The Honourable Baljit Singh Gosal PC
Politics
Former Minister of State for Sports | Government of Canada | Ottawa, ON (CANADA)
Ancestry:
Badrukhan, Sangrur (Punjab)
Birthplace:
Mukandpur, Punjab (India)
Residence
Brampton, ON (CANADA)
EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE, JUST BELIEVE!
On social media, but not a phone addict; an NRI but in love with age-old Punjabi singers; from a stationary engineer to leading the sports ministry of the nation – he has traversed to be where he is!
Born on 4 May 1960 to Sardarni Gurmeet Kaur and Sardar Gurmeet Singh, I am the youngest of four siblings, Manjit, Sarbjit and Paramjit. We grew up in a warm and affectionate family. Needless to say, being the youngest and the only son, I was fussed, indulged in and pampered in excess by everyone – the reason I could get away with a lot of mischief.
Mom was a progressive lady. She could read and write Urdu and Punjabi and always encouraged us to explore life to its fullest. To ensure our health, she served us fresh milk or lassi the first thing everyday. Papa was a disciplinarian; being a school teacher it was a part of his personality. He was a very diligent man who grew up devoid of his parents from an early age, yet he ensured that he could make a meaningful life for himself and his family. I grew up with a deep understanding and teaching of our religion. We were taught Jagjit saab ji’s Panch Paudiyaan da paath1, which left an indelible imprint on my mind. Today, the first thing I do is recite this paath and then have a glass of lassi for an awesome start of the day.
I was a naughty but sincere student
I did my initial schooling from my maternal grandparents’ village, Sandhma, Punjab, and then moved to Government School, Jagatpur, for my high school. Later, to pursue my pre-medicals I joined Sikh National College, Chaaran Kamal Banga. Since I was always a topper, it was easy for me to get admission in college. For my graduation, I took a BSc degree from DAV College, Jalandhar. I have a very fond memory from there. I loved the halwa2 that the college served during the monthly havans3; my friends and I used to steal it after the serving. Right after graduation, I decided to pursue law from Law College, Panjab University, Chandigarh. During my entire academic career, I was a promising student. My streak of holding top positions in every grade continued till the time I studied; I always bagged the first division at the university too. Nonetheless, there was another consistency during these years, which was my love for Soccer. Wherever I went, I would definitely be a part of the team and fare really well.
During my college years, I ran for the student council in 1979. It so happened that one day I was sitting with a few of my friends and they spontaneously suggested and nominated my name for student council elections; I guess they had sensed my potential long before I could. However, responsibility did not mean I did not have my share of mischief. I continued methodically planning and plotting mischief with my friends. When we discovered that a coir rope takes longer to burn, we bought some of it, cut it into small little pieces and set it alight – just to know the time a length of a rope would take to burn. With the knowledge gained, we bought some firecrackers, tied them to the rope and strategically planted them in different washrooms of our college! Best part was that since I was naughty but sincere, all my teachers have supported me throughout my academic years. I can proudly say that they have played a huge role in shaping me to be the man I am today.
I always wanted to serve my community
My marriage was the turning point of my life. Pawanjit had shifted to Canada as a young girl of 12. Our parents knew each other as her brother, Daljit Hundal, and I were schoolmates. Our parents decided to get Pawanjit and me engaged; we humbly obeyed. When she applied for my visa in 1981, I was still in my second year of Law College, but my father thought it would be wiser to shift to Canada. As soon as my documents came through, I went to Northern British Colombia, where we were married on 14 March 1981.
My English-medium education and my supportive in-laws were extremely instrumental in making me comfortable in the new country. For a couple of months I worked in a mill but since we were both young and this country has been a heaven for hard workers, we both joined College of New Caledonia, Prince George, to take our studies forward. She pursued a business course and I stationary engineering certificate. Unfortunately, when in 1982, I completed the course, I struggled to find meaningful employment as the economic conditions for my field weren’t very promising. I moved to Ontario in 1983 settling in Brampton, where I found my first job in Granada TV. In 1984, I started with McDonnel Douglas Canada, an American aerospace manufacturing corporation and defence contractor. In 1990, the work slowed down and we got laid off so I opened up a video store, Val’s Video Van, with Pawanjit.
In free time, I played Soccer for Punjab Sports Club. We were the first all-Indian team that played in Italian Soccer League in Toronto. Meanwhile, I was propelled by the desire to give back to the community. Encouraged by friends and family, I joined the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party of Canada in 1992, further being selected as one of the 10 delegates for the 1993 Leadership Convention in Ottawa. It was a privilege to be selected from among 4,000 candidates across Canada.
Although I gave a lot of my time for community work, I continued to work in our video store but when we realised in 1994 that the video store was not working well, I decided to get into financial planning. I started in this field with Prudential Insurance (now known as London Life), Holman Insurance Brokers and Goodison Insurance and Financial Services.
Eventually, I served on several other boards and in departments as a member of Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. I ran the Provincial Elections in 2003 and Federal Elections in 2006; though I had lost each time, yet I kept myself involved with the party.
Meanwhile in 2008, I joined Rai Grant insurance brokers where I worked as an Insurance Broker and a Financial Security Advisor and continued my services at the party. May 2011 became a milestone in my career when I was appointed a member of the Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s party and became a member of Her Majesty’s Privy Council for Canada. As Minister of State for Sport, I led the Canadian delegation at the 2012 summer Olympics in London, the 2014 Sochi winter Olympics and 2014 Common Wealth Games in Glasgow Scotland. I also led the Canadian delegation at the 2011 Pan-American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, and hosted the Pan-American Games in Toronto in 2015.
Homemade happiness and support
As an active member of the Brampton community, I had been a member of the Peel Regional Police Services Board, Peel Children’s Aid Society and on the Brampton Board of Trade Marketing Committee. I have also coached and organised amateur Soccer and volunteered at the YMCA. I served as the Treasurer and founding member of the Ontario Federation of Sports and Cultural Organisation and as the Director, past Secretary and Treasurer of the Ontario Khalsa Darbar Sports and Cultural Centre.
I have had an illustrious journey and it was possible only because of the amazing family I am blessed with. Pawanjit and our three children, Jasmine, Sanjot and Priya, are nothing short of perfect in handling everything. Apart from my public life, I have a business, JSP Insurance and Financial Services Inc, to fall back on. While I pursued my passion in politics, it was Paramjit who took the lead in our family. She aced the business and family responsibility with a flair. Without her, I would have never been where I am today. Jasmine went ahead to become a doctor, specialising in infectious diseases and got married in 2018 to Diljaan Singh Natt, also a doctor. Our son, Sanjot, completed his law degree and joined us in business, while our youngest, Priya, graduated from Carlton University with Honours in International Business, with minor in Spanish and spends time travelling across the world. I was in luck when it comes to raising our children as my parents stayed with us. Along with taking care of them while we were at work, my parents also taught all my children to respect our culture and religion. They shared with the kids our cultural values while Paramjit and I provided them the opportunities to also learn about the world around them, giving them the freedom to become the people they are today.
Watching my children grow into the individuals they have helped me realise that it is up to us to ensure that our children learn and respect our roots but it is also important for them to gain life experience in the society they are being raised in. It is with these experiences they can become the responsible citizens they are now. This is how I grew to become the son, husband, father and man that I am today.
Philosophy
Being honest is my way of life.
I love…
Sports, movies and music, especially by Rafi saab (the legendary Bollywood singer)
I’d suggest the youth…
To experience hostel life because that is what actually teaches you about ‘independence’ and about the ways to handle it.
Success Mantra
Failure teaches you everything. Once you restart with hard work and honesty, nothing can stop you.
The world doesn’t know that…
According to a social media analysis, I was one of Canada’s most active MPs on Twitter!
AKA
Former Minister of State for Sports, Canada | Canadian Minister Baljit Gosal
Gallery
ISBN : 9788193397695