March 31, 2021 (2 Minute Read)
Photo Order: Sara Singh (NDP) Charmaine Williams (PC) Safdar Hussain (Liberal)
With a provincial election date set for June 2nd, 2022, the political parties are already organizing and nominating their respective candidates. The Brampton Centre riding is heating up to be a key race to watch as the political parties develop their pre-writ strategies. Being ready is critical in the event an early provincial election is called.
The incumbent is Sara Singh for the New Democratic Party (NDP). She won the riding in 2018 with only 89 votes over the Progressive Conservative (PC) candidate Harjit Jaswal. Since her election, Sara has been very active, serving as Deputy Leader for the Official Opposition; Member of the Select Committee on Emergency Management Oversight; and a Critic for Senior issues including Home Care and Long-term Care.
The 2018 election results were:
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
| Sara Singh | NDP | 12,892 |
| Harjit Jaswal | PC | 12,803 |
| Safdar Hussain | Lib | 5,825 |
| Laila Zarrabi Yan | Green | 1,052 |
This time, Sara Singh’s challenger in the next provincial election will be Brampton Councillor, Charmaine Williams. Sources have advised the Bramptonist that the PC riding association for Brampton Centre will be nominating Councillor Williams this evening. The Brampton Councillor has been quite vocal at Brampton Council, advocating against cannabis stores and addressing systemic racism.
Councillor Williams has received some controversy last year for violating the Municipal Code of Conduct as reported by the City’s Integrity Commissioner. In the report, the Integrity Commissioner concluded Williams violated the Code of Conduct by failing to adhere to the City’s policies and procedures.
The local Liberals have quite a hill to climb to become competitive. They would have to double their vote count from the last election to challenge the seat. This responsibility has been once again been assigned to Safdar Hussain. In his media release, Hussain remarks, “I am very excited to work with the Brampton community to rebuild the Ontario Liberal Party, so we can build an Ontario where everyone is given a fair and equal opportunity to succeed,” said Hussain. “As a candidate for Brampton Centre in the 2022 provincial election, I am proud to be running under the leadership of Ontario Liberal Party Leader, Steven Del Duca.”
When asked about Councillor Williams aspirations for higher office, Councillor Rowena Santos responded, “Diverse representation is important in Brampton, and I especially support strong, articulate and bright women who have integrity in their role as leaders, to seek political office. We are lucky to have such women of colour representing Brampton at every level of government like MPP Sara Singh who serves our residents well, as well as MPs Ruby Sahota, Kamal Khera, and Sonia Sidhu. But it is always nice to see women raising their hand to seek political office.”
Related to her role as a Councillor and running in a provincial campaign, Councillor Santos indicated that there can be concerns of divided loyalties. She referenced a recent Toronto Star editorial that mentioned “self-serving actions by politicians to cling to their elected job while seeking another position merely fuels public cynicism of politicians.”
Mayor Patrick Brown wrote, “Charmaine is a valued member of our City Council. I have enjoyed working with her on Afro Caribbean economic development, faster accreditation for foreign-trained doctors, confronting systemic racism and protecting religious freedom.” He continued, “I am non-partisan as Mayor but I wish her the best. The incumbent Sara Singh is an accomplished MPP and I imagine this will present an opportunity to have a real debate between two strong candidates. Democracy is stronger when you have strong candidates.”
Councillor Pat Fortini shares the representation of Ward 7/8 on City Council with Councillor Williams. Several attempts were made to contact Councillor Fortini for comment on the nomination. He did not respond.
Congratulations to all who seek the nomination to participate in the upcoming provincial election. Brampton Centre will be a good race to watch.
