Rathika Sitsabaiesan
| Rathika Sitsabaiesan | |
|---|---|
Sitsabaiesan at the Now Best of Toronto Awards in November 2012
|
|
| Member of the Canadian Parliament for Scarborough—Rouge River |
|
|
In office 2011–2015 |
|
| Preceded by | Derek Lee |
| Succeeded by | Riding abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
December 23, 1981 Jaffna, Sri Lanka |
| Citizenship | Canadian |
| Political party |
New Democratic Party (2004-2016) Ontario Liberal Party (2016-present) |
| Residence | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Activist, community worker |
| Profession | Labour Relations Specialist |
| Committees | Standing Committee for Citizenship and Immigration, Canadian Heritage |
| Religion | Hindu |
| Ethnicity | Sri Lankan Tamil |
| Website | rathika |
Rathika Sitsabaiesan (born December 23, 1981) is a Canadian politician and activist of Sri Lankan-Canadian origin. She was formerly part of the New Democratic Party and represented Scarborough—Rouge River in the House of Commons of Canada as a Member of Parliament between 2011 and 2015. She was the first Tamil to be elected to the Canadian federal parliament as well the first woman and first person of color to be elected as Member of Parliament for Scarborough—Rouge River. She was also the youngest Member of Parliament in the Greater Toronto Area.
In 2016, Sitsabaiesan switched parties in order to seek the Ontario Liberal Party nomination for the vacant provincial Scarborough—Rouge River seat. Piragal Thiru defeated Sitsabaiesan for the Liberal nomination on June 5, 2016.
Rathika Sitsabaiesan was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka on December 23, 1981. She has three elder sisters. Sitsabaiesan and her family emigrated to Canada when she was five.
Sitsabaiesan grew up in Mississauga, west of Toronto. When her father was disabled following a workplace accident, her mother had to give up her nursing studies to work in a warehouse to support the family. Sitsabaiesan attended the University of Toronto for two years. While there, she served as Vice President of the Tamil Students Association. She transferred to Carleton University, where she obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree. Sitsabaiesan served as Operations Manager of the Rideau River Residence Association, Vice President of the Carleton University Students' Association, and Caucus Chair of the New University Government. She also worked for the University of Toronto Students' Union and the Ontario Labour Relations Board. She holds a Master's degree in Industrial Relations at Queen’s University.
...
Wikipedia