George Chahal

Harnirjodh "George" Chahal MP is a Canadian politician who is the Member of Parliament for Calgary Skyview as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.[2] Before entering federal politics, he was a Councillor for Ward 5 on the Calgary City Council from 2017 to 2021.[3][4][5]

George Chahal
MP
Member of Parliament
for Calgary Skyview
Assumed office
September 20, 2021
Preceded byJag Sahota
Calgary City Councillor
In office
2017–2021
Preceded byRay Jones
Succeeded byRaj Dhaliwal
ConstituencyWard 5
Personal details
Born
Harnirjodh Chahal[1]

(1975-06-05) June 5, 1975
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Political partyLiberal
OccupationPolitician

Federal politics

On July 8, 2021, Chahal, who was originally slated to seek re-election to city council, announced that he was nominated to be the candidate for the Liberal Party in Calgary Skyview in the 2021 Canadian federal election.

On September 20, 2021, Chahal won the election, making him the only victorious Liberal candidate in Calgary (incumbent Conservative MPs won in the city's other nine ridings) and only the seventh Liberal ever to represent a Calgary riding in the party's history.

Election flyer controversy

On September 24, 2021, the Calgary Police's Anti-Corruption Unit announced that they were investigating George Chahal over a doorbell camera video that appeared to show Chahal removing a flyer for his Conservative opponent, Jag Sahota, from a constituent's door on the eve of the election.[6]

Chahal's campaign said that he removed the flyer supposedly because it identified an incorrect polling location for the voter's area; however, the homeowner said that Chahal's flyer was the one with the incorrect information, and that Sahota's matched the official information given to them by Elections Canada.[7]

In January 2022, Chahal accepted and paid a $500 administrative monetary penalty assessed by the Commissioner of Canada Elections in the matter,[8] saying, "It’s just a late night on an election campaign. Call it a dumb mistake or brain fog—it really doesn’t matter why I did what I did. I think what matters is I did it. And I acknowledged it fully, openly, publicly."[9]

Electoral record
2021 Canadian federal election: Calgary Skyview
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
LiberalGeorge Chahal20,09242.4+14.06
ConservativeJag Sahota17,11136.1-16.39
New DemocraticGurinder Singh Gill7,69016.2+1.28
People'sHarry Dhillon1,7203.6+2.41
GreenJanna So4320.9-0.68
IndependentLee Aquart1840.4
Marxist–LeninistDaniel Blanchard1110.2-0.06
CentristNadeem Rana930.2
Total valid votes 47,433
Total rejected ballots 502
Turnout 47,93554.88-5.24
Eligible voters 87,347
Source: Elections Canada[10]

References
  1. Dippel, Scott (March 25, 2018). "Five Calgary city councillors talk about their real names". CBC News. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  2. "Harnirjodh Chahal". Parliament of Canada. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  3. "George Chahal leaving Ward 5 race for federal Liberal nomination in Calgary Skyview". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  4. "Calgary city councillor will run federally for the Liberal Party". CBC News. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  5. Pearson, Heide (September 4, 2017). "Calgary election 2017: George Chahal wins Ward 5". Global News. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  6. "Calgary police anti-corruption unit to investigate incoming Liberal MP George Chahal". Calgary. 2021-09-24. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
  7. McGarvey, Dan (September 23, 2021). "Voter, opponent shocked to see Calgary Liberal MP-elect replace election flyer on security video". CBC News. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
  8. "Publication of AMPs: Key facts of violation". Commissioner of Canada Elections. January 28, 2022.
  9. Smith, Madeline (January 25, 2022). "Calgary Skyview MP George Chahal pays $500 penalty for removing opponent's flyer". Calgary Herald.
  10. "Election night results". Elections Canada. Retrieved 11 December 2021.


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