Meet Bardish

Bardish

The Hon. Bardish Chagger was elected as the Member of Parliament for the riding of Waterloo on October 19th, 2015. She was named as Minister of Small Business and Tourism by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on November 4th, 2015.

Prior to becoming MP for Waterloo, Bardish Chagger worked at the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre, an organization that assists new Canadians as they transition to full participation in our community’s life. As the Special Projects Coordinator, Bardish planned and coordinated the annual Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Festival in Kitchener’s Victoria Park, bringing together community, cultural and business groups in Waterloo Region. She also worked with other agencies to offer an annual Global Skills Conference to introduce foreign-trained professionals to related professions and to find meaningful employment.

Background

As Executive Assistant to former Kitchener-Waterloo Member of Parliament the Hon. Andrew Telegdi, Bardish coordinated both the Ottawa parliamentary and local constituency offices. She met regularly with residents of our community to address their concerns and assist them in their dealings with government bureaucracy. She helped constituents obtain visas and passports and solve their problems with employment insurance, pensions, income tax, immigration and other issues with the federal government.

For more than two decades, Bardish has volunteered with a wide variety of community organizations. She has recently been a board member with the Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin and also with MT Space, a professional, not-for-profit theatre company and arts and culture organization located in Waterloo Region. She is an active volunteer with Interfaith Grand River, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and the Waterloo Rotary Club. Rotary’s principal motto of ‘Service Above Self’ is an accurate reflection of Bardish’s passion for civic engagement. She believes that we get out of our community what we put into our community.

Parliament Hill
Bardish and her father

Biography

Bardish Chagger has lived in Waterloo all her life. In 2004, she graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Science degree. Bardish is the recipient of the Pink Attitude Evolution’s “Woman of the Year” award and the Waterloo Region Record’s “40 under 40” award.

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