By: Surjit Singh Flora
Who exactly has the qualifications to be the perfect candidate? That issue may be looked at from two different perspectives. To begin, there is the issue of what characteristics are necessary for a candidate to have in order to be considered a “winning” candidate in an election. Second, what kind of candidate would be ideal in terms of being able to both form a government that is effective and successfully improve the lives of the people who are a part of his constituency? In addition, you are correct, the two concerns are entirely distinct from one another. It is simple for an unprepared populist candidate to win an election in a modern democracy because of the strong emphasis placed on sentiments and emotions at the expense of reason. This makes it possible for populist candidates to sneak through the cracks and win elections.
On the other hand, an ideal candidate in terms of being able to unite his constituency behind him and improve their standards of living has so much to do with his personal attributes. On top of such attributes are leadership and management skills, empathy, intelligence, a strong educational background, and the ability to navigate the government and the city, as well as his own constituency when there is a crisis. All of these characteristics can be found in Gurpartap Singh Toor, who is humble, hardworking, polite, and knows how to respect not only women, but anyone who approaches him.
We have evidence of his hard work while serving our community through active volunteer work such as flood relief efforts in Brampton, Ottawa, and Montreal; collaborating with local organizations to lead Community Vaccine Clinics; and joining Khalsa Aid in Poland to assist Ukrainian refugees fleeing war.
During this pandemic, he worked hard to support COVID-19 vaccination clinics, including helping to organize the largest clinic in the Region of Peel.
When he’s not working or volunteering, he finds time with family and friends and enjoys lakes and horseback riding through our breathtaking Canadian landscapes. Like many. He’s proud to live in Ward 10 with his wonderful wife, Harleen.
Through these humbling experiences, he developed a strong sense of community service. He has the experience and the vision to deliver real results for the people of wards 9 and 10, but to do more he needs to be part of our local government. That’s only going to happen if we all walk with him, support him, and lastly vote for him on October 24th and send him as our Regional Councillor for Wards 9 and 10.
But many of them may wonder how we can tell whether he is the best candidate for the Peel area, wards 9–10; to answer that, let’s check the qualities we must look for in a candidate.
My own criteria for grading things include:
A: Honesty, even when I don’t want to hear the truth.
B: Integrity (the applicant upholds moral principles even when no one is watching).
C: Shows respect and decency to others (self-explanatory).
D: Is sensible, practical, and thoughtful.
E: Has a sense of humor about themselves, which is important for keeping a healthy balance in one’s personality and not taking oneself too seriously.
Let me translate these terms from A to E:
A: Honesty: It’s been said that people would rather hear a soothing falsehood than the harsh reality. That is especially true in politics. Even when my candidate is telling me something I’m sure I don’t want to hear, but that has to be heard anyway, I want them to be absolutely believable.
B: Integrity: A person’s word is a promise. The common value of both personal and professional honesty, I discovered, was one item that served as a glue that bound our people together. That includes a dedication to moral conduct. The objectives justify the means: this mentality erodes and corrupts public trust, and such people have no business holding public office (but recent electoral history demonstrates how idealistic this sounds). Gurpartap Singh Toor has the experience, expertise, and dedication to his people and the city to battle and stand, as well as the willingness to speak up if something is wrong.
C: Treats people with respect and dignity: Despite our country’s insistence that “all are created equal,” institutional racism and unfair legal treatment nevertheless exist in our country. If a politician wants to really represent the people they are elected to serve, they must reject the latter characteristics and welcome diversity in our nation on all fronts. Mr. Toor has shown this through his four years of employment in the previous mayor’s office, Linda Jeffery’s.
D: It has a similar “reality” to ours: We’ve recently seen such a division between the truth and what some have labeled “alternative facts.” The latter are obviously a different interpretation of the same reality and do not only reflect wishful, irrational thinking. In light of the aforementioned lines, it is essential for disagreements to be debated, discussed, and eventually resolved in public settings. He also took care of the needs of the inhabitants of COVID-19 and the flood relief activities in Brampton.
E: Personal sense of humor: Having a sense of humor in the manner described makes people more balanced, less likely to take themselves too seriously, better able to tolerate honest criticism and feedback, and more likely to exhibit qualities
A through D. This one item might sound like a minor consideration rather than a top-5 quality, but allow me to say this: He has a fantastic sense of humor, and he is not only willing to accept criticism but also to work toward finding a solution. Lets vote Gurpartap Singh Toor on Oct24 and save our and our next generations future and make it brighter in his safe hands.
