Bob Saroya

Babar "Bob" Saroya MP (born February 3, 1952) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to represent the riding of Markham—Unionville in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2015 Canadian federal election.[1] During the 42nd Canadian Parliament he has been a member of the Conservative Party official opposition and sponsored one private member bill, C-338, An Act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (punishment), which would have increased mandatory minimum sentences for those convicted of importing controlled drugs and substances. The bill was debated at second reading but defeated by the Liberals; only members from the Conservative Party voted in favour.

Bob Saroya MP
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Markham—Unionville
Incumbent
Assumed office October 19, 2015
Preceded by	John McCallum
Personal details
Born	(1952-02-03) February 3, 1952 Punjab, India
Political party	Conservative
Residence	Markham, Ontario

His election in 2015 was unique, Markham—Unionville was originally held by John McCallum who Saroya came close to upsetting in 2011. After re-distribution, McCallum chose to run in the neighbouring riding of Markham—Thornhill. Saroya's election was considered to be an anomaly because he was the only candidate in Canada to pick up a seat from the Liberals. Saroya was re-elected in the 2019 Canadian federal election.[2]

Saroya immigrated to Canada from India in 1974. He eventually went on to own several restaurants and became a Director with a multi-billion dollar Canadian company before first running for office in 2008.[3]

Electoral record

2015 Canadian federal election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Conservative	Bob Saroya	24,605	49.37	+3.54	$148,191.54
	Liberal	Bang-Gu Jiang	21,596	43.33	+9.64	$105,134.99
	New Democratic	Colleen Zimmerman	2,528	5.07	-11.45	$3,111.82
	Green	Elvin Kao	1,110	2.23	-0.77	$4,322.49
Total valid votes/Expense limit			49,839	100.00		$218,774.36
Total rejected ballots			246	0.49
Turnout			50,085	60.68
Eligible voters			82,534
	Conservative notional hold		Swing		-3.05
Source: Elections Canada[4][5]

2011 Canadian federal election: Markham—Unionville
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	John McCallum	19,429	38.9	-16.0
	Conservative	Bob Saroya	17,734	35.5	+5.3
	New Democratic	Nadine Hawkins	10,897	21.8	+11.6
	Green	Adam Poon	1,597	3.2	-1.0
	Libertarian	Allen Small	231	0.5	–
Total valid votes			49,888	100.0
Total rejected ballots			290	0.6	–
Turnout			50,178	55.1	+2.8
Eligible voters			91,057	–	–

2008 Canadian federal election: Etobicoke North
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Kirsty Duncan	15,244	48.6	-13.0	$54,827
	Conservative	Bob Saroya	9,436	30.1	+7.8	$64,024
	New Democratic	Ali Naqvi	4,940	15.7	+5.1	$35,653
	Green	Nigel Barriffe	1,460	4.7	+2.1	$2,242
	Marxist–Leninist	Anna Di Carlo	300	1.0	+0.4
Total valid votes/Expense limit			31,380	100.0	$79,011
Total rejected ballots			214	0.68
Turnout			31,594

References

1. https://www.thestar.com/news/federal-election/federal-ridings-toronto-gta/2015/10/20/conservative-candidate-bob-saroya-wins-in-markham-unionville.html
2. Miller, Jason (October 21, 2019). "Conservative MP Bob Saroya re-elected in Markham-Unionville". The Star. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
3. A look at the rookie MPs joining the ranks of Conservative, NDP benches Archived November 17, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
4. Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Markham—Unionville, 30 September 2015
5. Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine

External links