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Gurmant Grewal, MP
Newton-North Delta

'NRI Gurmant Grewa'l was first elected to the House of Commons in 1997. He was re-elected in 2000 and 2004. In 2004, Mr. Grewal and his wife, Nina Grewal, became the first spouses to simultaneously hold elected seats in Parliament.

Mr. Grewal obtained a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and a Master’s of Business Administration from Punjab Agricultural University. He has worked as an Assistant Professor of Management at an overseas university, and as a realtor and an entrepreneur.

As a Parliamentarian, Mr. Grewal convinced the Federal Government to remove, and safely dispose of, radioactive waste held in Surrey for over 25 years. He helped Daniel Igali with his citizenship, paving the way for him to win Olympic gold for Canada. Mr. Grewal’s Bill C-205 is one of the few Official Opposition bills to ever become law. The bill expanded the authority of the Scrutiny of Regulations Committee to strike down unnecessary regulation.

Surrey’s Radio India named Gurmant Grewal, Leader of the Year. In 2002, he was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for outstanding service to Canada.

EDUCATION

• Ph.D. ~ Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science and Diplomacy (HC) 2012, Caucasus University, Georgia
• M.B.A. ~ Master of Business Administration 1981, Punjab Agricultural University, India
• B.Sc. Agri. (Honours) ~ Bachelor of Agricultural Science 1979, Punjab Agricultural University, India

RECORDS, AWARDS RECOGNITIONS AND REPRESENTATIONS

• Called in the parliament in 2003, “The Iron Man of the Canadian Parliament” by the Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper (22nd Prime Minister of Canada) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e_Fkxsg8-w].
• Elected to the House of Commons in less than 6 years after immigrating to Canada (a record in Canada).
• With the election of Nina Grewal as an M.P. in 2004, became the first married couple to serve concurrently as MPs in Canada and the Commonwealth.
• First ever visible minority to be appointed an Officer of the House (Deputy Opposition House Leader), and Chair of the Joint Standing Committee of the House and Senate on Scrutiny of Regulations.
• First visible minority person ever elected at any government level from Surrey, BC.
• Awarded the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals for outstanding services to Canada.
• Honorary citizenship bestowed by the government of the Republic of Georgia.
• Ph.D. (Honoris Causa) in Political Science and Diplomacy awarded by the Caucasus University.
• Recognition by Washington State Network for Human Rights for contributions in promoting human rights.
• Recognition by Dalai Lama, and Friends of Tibet for negotiations of pertinent issues with the Republic of China.
• Appreciation for advocacy for Taiwan at the WHO, and by the Taiwanese Canadian Association of Canada.
• ‘Leader of the Year’ award by Radio India of Canada 2002.
• World Sikh Award London, U.K. (2012), (declared 28th most powerful and influential Sikh in the world).
• The Indian Icon Award New Delhi (2014).
• The only member of the Canadian Alliance (Official Opposition) to receive Royal Assent for his Bill (C-205).
• Introduced over 50 Private Members’ Bills and Motions, 6 passed a vote in the House of Commons – many significant issues resulted in changing the agenda of the Canadian government.
• Delivered more speeches than other MPs during many sessions of the House of Commons.
• Held the world record for casting the most consecutive votes (53 hours) in parliament in 2003.
• Met with over 75 heads of state, royalty and discussed Canadian and international issues.
• Represented, and participated on behalf of Govt of Canada abroad at many international forums including APEC.
• Participated in the mediation of international disputes and issues in the China-Taiwan, Israel-Palestine, Peace Talks Sri Lanka-LTTE, and Canada-India relations during the post-nuclear tests in 1998.
• Helped unite hundreds of families separated since 1949 on both sides of the Shouting Fence (Israel-Egypt).
• Keynote speaker at Harvard Business School on ‘Participation of Visible Minorities in Politics in North America’.
• Received an invitation to the US Senate Chamber from Hubert Humphrey, Vice President of the USA (1965).
• Canadian Inauguration Team Member at Diplomatic Office in Taiwan, Taipei 101, and Consulate in Chandigarh.

EXPERIENCE (40+ YEARS) AND SKILLS

• Parliamentarian (M.P. 3-terms), entrepreneur, consultant, financial institution’s director, senior manager with multinational companies, university professor, motivational speaker, and expert on international issues on TV.
• Comprehension of the working of the government, parliament, regulatory process, and public policy formulation.
• Liaised with global leaders, governments, bureaucrats, media and celebrities.
• Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant and Commissioner of Oaths of British Columbia.
• President, Global Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

OFFICIAL OPPOSITION SHADOW CABINET ROLES AND PARLIAMENTARY MEMBERSHIPS

• Chairman, Standing Joint Committee of the House and Senate on Scrutiny of Regulations (7 terms)
• Deputy House Leader of the Official Opposition of Canada
• Official Opposition Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
• Official Opposition Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism
• Official Opposition Shadow Minister for Scrutiny of Regulations
• Official Opposition Shadow Minister for Canadian International Development
• Official Opposition Shadow Minister for Canadians Abroad (Foreign Affairs)
• Official Opposition Shadow Minister for Asia Pacific (Foreign Affairs)
• Official Opposition Deputy Shadow Minister for the Environment
• Official Opposition Deputy Shadow Minister for Health
• Member, Priority & Planning Committee of the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet to govern the caucus affairs
• Member, Liaison Committee of the House of Commons (7 terms)
• Member, Standing Committee of the House on Procedure and House Affairs
• Member, Standing Committee of the House on Foreign Affairs and International Trade
• Member, Standing Committee of the House on Citizenship and Immigration
• Member, Standing Committee of the House on Public Accounts
• Member, Standing Committee of the House on Environment and Sustainable Development
• Member, Standing Committee of the House on Health
• Member, Standing Committee of the House on Canadian Heritage
• Member, Standing Committee of the House on Transport
• Member, Sub-Committee on Organized Crime of the Standing Committee of Justice and Human Rights
• Member, Sub-Committee on Parliamentary Committees’ Budgets of the Liaison Committee
• Chairman and Co-Founder, Canada-India Parliamentary Friendship Group
• Chairman and Co-Founder, Canada-Pakistan Parliamentary Friendship Group
• Vice President, Commonwealth Parliamentary Group
• Vice Chair and Executive Committee Member, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA)
• Vice Chair, Canada-ASEAN Parliamentary Friendship Group
• Executive Committee Member, Friendship Group of Parliamentarians for UNESCO
• Executive Committee Member, Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA)
• Member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
• Member, Parliamentary Confederation of the Americas (COPA)
• Member, Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group
• Member, Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association
• Member, Canada-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group
• Member, Delegation of Governor General of Canada’s State Visit to South America (Argentina and Chile)
• Member, Delegations of the Prime Ministers of Canada to India (Twice)
• Member, Delegations of the Speaker’s official visits to Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand, and Sri Lanka
• Member, Delegation of the Leader of Opposition to normalize strained relations with India after the nuclear tests
• Member, Delegations of various Ministers to represent Canada in many countries in the World
• Represented Canada at the State Funeral of the leaders killed in Armenia’s Parliament

EXPERIENCE (40+ YEARS)

1. Management Experience:

• Management Trainee – Shriram Fertilizers and Chemicals (a division of DCM – then the 4th largest private sector company in India)
• Area Manager (Northern Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, HP, and Jammu & Kashmir) – Garware Paints  Ltd. (then a division of a British conglomerate)
• General Manager – MOLIFCO, Liberia – large shoe manufacturer in West Africa
• Marketing Manager – Metalloplastica – manufacturer and marketer of over 200 products in West Africa
• President and Founder – Global Chamber of Commerce and Industry

2. Entrepreneurial Experience:

• Liberia Trade Development Corp – pest control, agricultural input, and telecommunications business – representing multinational suppliers and clients in Liberia Surrey Carpet Centre – marketing flooring products in Canada
• Home Life Real Estate Canada – Real Estate Agent
• Canadian Nectar Products Inc. – Co-founded one of the largest apple orchards in P.E.I., Atlantic Canada
• Gurmant Grewal Immigration Resources Inc. – Licensed Immigration Consultant, President and CEO

3. Teaching Experience:

• Associate Professor of Management at the University of Liberia, West Africa
• Professor of Political Science and Diplomacy at Caucasus University, Georgia
• Co-founder and Vice Chairman of New Westminster College ~ Degrees in Leadership and Diplomacy

4. Board of Directors Experience:

• Founder, President, and Chairman of the Board (Current), Global Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Surrey Metro Savings – then the second-largest Credit Union in Canada
• Canadian Cancer Society
• SOS Children’s Villages

5. Media Experience:

• Analyst and expert on global issues – the Prime Time on Prime Asia TV show on weekdays (500 episodes)
• Guest – live interviews on TVs and radios (over 1000 interviews)
• Expert commentator on general and presidential election results on TV
• Columnist – editorials, and articles in various newspapers.

6. Political Experience:

• Managed and won 7 federal election campaigns
• One of the 5 founding members of the Canadian Alliance – precursor of the Conservative Party of Canada
• One of the 4 MPs to initiate the merging of the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative parties to found the current Conservative Party of Canada that governed Canada from 2006 to 2015.
• Helped manage the Official Opposition Caucus and the MP’s role.
• Initiated and led political bridge-building with visible minorities in Canada and helped shed the Reform Party of Canada’s racist image across Canada
• Strategically contributed to 3 leadership campaigns of the Conservative Party and its legacy parties.