Can Raj Grewal Salvage His Political Career in Brampton East?
Published January 26, 2019 at 11:35 pm
A former Liberal Member of Parliament has announced that, after a string of controversies had emerged which forced him out of his party’s caucus in Ottawa, has decided to stay on.
A former Liberal Member of Parliament has announced that, after a string of controversies had emerged which forced him out of his party’s caucus in Ottawa, has decided to stay on.
Raj Grewal, who represents Brampton East, said in the following Facebook post he was going to remain as an MP following a period when he said he needed time off to reflect on his career.
“Throughout this time, I also received countless calls and messages from constituents offering their support and encouraging me to continue to serve. It is for these reasons that I have decided to remain as the Member of Parliament for Brampton East,” Grewal said.
“I reflected a great deal on why I chose to run for public office in the first place. As an MP, my first and most important job is to ensure that I am accessible to help solve problems faced by my constituents and to reflect their views and priorities.”
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The 33 year old lawyer, who was first elected as a Liberal in 2015, originally said he would resign his seat back in November, after citing he had been suffering from mental health problems connected to a gambling addiction. But he subsequently released a video statement stating that he made that decision under duress and would be taking some time to reevaluate his career.
But other issues began to emerge that went beyond Grewal’s personal health matters, such as accusations that he was moonlighting for another company, which the MP said were“other employment relationships” disclosed to and approved by the ethics commissioner. His finances were also put under a microscope in relation to his gambling, and even accusations of involvement with money laundering have come up.
Grewal’s optimism aside, if there were a few years before a pending election he might well salvage his political career. But as 2019 is an election year, the chances of Grewal once again securing his party’s nomination may not be as clear. Inbrampton.com reached out to a Liberal Party representative to see if they can confirm Grewal is still a candidate; we are awaiting a response.
However, others connected with the party have said that it is unlikely Grewal will be greenlit to run as a candidate again, no matter how voters in Brampton East may be willing to forgive and forget. The Liberals were already stinging over the controversies in the Burnaby South by-election after their initial candidate was caught texting an allegedly race-tinged message to supporters on WeChat, of which that candidate has disputed.
To have another person on the Liberal ticket that has unresolved controversies lingering around him would be a clear non starter for an aspiring candidate seeking reelection. This is not an issue whether Grewal has standing in the community; it’s how the party perceives how much of a liability he would be.
Here are some suggestions on who could replace Grewal as a Liberal candidate in Brampton East, although some of these names may change as the year progresses.
Do you think the Liberals will find a suitable replacement for Grewal, or will he somehow survive this ordeal and be the Liberal standard bearer going into the 2019 election?
If Patrick Brown can survive scandal and come out as Brampton’s mayor, anything can happen in politics.
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