Summary: A significantly smaller version of Bramalea-Gore-Malton, voters here will elect a rookie MP in 2015. The former riding’s MP, Bal Gosal, is running for re-election in Brampton Centre.
Boundaries: All of Brampton east of Tobram Road, along with a small area to the north of Sandalwood Parkway and east of Bramalea Road.
Last Election: Conservative MP Bal Gosal won the former riding of Bramalea-Gore-Malton by 539 votes over NDP candidate Jagmeet Singh Dhaliwal, but the boundary redistribution could give the NDP a big edge here. Within the boundaries of this new riding, the NDP would have won with 37.6 per cent of the vote, and the Liberals would have placed second with 30.7 per cent. Only 29.5 per cent of voters here cast ballots for the Conservatives in 2011.
History: Prior to last election, Brampton had solely elected Liberal MPs since 1993. However, last election, the Conservatives won all three seats.
Demographics: An incredibly diverse riding, Brampton East has the highest percentage of Sikhs (33.7 per cent) and Hindus (19.4 per cent) of any riding in Canada. There is an average of 1.6 children per household, highest in the province and third highest in Canada. And the median age of 32.6 is the lowest in Ontario.
Candidates
Conservatives: Naval Bajaj, businessman and former longtime President of the Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce
NDP: Harb Kahlon, businessman and leader in the Punjabi community
Liberals: Raj Grewal, business lawyer
Greens: Kyle Lacroix
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