Canadian politician Rachna Singh, newly appointed British Columbia’s Minister of Education and Child Care, has made history by becoming the first South Asian woman and the second Punjabi to hold the ministerial position.
Rachna, who moved from India to Canada in 2001, was first elected as the Surrey-Green Timbers MLA in May 2017 and re-elected in October 2020.
She was the coordinator of the Special Committee to Appoint a Police Complaints Commissioner and the Special Committee to Appoint a Conflict of Interest Commissioner.
She has worked as a drug and alcohol counselor, a support worker for women facing domestic violence, and a community activist. She has also worked to improve workers’ rights as a representative of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
Rachna has two children and is married to radio journalist Gurpreet Singh.
Shortly after becoming a minister, her partner Gurpreet Singh took to Twitter to congratulate her.
He wrote: “Yes Minister. My fabulous partner and hero @RachnaSinghNDP is now the Minister of Education, becoming the first South Asian woman and the second Punjabi after Moe Sihota to hold this important post.”
