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Dr. Ruby Dhalla could well be the poster child for achievement. First elected to parliament at age 30 in 2004, the MP for Brampton-Springdale has twice been considered a contender for the national leadership of the Liberal Party. She has been a newsmaker outside of politics too, as an actress and a podium finisher in a 1993 pageant, and she has been profiled in magazines like Flare, Chatelaine and Maxim. While her success has been well charted, what many people may not know are the obstacles she has had in getting there, the difficulties of growing up on the ‘wrong side’, as she puts it. In this account, she provides an insight into her life and what an average day is like for her, and voices her thoughts on issues close to her and her optimism for the future.
{As told to Synora Van Drine}
‘With the first meeting scheduled for sometimes as early as 7.30am, I am usually up by 6am so I can make time for prayer and a workout before getting on with the work day. The way the day starts off and is planned is always very different from the way it ends. It’s always very busy; you have to be prepared to be graceful under pressure. That’s always very important because the day can change very rapidly.
It usually starts off in the morning when I check all my messages on the Blackberry; there are always a number of e-mails that have come through, either from constituents or other individuals that need issues addressed. I also read the newspapers to get a sense of what’s going on across the country and what the pertinent issues of the day are.
Then it’s time for meetings, starting at 7.30 [am] or 8 or even 9 o’clock. Around 10.30 or 11, we find out if we are on the list for doing Question Period in the House of Commons. Then we go into a question period rehearsal at 1 o’clock. Two o’clock is QP.
Politics for me is about people. I think it’s extremely important for politicians to talk about issues that impact families.
I am a strong voice to encourage investment because there are a number of people that are struggling to make ends meet, that are having difficulty paying their mortgage bills, and putting food on the table, and making their mortgage payments. And I have met a lot of seniors who are having to make choices between filling up their fridge, filling up their prescriptions, and filling up the gas tank.
I think that any community, when it goes through challenges, faces obstacles that they have to respond to. It brings people together and you have community based solutions.
As a healthcare provider myself, another issue I take pride in championing is that of healthcare… to ensure that every Canadian has access to a doctor, that we have the resources and the support that’s needed to ensure the very best in healthcare services.
I have also worked on expanding Canada’s relations with emerging economies, especially India. I have spoken at a number of different conferences in India, and I’ve also set up scholarship programmes for young girls from poor families to be able to go to school. I think that we in Canada are blessed and fortunate to have a very high quality education system. And I think this education system and also our healthcare are beacons of hope to some of the developing nations.
In my last campaign, my slogan was Believe, Achieve and Succeed. My vision is one where every child, every woman and every man is going to believe in themselves, to be able to achieve their goals and succeed in their dreams. And where every Canadian has a voice and they feel empowered; where they have that sense of hope for a better future and a brighter tomorrow.
I have my own story, where I grew up on the wrong side in Winnipeg, in one of the poorest neighbourhoods of the country. To be raised by a single mother, and to now be able to sit as a member of parliament of a great country, you kind of pinch yourself to say: am I living this dream?
I saw the challenges that my mom encountered – the same challenges that are faced by families of many single mothers. We know what it was like to live on a very, very limited income and not being able to buy the things you want. As a family you struggle to make ends meet, to pay bills… you think twice before even spending a single dollar. Going to McDonalds and buying a hamburger for 79 cents was a treat.
Due to family circumstances, we went from living in an upper middle class neighbourhood to one of the poorest in Canada. I went to inner city schools for grade 4, 5, 6 and junior high school. When you go to an inner city school, as my brother and I did, you see some of the challenges that some people only read about. We’ve seen them from a front row seat. Teenage pregnancy, alcohol and drug abuse were common in the schools.
When you go through these challenges, you learn the values that are important in life – of family, love, and being happy with what you have. You learn about how important it is to work hard, to never lose that sense of hope.
After all the challenges and struggles that my family and I went through in our lives, we are blessed to have a very strong family unit. I’ve always had faith, always believed, and always had hope for a better tomorrow and a brighter future. I think ultimately your foundation is your faith, your family and your friends.
The person that I am today is due to the courage and the strength of my mother. I was always encouraged to make the most of every minute, to explore opportunities and to take risks. My mom always told us that you never aspire for mediocrity; you always aspire for excellence. Every opportunity – go out there and explore it. Never say ‘what if’ in life. I really, really strongly believe that wherever there’s a will, there’s always, always a way.
We live in a society and a culture where there’s stereotype and expectation of what boys and girls should do, what politicians should look like; we live in a society where there’s almost, sometimes, the box put in. I think deep down inside me there is always the desire to break down those barriers, to expand that mindset.
I don’t ever look at a challenge as a negative. For me challenges are about inspiration. If you have a goal, you have to put in the time, you have to put in the effort, put the right team together and make it happen. When US President Barack Obama uses the words ‘Yes you can’, it couldn’t be more true because when you want something, you will make it happen.
When I meet young children, especially girls as young as seven or eight, and they tell me that they want to be prime minister of Canada one day, I look at them and they’re my inspiration because if you can allow that young girl to think at that level and have that confidence, you know that we’re going to have a better community and a better country and better society.
I don’t think that you can ever let anyone or anything ever affect your spirit because that is the core of who you are as a person.
I see myself as a simple girl with a complicated profession. My dream is to hopefully live up to whatever my potential is. I think that God gives us all a calling in life; you go through life and you go through different experiences, you evolve as a person, you change as an individual. God’s gift to you is your life, your gift to God is what you do with your life.
Coming back to my day, after Question Period ends, around 3pm it’s usually time for media interviews. Then, from 3.30 to 5.50 I have committee meetings.
At 5.30pm, it’s quickly back to the office where I review e-mails. I like to read every single e-mail that has come through. We probably receive upward of 500 e-mails each day.
Then I attend different events and receptions that may be scheduled for the evening. I usually get back to the office at about 9.30 or 10pm and work till about midnight, going through my messages or reviewing documents that require my signature.
In politics, because it’s about people, you love what you do, it never seems like work. You try to have balance; I try to spend, if I can, Friday evenings, with my mom and brother at home. We all sit in our track pants and chat. You try to strive for that but it’s always challenging in politics.
« QUOTE, UNQUOTE »What I am reading: Father of My Dream – Barack Obama; Tower of Detox. What I am watching: Usually CBC and CTV News. What fact/s about me readers might be surprised to know: That I’m obsessed with cleaning. I’ll clean up after the maid has gone too. I’m also actually very spiritual. Before I begin a new initiative or venture, the first thing I do when I get up and the last thing I do before I go to sleep is I always pray. Also, that I can’t cook… well, not that I can’t cook – I’d much rather organize the ambience for a dinner party versus doing a whole thing of cooking. I’m a great host! Biggest leadership tip for young people: Never ever say ‘What if’; make the most of every minute of your life and go out there and believe in yourself and you will succeed in your dreams.
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