Kamal Khera, Trudeau’s youngest minister, says she will learn from her cabinet pandemic experiences

A graduate nurse, Khera then dusted off her gowns to put herself in the front line.

Her father and a beloved uncle died within weeks of each other during that terrible year.

In January, she resigned her post as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development after flying to Seattle for a memorial to these family members, just as the federal government urged Canadians to stay on the spot.

Last month, the 32-year-old became the youngest member of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new cabinet to deal with Canada’s aging population as Minister of Seniors.

It’s not the most prominent role at the table, but it’s a role that could see higher stakes now – in light of all the pandemic laid bare over how older people are being handled. charge in this country.

“She will bring to it both her experience, her passion to serve, to take care of others that she has always brought as a nurse and parliamentarian,” Trudeau said after announcing Khera’s appointment.

Khera was born in New Delhi, India, and came to Canada around the age of 10. She said her family taught her the “values ​​of service” and hard work, “like many immigrant stories to Canada.”

After graduating from York University, Khera worked as a nurse in the oncology unit at St. Joseph’s Health Center in Toronto before winning her seat in 2015 at the age of 26.

She was quickly appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and was later reworked to support the Ministers of National Revenue and International Development.

Khera said she had “relied” on her experiences as a nurse, often citing her former job in the House of Commons. During debates on the emotional issue of physician-assisted dying, she told MPs she saw first-hand end-of-life care.

Khera told CBC News that being a nurse teaches empathy – a quality sometimes overlooked in politics.

“I think kindness and compassion go a long way in service. And it’s something that is close to my heart,” she said.

Khera said she did it a lot of public awareness after her recovery, speaking about the “realities of COVID” as many people in her community believed that young and healthy could not catch the virus.

Brampton – among Ontario’s hardest-hit cities by the pandemic – is home to a large number of essential workers. Advocates said community health services were badly underfunded in Brampton when the pandemic struck.

Watch: Kamal Khera describes symptoms of COVID-19 in 2020

Liberal MP tested positive for COVID-19

MP Kamal Khera is a registered nurse who has returned to work to help alleviate a nursing shortage. 6:39

When the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario called on retired and former nurses to return to work to address staffing shortages in Wave 1, Khera stepped forward.

“I did what was clear to me at the time. I had to put my hand up,” she said. “It came as a matter of course for me.”

She volunteered at Grace Manor Long-Term Care Facility in Brampton, one of several homes where members of the Canadian Armed Forces were deployed last year.

“It was chaos,” she said. “Half of the residents (had) tested positive… half of the staff had tested positive for COVID… and the other staff were too scared to come.”

She worked on an isolation floor for residents who had tested positive for COVID-19.

Khera recalled when the last resident who tested positive was moved from the ground. Nurses, long-term care staff and military personnel all clapped and cried at the same time, she said – sharing a feeling of light emerging at the end of a dark tunnel.

“This is something I will always remember and think about a lot when I think about my role as Minister of Seniors,” she said.

The pandemic “has brought to light” problems that have existed for a long time and the work that remains to be done, Khera said.

“With my very personal experience in long-term (facility) care, I want to make sure that we improve care for the elderly, no matter where they live in the country,” she said.

In the recent election, the Liberals pledged to spend $ 9 billion over five years to address long-term care facility and space shortages and pass long-term care safety legislation to implement national standards of care.

“Canada’s Seniors… Led the Way”

Khera told CBC News she wants to boost income support for seniors and do more to ensure they can live longer in their own homes.

“Canada’s seniors… paved the way and the way to make this country the greatest country on Earth. Now it’s our turn to make sure we improve the services and support they receive and depend on, ”she said.

When she stepped down as parliamentary secretary earlier this year, politicians from different parties were under heavy pressure to justify personal travel. Khera said in a declaration at the time when while her trip was “essential”, she did not want to “distract” from the work of the government to fight against the pandemic.

When asked if she was worried at the time that she was wasting her chances for a cabinet job, Khera suggested that her thoughts were focused on her personal losses during “a very tragic time.”

She said she channeled her energy into volunteering, help administer vaccines frontline workers and seniors at a local seniors’ residence.

Khera was re-elected in September with more than 50 percent of her constituency’s vote. She said she was shocked to receive the Cabinet call and said she felt responsible for presenting her perspective as a young woman of color and immigrant to Canada.

“There are a lot of people behind me who… look to me to make sure I’m doing better and creating this path for them,” she said.