From Lawyer to Crime Advisor: Sahota Takes On New Federal Role
Veteran Brampton MP Ruby Sahota is taking on a key national portfolio in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new cabinet, serving as Secretary of State for Combatting Crime.
Sahota, a former lawyer and longtime Liberal representative, will advise senior ministers on strategies to tackle crime across Canada. Her appointment is part of Carney’s effort to bring fresh focus to priority issues through the addition of nine new secretaries of state — a tier of junior ministers designed to provide targeted leadership without leading a standalone department.
Now representing the newly formed riding of Brampton North–Caledon, Sahota secured re-election on April 28 with a narrow victory over Conservative challenger Amandeep Judge, winning by 650 votes.
“Canada’s new Ministry is built to deliver the change Canadians want and deserve,” Carney said, emphasizing that secretaries of state are “empowered to show leadership and deliver decisive action.”
Since first being elected in 2015, Sahota has held several key roles in government, including Minister of Democratic Institutions, Chief Government Whip, and membership on multiple parliamentary committees, such as Status of Women and Procedure and House Affairs.
Before entering politics, Sahota earned her law degree from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School and practiced as a lawyer in Ohio.
Her appointment came alongside two other Brampton-area MPs entering cabinet: Shafqat Ali as President of the Treasury Board and Maninder Sidhu as Minister of International Trade.