Washington, July 21: A 56-year-old Indian who emigrated to Britain at the age of 17, learned English there by listening to the BBC and reading British newspapers and moved to Vancouver in 1968, has been appointed as Canada’s health minister in the new cabinet of Prime Minister Paul Martin, sworn in yesterday.

Ujjal Dosanjh, who was hospitalised with 80 stitches after being savagely attacked with iron rods by Khalistani separatists in Canada in 1985 for speaking out against religious extremism in Punjab, was earlier premier of British Columbia; the only Indian to head a government in any Canadian province. He was also British Columbia’s attorney-general, another first for an Indian.

Dosanjh, whose life story is what immigrant dreams are made of, is a self-made man — in life and in Canadian politics. After moving to Canada, he did his BA as an adult student at Simon Fraser University and later acquired a law degree from the University of British Columbia. In between he worked as a janitor, night watchman and millhand, and was assistant editor of a Punjabi newspaper in Canada.

He engaged in the Indian political art of changing parties after losing British Columbia’s prime ministership and won last month’s election to Parliament as the ruling Liberal Party candidate with more than 19 per cent votes over his nearest Conservative Party rival in a nine-cornered fight in the constituency of Vancouver South.

There, he replaced a fellow Punjabi sitting MP of the Liberals, Canada’s former natural resources minister Herb Dhaliwal, who was eased out of the cabinet by Martin last year for his proximity to former Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

In the process, Dosanjh improved on Dhaliwal’s majority four years ago by nearly four times, although the latter had held the seat since 1993.

As health minister, Dosanjh has been given one of the most important portfolios in Canada. The country is going through a crisis in health care, an issue which is agitating Canadians who have historically enjoyed a health care system which was the envy of ordinary Americans across the border.

In his first interaction with the media after being sworn in yesterday, Dosanjh, unlike many other new ministers spelt out his agenda unequivocally to the delight of most Canadians. “I can tell you that what we need to do is stem the tide of privatisation in Canada and expand public delivery of health care so we have a stronger health care system for all Canadians,” Dosanjh said.

Dosanjh’s portfolio in the new cabinet belies his political importance for the Prime Minister. Martin’s minority government is dependent on the support of Dosanjh’s previous party, the New Democrats, for staying in office.

The Indo-Candian is, therefore, expected to play a crucial role on the backstage in the running of the government.

Dosanjh was handpicked and nominated for the Vancouver South seat by Martin, bypassing the usual selection process in the party, similar to primary contests in the American electoral system, both because of the Indo-Canadian’s reputation in British Columbia as well his skill in political negotiations.

Dosanjh was born in the village of Dosanjh Kalan in Punjab, where his grandfather, Moola Singh Bains, was a Sikh religious reformer and freedom fighter.