Home > Previous Parliaments > 36th Parliament, 5th Session > Members > Hon. Ujjal Dosanjh

36th Parliament Members
at dissolution on April 18, 2001


Hon. Ujjal Dosanjh
Vancouver-Kensington


Premier and
President of the Executive Council


Elected:
1991, 1996


NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Ujjal Dosanjh was sworn in as British Columbia's 33rd Premier and Canada's first Indo-Canadian Premier on February 24, 2000.

He had previously served as Minister of Government Services and Minister Responsible for Multiculturalism, Human Rights, Sports and Immigration in 1995, and served as Attorney General from August 1995 to February 2000.

First elected as the MLA for Vancouver-Kensington in 1991, Mr. Dosanjh twice served as Caucus Chair and also chaired the Select Standing Committee on Parliamentary Reform, Ethical Conduct, Standing Orders and Private Bills.

Born in India in 1947, Mr. Dosanjh emigrated to England at the age of 17 and came to Canada four years later. When a serious back injury left him unable to continue working at a Vancouver sawmill, Mr. Dosanjh enrolled at Langara College and subsequently completed a degree in political science at Simon Fraser University. He earned a law degree at the University of British Columbia and established a law practice in Vancouver in 1979.

A long-time human rights activist, his past community involvements include: South Vancouver Neighbourhood House, MOSAIC, the B.C. Multicultural Society and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association. In 1977 he helped set up the first farm workers' legal information service while he was chair of the Labour Advocacy Research Association.

Mr. Dosanjh and his wife, Raminder, have three sons: Pavel, Aseem and Umber.