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Honourable Herb DhaliwalFormer Member of Parliament
Herb Dhaliwal was born in Chiheru, Punjab in 1952, and came to Canada at age six with his family, not speaking a word of English. He grew up in Vancouver South-Burnaby and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia in 1977, where he was active in student politics. Following his graduation from university, Mr. Dhaliwal started a small business in the basement of his house - this one-man building maintenance company eventually expanded to employ 500 people in various enterprises. He has held, he says, every job you can think of, from gas jockey to taxi driver. Prior to entering politics, Mr. Dhaliwal's career as a small businessman and entrepreneur spanned more than 25 years in the private and public sectors, specializing in transportation, maintenance, and real estate development. As an entrepreneur, he held the position of vice-chair on the Board of Directors for the British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority and of chair on British Columbia Hydro's Budget and Audit Committees. Mr. Dhaliwal was first elected to the House of Commons in 1993, representing the federal riding of Vancouver South. In 1996, Mr. Dhaliwal played an active and prominent role as a member of the Prime Minister's Team Canada trade mission to India. He was re-elected in 1997 in the re-distributed riding of Vancouver South-Burnaby and appointed as Minister of National Revenue where he served until August 1999. On August 3rd, 1999, Mr. Dhaliwal was appointed Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and he was re-elected for a third consecutive time in November 2000. Mr. Dhaliwal has the rare distinction of being the first South Asian to hold a Ministerial position anywhere in a Western democracy. In June 2000, Mr. Dhaliwal was included in the Vancouver Sun's listing as one of the hundred most influential British Columbians of the last 100 years. He spearheaded the creation of a commemorative postage stamp to celebrate and honour 100 years of Sikhs in Canada, in conjunction with the tercentenary of the Khalsa in April 1999. Mr. Dhaliwal's interests include golfing, skiing, travelling, reading, jogging and tennis. His travels have taken him to many parts of the world.
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On January 15, 2002, Prime Minister Jean Chretien announced the appointment of Herb Dhaliwal, M.P., as Minister of Natural Resources and political minister for British Columbia.