Harinder Takhar

Harinder Jeet Singh Takhar is a politician in Ontario, Canada. Takhar was born to a Sikh family in the Indian state of Punjab, with a background in farming and civil service work. He moved to Canada in 1974, and arrived in Mississauga, Ontario in 1977. He lives with his family in Mississauga.

Political career

Harinder Takhar was elected to the Ontario Legislature as a Liberal in the 2003 provincial election, and was appointed Minister of Transportation on October 23, 2003, by Premier Dalton McGuinty. He is the first Indian-Canadian to hold a cabinet post in Ontario.

In May 2006, Takhar was sworn in as the first Minister of the newly-created Ministry of Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Takhar was re-elected to the Ontario Legislature in October 2007 for the redistributed riding of Mississauga-Erindale for a second term. In July 2008, Takhar was appointed as Minister of Small Business and Consumer Services.In June 2009, Takhar‘s mandate was again changed and he was sworn in as the Minister of Government Services.

Scandal

In June 2005, Takhar faced criticism after the Toronto Sun caught him visiting his company despite its having been placed in a blind trust when he joined the cabinet. Cabinet ministers are required to keep an arms-length relationship with any business they own to avoid a conflict of interest. Premier McGuinty refused to bow to opposition demands for Takhar's resignation but conceded that the minister had shown poor judgement . Takhar insisted he...
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