Jag Bhaduria
Encyclopedia
Jagdish Singh Bhaduria (also variously spelled Badauria or Bhadauria) (born January 23, 1940 in New Delhi
, India
) is a former Canadian
politician.
After an unsuccessful attempt to win election to the Canadian House of Commons
in Markham
riding in the 1988 election
, Bhaduria was elected in the 1993 federal election
as the Liberal
Member of Parliament
for Markham—Whitchurch—Stouffville. In 1993, Bhaduia won the Liberal nomination under very controversial circumstances. It was later discovered that he got people to vote for him who were proven to be ineligible to vote, people listed at addresses that were unknown, people who were listed as party members but did not know they were, and members who had not paid membership fees.
He was expelled from the Liberal caucus
in early 1994 after concerns that he had embellished his resume attracted considerable adverse publicity to Bhaduria. In seeking the Liberal nomination, he had claimed an "LL.B.
(Int.)" Many were under the impression that this was a claim to a Bachelor of Laws in international law
. Bhaduria, in fact, possessed no bachelor of law degree, and argued that the Int. referred to the intermediate examinations he had taken towards an unfinished LL.B. from the University of London
.
Bhaduria had already come under fire weeks earlier when it came to light that, in 1990, he had been fired from his position as a teacher with the Toronto Board of Education
for writing threatening letters to school administrators. From February 17–20, 2003 and on March 5, 2003 a public hearing was conducted by the Ontario College of Teachers
Discipline Committee into allegations of professional misconduct against Bhadauria by issuing documents that he knew or ought to have known contained false, improper or misleading statements. The panel found Bhadauria guilty of professional misconduct and ordered his Certificates of Qualification and Registration suspended for a period of 18 months, including eight months already served when the board suspended him. The panel also ordered Bhadauria reprimanded and stated that if Bhadauria presented himself to be reprimanded by the committee, the remainder of the penalty would be suspended. Bhadauria did not attend the session scheduled for the reprimand and the remainder of the suspension will be served. http://www.oct.ca/investigations_hearings/decision_summaries/june_bhadauria.aspx?lang=en-CA
In the wake of the scandals, over 35,000 of Bhaduria's constituents signed a petition demanding his recall
. However, as no process exists to recall Members of Parliament, Bhaduria was able to remain in Parliament until the 1997 federal election
when he ran as an independent candidate and was defeated.
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) is a former Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician.
After an unsuccessful attempt to win election to the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
in Markham
Markham (electoral district)
Markham was a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada created in 1986. Also known as Markham—Whitchurch-Stouffville, it was a federal electoral district that elected representatives to the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 2000....
riding in the 1988 election
Canadian federal election, 1988
The Canadian federal election of 1988 was held November 21, 1988, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 34th Parliament of Canada. It was an election largely fought on a single issue: the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement ....
, Bhaduria was elected in the 1993 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
as the Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Markham—Whitchurch—Stouffville. In 1993, Bhaduia won the Liberal nomination under very controversial circumstances. It was later discovered that he got people to vote for him who were proven to be ineligible to vote, people listed at addresses that were unknown, people who were listed as party members but did not know they were, and members who had not paid membership fees.
He was expelled from the Liberal caucus
Caucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement, especially in the United States and Canada. As the use of the term has been expanded the exact definition has come to vary among political cultures.-Origin of the term:...
in early 1994 after concerns that he had embellished his resume attracted considerable adverse publicity to Bhaduria. In seeking the Liberal nomination, he had claimed an "LL.B.
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
(Int.)" Many were under the impression that this was a claim to a Bachelor of Laws in international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
. Bhaduria, in fact, possessed no bachelor of law degree, and argued that the Int. referred to the intermediate examinations he had taken towards an unfinished LL.B. from the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
.
Bhaduria had already come under fire weeks earlier when it came to light that, in 1990, he had been fired from his position as a teacher with the Toronto Board of Education
Toronto District School Board
Toronto District School Board, also known by the acronym TDSB, is the English-language public school board for Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
for writing threatening letters to school administrators. From February 17–20, 2003 and on March 5, 2003 a public hearing was conducted by the Ontario College of Teachers
Ontario College of Teachers
The Ontario College of Teachers is the regulatory body for the teaching profession in Ontario. It was established in 1997. The college's mandate is to license, govern and regulate the practice of teaching. It is also responsible for developing standards of teaching practice, regulating on-going...
Discipline Committee into allegations of professional misconduct against Bhadauria by issuing documents that he knew or ought to have known contained false, improper or misleading statements. The panel found Bhadauria guilty of professional misconduct and ordered his Certificates of Qualification and Registration suspended for a period of 18 months, including eight months already served when the board suspended him. The panel also ordered Bhadauria reprimanded and stated that if Bhadauria presented himself to be reprimanded by the committee, the remainder of the penalty would be suspended. Bhadauria did not attend the session scheduled for the reprimand and the remainder of the suspension will be served. http://www.oct.ca/investigations_hearings/decision_summaries/june_bhadauria.aspx?lang=en-CA
In the wake of the scandals, over 35,000 of Bhaduria's constituents signed a petition demanding his recall
Recall election
A recall election is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote before his or her term has ended...
. However, as no process exists to recall Members of Parliament, Bhaduria was able to remain in Parliament until the 1997 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1997
The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada won a second majority government...
when he ran as an independent candidate and was defeated.