New British Columbia Speaker.

On December 7, 2020, Raj Chouhan was acclaimed as Speaker of British Columbia's Legislative Assembly. He became the first person of South Asian heritage to serve as speaker in any legislature in Canada. Speaker Chouhan replaces outgoing Speaker Darryl Plecas.

The Burnaby-Edmonds MLA was first elected in 2005. He became Assistant Deputy Speaker in 2013 and has served as the Deputy Speaker since 2017.

"As a proud member of the Indo-Canadian community, I am tremendously proud of this historic occasion and honoured to continue my public service in this new role," Speaker Chouhan said after his acclaimation. "I am truly grateful to have been entrusted with this role by all members of the legislative assembly," he said.

Emigrating from Punjab, India, Mr. Chouhan landed in Canada in 1973. While working on a farm, he was fired for speaking up for...