Rathika Sitsabaiesan (Picture by Jennifer Blunt)
Rathika Sitsabaiesan has become the first Sri Lankan-born candidate to be elected to Canadian parliament. She won the Scarborough – Rouge River constituency for the New Democratic Party (NDP) led by Jack Layton.
The NDP is the official opposition while Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party secured a majority in parliament.
Sitsabaiesan migrated from Sri Lanka to Canada at the age of five, she went on to earn a Master’s degree in Industrial Relations from Queen’s University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Carleton University. She also has a TESOL certification from International College.
The causes which have been close to her heart include poverty reduction, affordable housing, access to education, employment equity, immigration, and the preservation of Tamil language and culture.
Rathika became involved with the New Democratic Party in 2004 by volunteering in the Ed Broadbent federal election campaign. Since then, Rathika has continued her involvement with the NDP in different capacities.
According to the CBC she polled more than 14,400 votes in her electorate where nearly 90 percent of the population is visible minorities.
