workers Compensation Coverage to farmworkers and changed BC logging practices.He also served on the Board of Directors of BC Hydro and Power Authority, Insurance Corporation of BC, Workers Compensation Board and the BC Buildings Corporation.[2]
Controversy
BC Law Society misconduct
Sihota resigned as Minister of Labour in 1995 after the Law Society of BC suspended his license to practice for 18 months, due to finding him guilty of professional misconduct.[3] He was reinstated to Cabinet in 1996, but resigned again December of the same year due to new allegations of corruption, abuse of office, and conflict of interest. The new allegations were due to actions he performed while in office that benefited his friend and former Vancouver MP Herb Dhaliwal. In his memoirs, "A Measure of Defiance", former BC Premier Mike Harcourt commented that "Although the B.C. Law Society denied the allegation, the hint that the investigation of our outspoken environment minister was politically motivated was too strong to be dismissed that quickly. This was, after all, British Columbia, the heart of nasty, partisan politics. There was no public outcry over the incident and to most of his constituents, reporters and even political adversaries, Moe's credibility did not suffer seriously.[4]
BC Hydro appointment
In 1991 Sihota helped his friend Dhaliwal become appointed to the board of B.C. Hydro in 1991, after Dhaliwal provided Sihota with a substantial mortgage guarantee.[5] The opposition BC Liberals then requested an investigation by Conflict Commissioner Ted Hughes. Hughes later found that Sihota had not been in a conflict of interest. However, Hughes also said at the time of the finding that had the new laws been in place during Dhaliwal's appointment in 1991, Sihota would have been found to be in a conflict of interest.[6]
Limousine licences
In 1996 Dhaliwal had applied to the Motor Carrier Commission for several licenses related to a limousine company partly owned by Dhaliwal and run by Sihota's cousin. It was later revealed by the former Commission chairman that Sihota had made repeated calls and wrote several letters to the commission in relation to Dhaliwal's applications.[5] Sihota again resigned from cabinet in 1996. A new investigation was started not by the Conflict of Interest Commissioner, but by fellow NDP party member and Glen Clark deputy minister Doug McArthur. Although McArthur found that Sihota had "exercised poor judgment and bullied commission staff", he found that Sihota had not been in a conflict of interest.[6] Glen Clark then reappointed Sihota back to cabinet in 1998.
Post Glen Clark era
After retiring from politics following the NDP's defeat in the, 2001 provincial election, Sihota became a television host for The New VI (formerly A-Channel now CTV2) in Victoria. He left the station in 2004 when his phone-in show, VILand Voices, was cancelled due to re-organization. He currently provides political commentary for CBC Radio's Early Edition Political Panel.
Since 2004, Sihota has pursued several business opportunities and is currently a part-owner and director of the Northern Bear Golf Club (Edmonton, AB), Four Points Sheraton (Victoria, BC) and Walton's Lakefront Resort (Osoyoos, BC).
In 2012, Vancouver Magazine named Sihota as one B.C's 50 most influential citizens[7]
In 2015, Sihota received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal for contributions to Canadian Society.
In 2005, the Parvasi Awards were created to honour outstanding achievements by Canadian Punjabi's. Mr. Sihota was the recipient of the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of being the first Indo Canadian elected to a Canadian Legislature and the first Indo Canadian ever to be appointed to a Cabinet.[8]
The 100 Year Journey Project chronicles the stories of the first 100 South Asians that impacted Canadian Society, chartered new territories and broke new ground. Mr.Sihota received the 2015 Pioneers and Navigators Award for his work in Politics and Public Policy.[9]
After the election of the New Democratic Government in Alberta, Mr.Sihota joined Edmonton's Canadian Strategy Group to provide political and policy advice to Alberta Corporations, Trade Unions and non -profits.[10]
BC NDP president
In November 2009, Sihota was elected to the position of President of the BC New Democratic Party. In October 2010, the media revealed that Sihota was being paid a salary for his position as President,[11] with payments from The Canadian Union of Public Employees, United Steelworkers and the BC Federation of Labour.[12] Sihota was elected to a second term at the 2011 party convention.[13]
Sihota, along with party leader Adrian Dix, faced criticism for running a poor campaign following the NDP's unexpected defeat in the 2013 provincial election. On September 21, 2013, the day after Dix announced his intention to step down as leader, Sihota announced that he would be stepping down as party president at the end of his term in November 2013.[13] He was credited with modernizing the NDP's fundraising capacity and implementing an outreach to the business community during his term.[13]
Personal life
Sihota currently lives in Victoria, British Columbia and is married with two children, Rajan and Karina. Karina works for the Canadian Labour Congress and Rajan works in digital marketing for rock bands.
References
- ↑
- ↑ http://www.leg.ca.ca/mla/36thpar/Sihota.htm
- ↑ http://www.theprovince.com/life/More+Sihota+named+president/2283689/story.html
- ↑ Mike Harcourt: A Measure of Defiance, Douglas & McIntyre, `1996, p.140
- 1 2 The Canadian Press, 12 Dec 1996,"Moe Sihota quits cabinet," Toronto
- 1 2 The Canadian Press, 20 Oct 1998, Greg Joyce, "Moe Sihota put back in cabinet," Toronto
- ↑ secure.vanmag.com
- ↑ parvasiawards.com
- ↑ http://www.voiceonline.com/100 year-gala-celebrates-southasian-pioneers-and-navigators
- ↑ canadianstrategygroup.com
- ↑ http://billtieleman.blogspot.com/2010/10/was-moe-sihota-being-paid-72000-year-to.html
- ↑ http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/viewfromtheledge/archive/2010/12/15/new-democrats-doing-the-sihota-squirm.aspx
- 1 2 3 "Moe Sihota to step down as NDP president". Vancouver Sun. September 21, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2013.