Albina Guarnieri
Liberal
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Albina Guarnieri, 55, is seeking re-election in the Mississauga-East Cooksville riding, where she has been re-elected five times since 1988.
Guarnier is chair of the House of Commons Legislative Committee studying proposals to reform the Senate. She is also the official opposition critic for Veterans Affairs. Previously, she was Minister of Veterans Affairs, Associate Minister of National Defence and Minister of State (Civil Preparedness).
Born in Italy, Guarnieri is fluent in both official languages and also in Italian. She's a graduate of McGill University who owns a Master's degree in English.
Contact: www.albinaguarnieri.com
Melissa Bhagat
Conservative
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Melissa Bhagat, 32, is a broadcast journalist, multiculturalism and tourism spokesperson and sustainability consultant. She is single.
Mississauga born and raised, she volunteers within the South Asian community, and has travelled to 18 countries to develop her cross-cultural and linguistic skills.
She has volunteered with Mother Theresa’s Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, has helped to organize women’s support groups to allow them more access to education and employment in the Middle East (UAE) and assisted with the plight of impoverished children in Durban, South Africa.
Contact: www.melissabhagat.com
Jaymini Bhikha
Green Party
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Jaymini Bhikha, 24, was born and raised in Mississauga-East Cooksville.
Bhikha, who is single, graduated from the University of Toronto at Mississauga with an Honours Bachelors of Arts degree, specializing in environmental management and minoring in history and sociology.
She works in Toronto at Local Food Plus, a non-profit organization that is focused on supporting and promoting local sustainable foods.
Contact: jaymini.bhikha@greenparty.ca
Satish Balasunderam
New Democratic Party
Satish Balasunderam grew up in Mississauga. He says he understands the working families in his community and knows the issues that matter to them.
A lawyer in Mississauga East-Cooksville, Balasunderam provides legal advice and representation to hard-working families who need affordable housing, jobs, public transit and home care for seniors.
Balasunderam is a member of Amnesty International and belongs to several legal organizations.
He is involved with the Tamil community.
Contact: Call Satish Balasunderam at 905-275-9871
Pierre Chenier
Marxist Leninist Party
A long-time member of the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada, Pierre Chenier, 54, has run for political office many times in Ontario and Quebec.
Chenier is a printer by trade and a frequent contributor to the party's newsletter.
Like his fellow Marxist-Leninist candidates, he's trying to rally the workers of Canada.
"In these elections, my main call is calling on the workers to refuse to vote for the so-called major parties," he said, prior to the 2006 election. "We have to get together, to unite, to fight for the rights of the people."
Chenier ran unsuccessfully in the 2004 and 2006 federal elections.
In 2003, he ran for the provincial seat in the Mississauga East riding, finishing last among six candidates.
In the 2004 federal election, he received 154 votes, finishing sixth out of seven candidates.
