Brampton South

Brampton South was held by Prabmeet Sarkaria of the Progressive Conservatives, who first won the seat in 2018. Sarkaria had risen quickly through the Ford government’s ranks, serving in several parliamentary roles including as Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction before being named President of the Treasury Board. Heading into 2022, the riding represented a test of whether an incumbent PC cabinet minister could hold a Brampton seat against opposition parties that had hammered the government on healthcare.

The riding covers the southern portion of Brampton and borders Mississauga. Like the rest of the city, Brampton South experienced rapid population growth, putting strain on healthcare, transit, and housing infrastructure during the 2018–2022 term.

Candidates

Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria (Progressive Conservative) — Sarkaria is a lawyer by training, holding a law degree from the University of Windsor and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University. Before entering politics, he worked as a corporate and commercial associate at Miller Thomson LLP and at TD Securities. He became the first turban-wearing Sikh appointed to an Ontario cabinet. In the community, he served on Brampton’s Property Standards Committee and the boards of Hockey for Humanity and KarmaGrow.

Marilyn Raphael (Liberal) — Raphael is a professional at an asset management firm with over 15 years of experience in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. She co-founded ICON Talent Partners, a not-for-profit talent development organization supporting BIPOC professionals. In 2019, she was recognized by the Brampton Board of Trade as a recipient of the Top 40 Under 40 Award.

Andria Barrett (NDP) — Barrett is a pre-diabetes nutritionist, community advocate, and business leader. She served on the Brampton Mayor’s COVID-19 Economic Support Task Force, and was named one of Canada’s Most Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders by Canadian SME in 2021. She also served on the boards of the Culinary Tourism Alliance and PACE (Project for the Advancement of Childhood Education).

Minor candidates included Ines Espinoza (Green Party), Mike Mol (New Blue Party), and Mehdi Pakzad (None of the Above Direct Democracy Party).

Local Issues

Healthcare was the overriding concern in Brampton South. Residents relied heavily on Brampton Civic Hospital, which routinely operated above capacity. The NDP criticized Sarkaria and the PC government for refusing to support motions calling for two new hospitals in Brampton to bring the city’s bed count closer to the provincial average. Sarkaria pointed to the government’s commitment to expand Peel Memorial into a full-service hospital, but critics noted the project lacked a detailed implementation timeline.

Highway 413 was a defining campaign issue for Sarkaria, who promoted the proposed highway as critical infrastructure for the region. Environmental groups and opposition parties argued the highway would damage the Greenbelt and that the billions in funding would be better directed toward public transit. The highway’s proposed route passes near the northern edge of Brampton, and the project divided opinion among residents who faced long commute times but also valued green space.

Affordability and cost of living were growing concerns, with housing prices in Brampton having risen sharply. Many residents in the riding work in logistics, manufacturing, and services, and faced increasing pressure from rising rents and mortgage costs during the 2018–2022 term.