I COVER STORY

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Our cover girl wore a gold and turquoise pure silk dresswith an empire waist, fully embroidered flared skirt with

band at the bottom from Indiva Retail Inc. As Dhallastepped in front of the camera, she raised her

brow, tilted her chin and worked a shoul­der here and there while master photogra­

pher Ribee captured it all on film. "Thankyou for a wonderful day," Dhalla said before

leaving the set.

BY CHIOMA, PUBLISHER

Our cover team headed to the eastside of Toronto,Ontario to prepare for the arrival of former actress/model, community activist, doctor, entrepreneur, andnow the youngest woman in Canadian Parliament,

Ruby Dhalla. Dhalla is a striking beauty so our glamsquad decided on a glamorous yet classic look. Hair

and makeup artist Barb Webb of Sherrida Inc. crafteda pretty palette of soft pink, gold shimmer and soft,smoky bronze over burgundy hues to bring out Dhalla'sgorgeous eyes.

DECEMBER 10, ~007LOCATION: 20 LESLIE STREET,TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA

BEHIND ~THE CAMERA WITHRUBY DHALLA

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161 AMOI MAGAZINE www.amoimagazrne.CC5

www.amoimagazine.com AMOI MAGAZINE

COVER STORY I

BY CHIOMA

Dhalla entered our downtown Toronto studio dressed inan a-line dress, knee-length boots and a white coat. Shegreeted me with a friendly hug and a warm smile. Dhallawas enthusiastic about the photo shoot and interview. Shehad a firm grasp on her personal sense of style.

As we spoke, I learned that Dhalla is fiercely independent,talented and an engaging conversationalist.

She graduated in 1995 from the University of Winnipeg witha B.Sc. in Biochemistry and a minor in Political Science. In1999, she graduated as a Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine.As a South Asian woman, her political involvement reflectsCanadian diversity.

DR. RUBY DHALLA is the Liberal MP for Brampton­Springdale. In 2004, she became the youngest woman inCanadian Parliament. Dhalla is also a community activist,doctor, entrepreneur, and a former model and actress.

A PORTRAITOF

,. I have theseyoung five or

E?ix-year-old girlsho will come

up to me andsay that they

want to beprime minister

one day. And.~ think if these

pung girls arethinking along

those lines l thenwelre going tohave a bright

future, ,

COVER STORY COVER STORY I

'-'Why can'tthese peoplesit down and

talk about theirproblems in­

stead of killingeach other?"There was awar betvveen

the Sikhs andthe Hindus,

So I actuallywrote a letter

to the primeminister of

India, thelate IndiraGandhi.

Chloma: Tell me about your genealogy.

Where did your grandparents comefrom?

Ruby Dhalla: My grandparents are

originally from India. And my mom, at

that time, had seven brothers and sis­

ters living in India. When my grandfa­

ther moved to England, my mom cared

for the whole house. She supported all

of her brothers and sisters.

Chioma: How many kids did your par­

ents have?

Ruby: My mom had myself and my

brother. My brother is a year younger

than I am. I am the oldest.

Chioma: Why did your parents choose

Canada?

Ruby: It was supposed to be that sym­

bol of hope. For so many countries, at

that time, India was really a developing

country. So my mom always tells me

that they came to Canada [in 19721 out

of curiosity to see what the land had

to offer. But they stayed in Canada for

their children.

Chioma: Where were you born?

RUby: In Winnipeg, Manitoba. When

my mom came, there weren't many im­

migrant families at that time, especially

Indian families. They were about one of

10 Indian families in Winnipeg. I was

really fortunate and, I think, blessed

to have a childhood in a city which was

very integrated, very multicultural in

nature; and really a strong sense of fam­

ily and a strong sense of community. So

I'm always very grateful that I grew up

in a place like Winnipeg. I always say

it's the friendliest city in the country.

Chioma: Tell me about your mother,

because you talk a lot about her. Are

you your mother's daughter?

Ruby: (Laugh) My mom is my best

friend and my mother, but she's really

my pillar of strength and I always say

if I'm one tenth of what she is as an

individual, then I think I will have suc­

ceeded in life. She was a single mother.

Chioma: What made you put your med­

ical career on hold to pursue acting?

Ruby: I always had an interest in tele­

vision and in film and entertainment.

And my mom had always placed a

great emphasis on education, so I went

through 10 years of school to become

a chiropractor and my mom spent­

God!-I think about $100,000. And

when I finished I'm like, "I think I re­

ally want to pursue my goal of acting."

Chioma: How was life in India?

Ruby: I remember when I came home

at Christmas; I decided to stay [in

Canada] because, even though I'd en­

joyed the whole experience in terms of

acting and in terms of television, there

wasn't that opportunity for that intel­

lectual stimulation. I didn't feel com­

plete as an individual. So I returned

without regrets.

Chioma: May 8, 2004, you made

Canadian political history by becom­

ing the youngest woman in the House of

Commons. Explain the journey thus far.

Ruby: My journey in politics actually

started at the age of 10. My mom used

to make us watch the news every night

before we slept. I could see all of this

violence that was taking place in India,

and I remember turning to my mom

and, just as a child saying, "Do you

know what? I see all of this violence

that's going on. Why can't these people

sit down and talk about their problems

instead of killing each other?" There

was a war between the Sikhs and the

Hindus. So I actually wrote a letter to

the prime minister of India, the late

Indira Gandhi.

Chioma: What made you write the

letter?

Ruby: I just wanted to make that dif­

ference, and I think, probably at that

age, seeing all of this violence and

wondering why these people were re­

sorting to violence versus just sitting

down and talking about their problems,

and thinking of a peaceful solution. I

wrote this letter to her and I never even

thought anything about it. Two weeks

later I get this special delivery back at

our house. I open it and there it is: a

handwritten letter from the late prime

minister of India. She had written

about all the options that they had, and

what process they had gone through.

Chioma: Have you ever felt, underes­

timated because of your race, age and

your gender? What are some of the bar­

riers that still need to be broken down?

Ruby: There is, I think, a sense of,

I don't know if I want to call it dis­

crimination, but I think to an extent

preconceived stereotypes of what one

should look like when they are in poli­

tics. So being female, young and from

an ethnic background, you fall into

these minority groups. And it wasn't

until I got into Ottawa when I was first

elected in June 28, 2004. I was 30. And

I certainly didn't fit the traditional

political stereotype.

Chioma: I know you've had some

political mentors along the way. So

when you won, how did you prepare?

Ruby: I was so blessed to have a very

supportive family with my mom and my

brother, and a very close-knit group of

friends and supporters. I went through

a very challenging campaign in 2004

because of the fact that I didn't fit the

traditional political stereotype. But I

remember the first piece of advice that

Paul Martin gave me the day I made

the decision to run which was May 8,

2004, and that was to have thick skin.

He couldn't have been more correct.

Chioma: Your motion for foreign

credential recognition passed in the

House of Commons. How effective has

it been since its passage?

Ruby: There's a lot of work to do. We

are a country of immigrants. And when

people are coming to Canada, you're

coming with all of these hopes, these

dreams and these aspirations, and they

get here and they realize very quickly

that their qualifications and their

degrees are not recognized. I look at

people like my mom, who worked in the

banking sector in India who came here

and worked in factories. If we want to

compete in a globalized world, moving

forward, we need to have a workforce,

and we need to have a workforce which

is prepared. There isn't a national lead­

ership that's being provided on the is­

sue. And I hope, moving forward, that

people of all political parties are going

to realize that the demographic and the

dynamic of our country is changing.

Chioma: What issues have you champi­

oned as a community activist?

Ruby: I've worked extensively with

young people...and continue to visit all

of the schools from elementary to high

school discussing, not only politics, but

getting involved in different programs

and exploring different opportunities.

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www.amoimagazine.com AMOI MAGAZINE 127

COVER STORY I

Ruby: We need to start identify­

ing women that are going to take the

plunge ...women from ethnic com­

munities need to become engaged in

the process. Go out there and volun­

teer. Pick up the phone when you feel

passionate about an issue. From an

ethnic Canadian perspective, we've

gone through the debate of reason­

able accommodation which they're

going through in Quebec. We're go­

ing through a debate in parliament in

regards to security certificates. And

these are issues that directly impact

people from cultural communities. And

it's only when you are involved that

you are able to educate, and I always

say that broadens people's horizons.

Chioma: What can be done to encour­

age more ethnic minorities, specifically

women to run for office?

sister, your mother. And if you don't

have any of those in your life, then find

a woman on the street and bring her in.

But you're not allowed to get in unless

you bring the woman out." And it was

amazing to see towards the end of the

2004 campaign, and even in 2006, these

women just take on leadership roles.

Sometimes when you're promoting

these issues they're like, "Oh, you're a

feminist." Well, you don't have to look

at yourself as a feminist, but I think as

a humanist.

Chioma: AMOI interviewed former

premier Brian Tobin about why vis­

ible minorities and women remain a

minority in the House of Commons.

He believes the Canadian political

system gives anyone a fair chance

to run for government regardless of

social class, race and gender. Do you

agree with this?

used to take two or three buses just to

get to the library, to go out there and do

research. And growing up in Winnipeg

where it was minus forty below and

you're stuck in blizzards and you have

to wait for a bus. Don't let anything

ever stop you. Go and learn and take

that opportunity; and that can only

come from within.

Ruby: I think that, we have a long way

to go, as Brian said, and that's why

reading a magazine like AMOI, I think,

is a great inspiration. When I started

in 2004 a few weeks went by in the cam­

paign, and every time I would come

in I would look around and it was all

men. And I remember, turning to my

mom one day and I said, "This is great

that we have so many volunteers, but

they're all men." So the next day I said,

"Your support means a lot, but starting

tomorrow morning we have a new rule

for the office. You are not allowed to

enter into this campaign office without

bringing your wife, your daughter, your

Ruby: My mom never drove at that

time when we were growing up and we

C~lioma: Where did the inspiration for

social justice come from?

I have these young five or six-year-old

girls who will come up to me and say

that they want to be prime minister one

day. And I think if these young girls are

thinking along those lines, then we're

going to have a bright future. I just got

back from Africa about three weeks

ago. I went to Cape Town, South Africa

and had a chance to go into some of the

townships and some of the shanty towns

and visit some of the areas where there's

extreme poverty. And one realizes when

they go there, how much we are blessed

to have in our country, but how much,

also, that we, as a nation and as people,

have a responsibility to give back.

Ruby: In Winnipeg, we grew up in one

of the lowest socio-economic neighbour­

hoods. We were raised by a single mother.

She took care of my brother and 1. And

I think it was seeing my mom's courage

and her strength and the vision that she

had for both of her children which really

gave me my inspiration in some of those

issues of social justice.

Chioma: What advice do you give to par­

ents to help them become aware of some

of the opportunities that are out there?

ICOVER STORY

Chioma: Gay marriage is still a taboo

in many diverse communities. What are

your thoughts on this issue?

Ruby: I think it's probably a slow pro­

cess for everyone to get onto the same

page, but I can tell you as a Canadian,

I'm a very strong supporter and it's in­

herent in my blood to believe in equality

and to believe in the Charter of Rights

which has given so many people and so

many Canadians from all ethnic back­

grounds an opportunity to succeed. And

it's because of the Charter ... that we

have equality. The same sex issue was a

very tough issue. There are people who

are in fundamental disagreement with

it. But I think that we, as Canadians,

cannot pick and choose rights.

Chioma: You were health critic in the

House of Commons. Are there any

challenges in the health care system

that are unique to minorities?

Ruby: The minority issue is always im­

migration and people don't realize that

health care is an issue which concerns

every Canadian regardless of which com­

munity you come from . . . we have to

make sure that-again, all of our policies

and programs, and this goes down to the

fundamental level of even hospitals,

are providing services in different

languages, that there is an opportuni­

ty for patients to ask for interpreters.

We have to do a lot more of collab­

orative work between provinces, mu­

nicipalities and within the population

to figure out how we address these

issues. Because with a growing popu­

lation, with an older population, the

challenges that we face in health care

are only going to continue to grow.

Chioma: What does your job as

critic for social development entail?

Ruby: My prime areas of responsibility

within the social development portfolio

are child care, affordable housing and

poverty. And we take a look at all of

those issues, issues which I'm very pas­

sionate about. Parents, and especially

women, are being prevented from enter­

ing the workforce because lack of a child

care space is a barrier to entry or even re­

entry into the workforce. So I think it's a

huge crisis that our country is facing.

Chioma: How do you deal with the so­

cial pressure to get married?

RUby: When I first ran they're like, "She's

not married? What do you mean she's not

married?" I think it takes time for that

shift and some of these community lead­

ers, and they exist in every community,

they'll be involved and they'll let you do

whatever, but they're hesitant to bring

their daughters out. Not that there's any­

thing against marriage, it's a beautiful in­

stitution, experience and journey, but the

timing has to be right, the person has to

be right. I don't think you should put

your life on hold for anybody. You have

to know yourself and your core, and you

want someone who's going to come into

your life and enhance your life.

Chioma: Looking back from when you

wrote the letter to Indira Gandhi, what

advice do you have for our youth?

Ruby: You know, I would hope that 20

years later I still have that sense of ide­

alism and that sense of hope, and if I

were to do one thing I think it would be

to reach out to the young ... because

they are our future. And I think, espe­

cially for the kids in Canada, to teach

them the sense of global responsibility.

I think every single young person in our

country should go away to countries

like Africa and to India and to other

developing nations to really get a true

sense of the world because there's so

much for them here that you take for

granted. And it doesn't just start to­

morrow, it starts today. And I think we

have to give children a purpose, and we

need to provide positive role models.

Chioma: How did you manage to stay fo­

cused and maintain a sense of discipline?

Ruby: You know, it was really a sense

of family from my mom and my uncles

and my aunts. You know, instead of

us being allowed to go out on a Friday

night, we would be having a family

event, you know, with all the uncles

and aunts sitting together and laughing

and joking. And those are the things

that we cherish until today. So it was

my mom, you know, even if we wanted

to go out shopping, she's like, "Qh, I'll

come with you." So we would have a

family affair going shopping.

Chioma: Have you ever thought about

running for prime minister?

Ruby: I've been asked, but ... I am

just a simple girl with a complicated

life. Remember..... To always..... Live...

love.... laugh. ,~,

281 AMOI MAGAZINE www.amoimagazine.com