Peter Sandhu

Infobox_Politician


imagesize = 150px
name = Peter Sandhu
small| caption =
birth_date =
birth_place =
residence = Edmonton, Alberta
office = MLA for Edmonton-Manning
term_start = 2008
term_end =
predecessor = Dan Backs
successor = incumbent
party = Progressive Conservative
religion =
spouse = Kamal
children = Preetinder, Bhavneet and Inderdeep
occupation = homebuilder

Peter Sandhu is a Canadian politician and current Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the constituency of Edmonton-Manning as a Progressive Conservative.

Early life

Sandhu, who grew up in a farming family, left his native India for Canada at the age of 18 in 1979, settling in the Vancouver area and finding work on a farm. Two years later, he moved to Alberta and got a job at a steel factory. After a workplace injury in 1987 that negatively impacted his health, Sandhu began building homes on the side while still working as a crane operator at the plant. For 10 years, he worked two jobs; a homebuilder and realtor by day and a crane operator by night. He later quit at the steel plant and focused on his homebuilding business, which he has now owned for 16 years.

Sandhu's uncle was an elected official in India, and he credits working on one of his campaigns with sparking his interest in politics and democracy.

Political career

Sandhu defeated the incumbent independent MLA Dan Backs by 1,834 votes to win Edmonton-Manning. Backs, elected as an Alberta Liberal in 2004, was ousted from caucus by leader Kevin Taft before the election. Backs placed third in the constituency, placing 27 votes behind runner-up Rick Murti of the Alberta New Democrats.

He sits on three legislative committees; Public Accounts, Private Bills and Public Safety and Security.

Personal life

Sandhu married his wife Kamal in 1984. Together, they have three children; Preetinder, Bhavneet, and Inderdeep. In 2003, Sandhu was awarded the Queen's Jubilee Medal, and in 2005, he served as a centennial ambassador during Alberta's 100th anniversary celebrations.cite web|url=http://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_bio&rnumber=34|title=Sandhu's Legislative Assembly of Alberta biography]

Election results

References