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Raj Saini

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Canadian politician

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 byStephen Woodworth
Succeeded byMike Morrice
Personal details
Born (1967-08-21) August 21, 1967 (age 57)
Bhiura or Balh, Himachal Pradesh, India
Political partyLiberal
ResidenceKitchener, Ontario
ProfessionBusinessman

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, where he completed a bachelor of science before going on to complete a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy at Boston's Northeastern University.

Early career

Prior to becoming a Member of Parliament, Saini was a pharmacist, having moved to Kitchener to start Greenbrook Pharmacy, a local independent business which he has co-owned and operated for more than 20 years. 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, a Rotarian, and has served as a member of the Canadian International Council, Waterloo.

Political career

Saini was first elected to Parliament in the 2015 federal election. He said that one of his top priorities for his time in Ottawa would be addressing Canada's need for a national pharmacare policy. 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. 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.

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.

Sexual harassment allegations

In 2021, allegations emerged that Saini engaged in inappropriate behaviour including unwanted sexual advances towards female staffers on four occasions. On September 4, Saini announced he was ending his campaign for re-election, denying any wrongdoing. 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.

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." 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.

Electoral record

2021 Canadian federal election: Kitchener Centre
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 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
  1. Saini withdrew his candidacy, but after closure of nominations, so remained listed as the Liberal candidate on the ballot.
2019 Canadian federal election: Kitchener Centre
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
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

References

  1. ^ "Newly elected MP Raj Saini ready to 'give back' to Kitchener". Therecord.com. 2015-10-28. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
  2. ^ "Raj Saini". Therecord.com. 2015-10-16. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
  3. ^ "Daily Exchange - Posting". Exchangemagazine.com. 2014-09-03. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
  4. "Saini unseats Woodworth in bellwether of Kitchener Centre | CTV Kitchener News". Kitchener.ctvnews.ca. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
  5. ^ "Raj Saini". Parl.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
  6. "Search: MP raj-sainiType:debate". Openparliament.ca. 2016-11-25. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
  7. 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.
  8. Rajsaini4kitcen (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)
  9. "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.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. "List of confirmed candidates – September 20, 2021 Federal Election". Elections Canada. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  12. "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  13. "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  14. "Voter Information Service - Find your electoral district". Elections.ca. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
  15. Archived 2015-08-15 at the Wayback Machine
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