Prior to entering politics, Khera attended York University where she earned an Honours Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She went on to work as a registered nurse in the palliative and oncology units at St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto.[2]
During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, she volunteered at a long-term care facility in her hometown of Brampton and administered vaccines in her community.[2][3]
Federal Politics
Khera was nominated as the Liberal candidate in Brampton West in December 2014, and won the seat in the federal election in the following October.[4][5][6] When first elected in 2015, Khera was the youngest Liberal MP in the House, and the second-youngest overall behind Pierre-Luc Dusseault of the New Democratic Party (NDP) .[7] She was re-elected in the 2019 federal election,[8] and in 2021.[9] Khera is one of the youngest women ever to be elected to Parliament.
Parliamentary Secretary
On December 2, 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed Khera as the parliamentary secretary to the minister of health, then as the parliamentary secretary to the minister of national revenue on January 18, 2017. Beginning August 31, 2018, Khera served as the parliamentary secretary to the minister of international development.[10]
Khera stepped down from her role as parliamentary secretary on January 3, 2021, after having travelled to the United States in December to attend a memorial service for her uncle, while the federal government was discouraging international travel.[3]
On September 20, 2021, Khera was re-elected as the member of Parliament for Brampton West.[11]
Minister of Seniors
On October 26, 2021, Khera was joined cabinet as the minister of seniors.[10] She is amongst the youngest members of the cabinet and the Privy Council of Canada.[12]
Her mandate was marked by the government’s restoration of the age of eligibility for retirement back to 65, an increase of the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), which has helped over 900,000 seniors, and has lifted 45,000 of them out of poverty, the enhancement of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), and a 10 per cent increase of Old Age Security (OAS) pensions for seniors over 75.[13]
Minister of Diversity, Inclusion, and Persons with Disabilities
On July 26, 2023, Khera was appointed to the position of minister of diversity, inclusion, and persons with disabilities following a cabinet shuffle in the summer of 2023.[10] She succeeds Ahmed Hussen, who was minister of housing and diversity and inclusion, and Carla Qualthrough, who was minister of persons with disabilities.[14]
On June 8, 2024, Khera announced the launch of the federal government's new Anti-Racism Strategy, a $110.4 million investment aimed at driving action in employment, justice and law enforcement, housing, healthcare and immigration systems.[15]
Khera has also rolled out the Canadian Disability Benefit in the 2024 Canadian federal budget, providing an investment of $6.1 billion to help uplift thousands of working-age persons with disabilities and their families. As proposed, the benefit is estimated to increase the financial well-being of over 600,000 low-income persons with disabilities.[16]
