{{Short description|Indian-born Canadian physician and politician (born 1954)}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = Dr. Gulzar Singh Cheema.jpg | name = Gulzar Singh Cheema | honorific_suffix = | office = Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Surrey-Panorama Ridge | term_start = May 16, 2001 | term_end = May 23, 2004 | predecessor = ''Riding established'' | successor = Jagrup Brar | office1 = Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for The Maples | term_start1 = September 11, 1990 | term_end1 = June 17, 1993 | predecessor1 = ''Riding established'' | successor1 = Gary Kowalski | office2 = Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for Kildonan | term_start2 = April 26, 1988 | term_end2 = September 11, 1990 | predecessor2 = Marty Dolin | successor2 = Dave Chomiak | office3 = Minister of State for Mental Health of British Columbia | premier3 = Gordon Campbell | term_start3 = June 5, 2001 | term_end3 = January 26, 2004 | predecessor3 = ''Position established'' | successor3 = Susan Brice (Minister of State for Mental Health and Addiction Services) | office4 = Minister of State for Immigration and Multicultural Services of British Columbia | premier4 = Gordon Campbell | term_start4 = January 26, 2004 | term_end4 = March 8, 2004 | predecessor4 = ''Position established'' | successor4 = Patrick Wong | party = Manitoba Liberal Party<BR>British Columbia Liberal Party<BR>Liberal Party of Canada | birth_date = {{birth date and age|August 11, 1954|}} | birth_place = India | spouse = Harinder Cheema | profession = physician }}
'''Gulzar Singh Cheema''' (born August 11, 1954) is an Indian-born Canadian physician and politician.<ref name=parlgd>{{cite book |title=Canadian Parliamentary Guide |last=O'Handley |first=Kathryn |year=2001 |publisher=P. G. Normandin |isbn=0-7876-3561-8 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/canadianparliame0000unse }}</ref> He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1988 to 1993,<ref name=manitoba>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/members/mla_bio_living.html#c |title=MLA Biographies - Living |publisher=Legislative Assembly of Manitoba |access-date=2014-05-11}}</ref> and a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 2001 to 2004,<ref name=globe/> making him one of only a few Canadian politicians to have sat in two provincial legislatures since Confederation. He is the first Indian-born provincial legislator in Canada.<ref name="CBC211024">{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/gulzar-cheema-street-name-winnipeg-1.6223047 |title=New Winnipeg street honours 1st Indian-born Canadian elected to legislative assembly |publisher=CBC News |date=2021-10-24 |access-date=2024-09-09}}</ref> He was also a cabinet minister in the government of Premier of British Columbia Gordon Campbell from 2001 to 2004, and was a candidate of the Liberal Party of Canada in the federal election of 2004.
==Background== The son of Ajinder Singh Cheema and Ajit Kaur Aulakh,<ref name=parlgd/> he grew up in Gurdaspur district in Punjab, India.<ref name=punjab/><ref name="Straight181225">{{cite web |url=https://www.straight.com/news/1180716/gurpreet-singh-opening-kartarpur-corridor-raise-hopes-permanent-peace-between-pakistan |title=Gurpreet Singh: Opening of Kartarpur corridor raises hopes of permanent peace between Pakistan and India |first=Gurpreet |last=Singh |publisher=Georgia Straight |date=2018-12-25 |accessdate=2024-09-10 |quote="Former B.C. Liberal cabinet minister Dr. Gulzar Cheema, who hails from Gurdaspur..."}}</ref> He received a bachelor's degree in medicine and surgery from Punjab University in 1977, then worked as a clinical instructor.<ref name=punjab/><ref name="BCLeg37">{{cite web |url=http://www.leg.bc.ca:80/mla/37thparl/cheema.htm |title=MLA: Hon. Gulzar Cheema |publisher=Legislative Assembly of British Columbia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040109173143/http://www.leg.bc.ca:80/mla/37thparl/cheema.htm|archive-date=2004-01-09}}</ref> He moved to Canada in 1979, and married Harinder Claire the same year; they have two children together.<ref name=punjab>{{cite web |url=http://punjabpavilion.ca/Political-Landmark---Dr--Gulzar-Singh-Cheema.php |title=Political Landmark - Dr. Gulzar Singh Cheema |work=Punjab Pavilion|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817230235/http://punjabpavilion.ca/Political-Landmark---Dr--Gulzar-Singh-Cheema.php|archive-date=2012-08-17}}</ref><ref name="BCLeg37"/> Following his internship at the Memorial University of Newfoundland and residency at Saskatoon's Royal University Hospital,<ref name=globe>{{cite news |url=http://v1.theglobeandmail.com/elections/fed2004/candidates/generated/59009_LIB.html |title=Cheema, Gulzar |newspaper=Globe and Mail |date=June 28, 2004 |access-date=2014-06-01}}</ref><ref name="BCLeg37"/> he moved to Winnipeg where he practised as a family physician from 1984 to 1993.<ref name=parlgd/>
==Political career==
=== Manitoba politics === Formerly a member of the Manitoba New Democratic Party (NDP),<ref>{{cite news |date=5 May 1988 |title=News Digest: Canada |newspaper=Financial Post |location=Toronto |page=2 |id={{ProQuest|436701031}}}}</ref> in the Manitoba general election of 1988, Cheema was elected as a Liberal in the Winnipeg riding of Kildonan. The Liberals went from one to twenty seats in the Manitoba legislature in this election, winning several Winnipeg seats from the governing NDP. Cheema defeated Progressive Conservative candidate John Baluta by 585 votes,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/kildonan-1.1113510 |title=Kildonan |work=Manitoba |publisher=CBC News |date=2011-09-07 |accessdate=2024-09-10 }}</ref> with NDP incumbent Marty Dolin finishing third. The Progressive Conservatives came out of the election with a minority government, and Cheema became a member of the official opposition. Cheema increased his margin of victory in the 1990 provincial election when he ran in the new riding of The Maples,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/the-maples-1.1069673 |title=The Maples |work=Manitoba Votes 2011 |publisher=CBC News |date=2011-09-07 |accessdate=2024-09-10 }}</ref> but the Liberal Party fell to seven seats and third-party status. During his time in the Manitoba assembly, he served as critic for health, labour, housing, native affairs, sport and co-operatives, and consumer and corporate affairs.<ref name=globe/><ref name="BCLeg37"/> He resigned his seat on June 17, 1993.<ref name=manitoba/>
=== British Columbia politics === Soon afterwards, Cheema opened a family practice in Surrey, British Columbia.<ref name=parlgd/> He became involved in several community activities in British Columbia, including acting as chair of the 1998 British Columbia Games for Athletes with Disabilities' medical section.<ref name="BCLeg37"/> He also made regular appearances on local multicultural radio talk shows and television station OMNI BC (previously Channel M) to educate the Indo-Canadian community on health and disease prevention.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.surreynowleader.com/life/paging-and-praising-dr-cheema-2908782 |title=Paging – and praising – Dr. Cheema |publisher=Surrey Now-Leader |date=2014-06-23 |access-date=2024-09-09}}</ref>
In the 1996 provincial election, Cheema ran as a BC Liberal in the riding of Vancouver-Fraserview, but lost to BC NDP candidate Ian Waddell by 380 votes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/1996-SOVGeneralElection.pdf |title=Statement of Votes, 36th Provincial General Election |publisher=Elections BC |accessdate=2024-09-09 }}</ref>
The BC NDP experienced a sharp decline in popularity in the following years, and the provincial Liberals were elected in a landslide in the 2001 provincial election. This time Cheema ran in Surrey-Panorama Ridge, where he defeated NDP candidate Bruce Ralston by over 6,000 votes to become the riding's member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/2001GEResults/2001-SOVGeneralElection.pdf |title=Statement of Votes, 37th Provincial General Election |publisher=Elections BC |accessdate=2024-09-09 }}</ref> He was appointed to the cabinet that June by Premier Gordon Campbell to serve as Minister of State for Mental Health, before being re-assigned in January 2004 as Minister of State for Immigration and Multicultural Services.<ref name=globe/><ref name="CampbellCabinet">{{cite web|title=Campbell Cabinet: 37th Parliament 2001-2005, 38th Parliament 2005-2009, 39th Parliament 2009-2011 |url=https://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/reference/campbell_cabinet.pdf|publisher=Legislative Assembly of British Columbia|accessdate=2024-09-09}}</ref>
=== Federal politics === Later in 2004, Cheema sought and won the federal Liberal nomination in the new riding of Fleetwood—Port Kells. His cabinet appointment was rescinded on March 8, 2004,<ref name="CampbellCabinet"/> and he subsequently resigned as MLA that May.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hansard – Tuesday, February 8, 2005 a.m. – Vol. 26, No. 18 |url=https://lims.leg.bc.ca/hdms/file/Debates/37th5th/20041028am-Hansard-v26n18.htm|publisher=Legislative Assembly of British Columbia|accessdate=2024-09-10}}</ref> At the June 2004 federal election, Cheema was defeated by Conservative candidate Nina Grewal, 14,052 votes to 11,568 (New Democratic Party candidate Barry Bell received 10,976 votes).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/ElectionsRidings/Ridings/Profile?OrganizationId=3033 |title=Profile - Fleetwood--Port Kells, British Columbia (2004-05-23 - ) |publisher=Library of Parliament |accessdate=2024-09-10 }}</ref>
=== Attempt return to BC politics === In the 2020 provincial election, Cheema was the BC Liberal candidate in Surrey-Panorama, a reconfigured version of his old riding.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brunoro |first=Michele |date=2020-10-07 |title=Election 2020: Surrey-Panorama important battleground riding for Liberals and NDP |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/election-2020-surrey-panorama-important-battleground-riding-for-liberals-and-ndp/ |access-date=2024-04-06 |website=CTVNews |language=en}}</ref> He was defeated by incumbent NDP member Jinny Sims.<ref>{{Cite web |title=B.C. election 2020: Surrey-Panorama results - BC {{!}} Globalnews.ca |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7335812/bc-election-2020-surrey-panorama/ |access-date=2024-04-06 |website=Global News |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Honours== Cheema was awarded the Canada 125 Medal in 1992 for community service.<ref name="BCLeg37"/> In 2021, a new street in northwest Winnipeg was named Cheema Drive in his honour.<ref name="CBC211024"/>
==Election results== {{1988 Manitoba general election/Kildonan}}
{{Canadian election result/top|MB|1990|The Maples (electoral district)|The Maples|percent=yes}} {{CANelec|MB|Liberal|'''Gulzar Singh Cheema'''|3,273|39.83}} {{CANelec|MB|PC|Norman Isler|2,684|32.66}} {{CANelec|MB|NDP|Tony Valeri|2,260|27.50}} {{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes|8,217|100.00|-}} {{Canadian election result/total|Rejected ballots|36|}} {{Canadian election result/total|Turnout|8,253|67.00}} {{Canadian election result/total|Eligible voters|12,318}} {{CANelec/source|Source: Elections Manitoba<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.electionsmanitoba.ca/downloads/HistoricalSummary.pdf|title=Candidates: 35th General Election|publisher=Elections Manitoba|date=September 11, 1990|access-date=27 September 2018}}</ref>}} {{end}}
{{Canadian election result/top|CA|2004|Fleetwood—Port Kells|percent=yes|change=yes|expenditures=yes}} {{CANelec|CA|Conservative|Nina Grewal|14,052|35.8|–|$67,710}} {{CANelec|CA|Liberal|'''Gulzar Cheema'''|11,568|29.5|–|$69,483}} {{CANelec|CA|NDP|Barry Bell|10,976|28.0|–|$7,669}} {{CANelec|CA|Green|David Walters|2,484|6.3|–| }} {{CANelec|CA|Marxist-Leninist|Joseph Theriault|167|0.4|–| }} {{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes|39,247|100.0| }} {{Canadian election result/total|Total rejected ballots|218|0.6| }} {{Canadian election result/total|Turnout|39,465|59| }} {{end}} {{2020 British Columbia general election/Surrey-Panorama}}
==References== {{Reflist}} {{Gordon Campbell Ministry}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheema, Gulzar Singh}} Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:BC United MLAs Category:Canadian general practitioners Category:Canadian people of Punjabi descent Category:Canadian Sikhs Category:Indian emigrants to Canada Category:Indian Sikhs Category:Liberal Party of Canada candidates in the 2004 Canadian federal election Category:Manitoba Liberal Party MLAs Category:Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia Category:Memorial University of Newfoundland alumni Category:People from Surrey, British Columbia Category:Academic staff of the University of British Columbia Category:Expatriate academics in Canada Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba Category:20th-century Canadian medical doctors Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia Category:21st-century Canadian medical doctors Category:British Columbia candidates for Member of Parliament