Liberal MP Ruby Dhalla (Brampton—Springdale) has some serious trouble brewing in her riding, and is falling from Liberal grace fast.  I can’t say I’m sad to hear it, since I don’t think she’s that bright.

Ruby Dhalla started off as a beauty pageant contestant and Bollywood actor.  She placed second in 1993’s Miss India Canada beauty pageant, then moved on to roles in Bollywood films shot abroad and here in Canada.

Really, she should have stayed with acting.  She was better at that than at being a politician, that’s for sure.

Like so many actors that seek public office, Dhalla confuses her own personal ambitions with the will of her constituents.  And she’s not willing to listen to reason or opposing opinions.  Okay, I was wrong.  She does make a good politician.

She was young and very pretty, which is no doubt what caused Paul Martin to give her the nod as the Liberal candidate for Brampton—Springdale in the 2004 federal election, a decision strongly opposed by the actual Liberal Riding Association for Brampton—Springdale.

Why have a competent candidate when you can have a young, beautiful female minority one, right?

Good job Paul!

All the controversy worked in Dhalla’s favour, of course.  No such thing as bad press when you’ve got good looks on your side, I guess.

She’s been described as a “rising star” in the Liberal party for some time, and even contemplated a run at the leadership race.  That is, until her supports fled to Ignatieff’s camp. Just like they are doing now in her own riding, actually.

Ruby Dhalla’s re-election campaign seems to be running into some serious trouble.  It was reported in today’s South Asia Mail (an independent internet daily newspaper) that members of her Liberal riding association are jumping ship and heading over to Conservative candidate Parm Gill’s camp.

The Vice President of the Brampton-Springdale Federal Liberal Riding Association, Mr. Joginder Shahi, was among the numerous names to desert Ruby’s crumbling campaign. Along with the influential Mr. Shahi - Bachittar Golia, Jaspal Mann, Billa Virk, Sunny Bajwa, and Bhupinder Deol made the decision to join Parm’s campaign team as well. These individuals were considered the core team behind Ruby Dhalla. They now bring much experience and wisdom to the Parm Gill campaign. Furthermore, they stated that they had about 30-40 other core Ruby supporters who were abandoning Ruby’s failing campaign as well.

The consensus among those who have left Liberal Dhalla for Conservative Gill is that she has not lived up to the expectations and that she has failed to represent their needs in way that was promised to them. Furthermore, Mr. Shahi stated that they were disappointed with the structure of Ruby’s campaign – feeling it was not addressing the needs of their community.

"Like many immigrants, I have come to realize that the Liberals like Ruby Dhalla are all talk and no action when it comes to getting things done for Canada’s ethno-cultural communities," said Mr. Shahi. "The Conservatives exemplify the entrepreneurial and family values of New Canadians. Most importantly, they've delivered and have not taken us for granted like Ruby Dhalla and the Liberal Party”

Pity.  Really.  Breaks my heart.  But it’s sure nice to see the truth about both Dhalla and the Liberal Party of Canada coming out from the very people they count on for support at election time: new immigrants and minorities.

This quote is awesome too:

The core team that once embodied Ruby Dhalla’s campaign now supports Parm Gill, stating that he is the right individual to represent their community and Brampton. They now stand behind Parm in the next election – forced to cross the floor because of the false promises, community mistreatment and overall failure of Ruby Dhalla to represent her constituents.

Dhalla’s troubles are of her own making, of course.

The story starts out like this.  In May 2005 the Toronto Star, normally a supporter of lefty-loons like Dhalla, tossed her under the bus.  They ran a cover story that alleged caregivers hired to look after her mother were mistreated, had their passports seized and were actually illegally employed in the first place.

Naturally, Dhalla claimed she never knew a thing about it.  Where have we heard that before?  She stepped down from her post as Liberal critic for youth and multiculturalism, hired a lawyer and claimed she was the victim of a smear campaign.

The best defence, as Vince Lombardy liked to say, is a good offence.  So Dhalla went on the offensive.

Ultimately no charges were ever laid against Dhalla, but that didn’t stop her star from fading from the Liberal limelight.

That fall was aided by her ludicrous Bill C-428, which, among other stupid measures, would lower the minimum amount of time an immigrant would have to be in Canada to receive old-age security payments from ten years to three.

I imagine it was to catch attention from the search engines, but the blog Crooked In Canada posted an article about Dhalla under the title “Ruby Dhalla Introduces Bill C-428, but are her Tits Real?” Funny title, to be sure, and they’ve even doctored up an image of Dhalla to go with it.

The point of their article, though, is a valid one. (No, not her about breasts…the stupidity of her private members bill.)

Dhalla thinks that freshly-landed immigrants are more deserving of Canadian old-age security benefits than actual Canadians.  It’s a stupid proposition from an MP who clearly doesn’t give a rat’s ass about her constituents, preferring to spend her time on stupidity like this.

Like I said, there’s a reason why Ruby Dhalla’s “rising star” status is fading fast….  that reason?

Ruby Dhalla.