Brampton West MP Kamal Khera stepping down as parliamentary secretary after traveling to Seattle

KAMAL Khera, the Liberal MP for Brampton West, Ontario, announced on Twitter on Sunday that she is stepping down as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development, Karina Gould, after travelling to Seattle on December 23 to attend a private memorial for her father and uncle.

Khera tweeted: “As many of you know, like the challenges many Canadians faced in 2020, my family and I endured the sudden loss of my father in September 2020 followed by the tragic loss of my uncle a few short weeks thereafter.  After the end of the 2020 Parliamentary Session, on December 23, I traveled to Seattle, WA where I joined my late uncle’s only daughter for a private memorial of less than 10-people, to honour the loss of our loved ones after not being able to attend the funeral of my uncle at the time of his passing. I returned to Canada on December 31.

“Although the purpose of my travel is deemed essential given the circumstances, I have decided to step aside from my duties as Parliamentary Secretary of to the Minister of International Development in an effort to ensure my choices do not distract from the important work of our government to continue battling this pandemic. I have and will always continue to follow all public health guidelines.”

Khera was first elected as the MP for Brampton West in 2015. A registered nurse, community volunteer and political activist, Khera is a first generation Canadian who immigrated to Canada from Delhi, India, at a very young age. She attended York University where she earned an Honours Bachelors of Science in Psychology and an Honours Bachelors of Science in Nursing.