For the first time, an India-born businessman has been nominated to the Canadian Senate by Prime
Minister Stephen Harper.
73-year-old Vim Kochhar is expected to take the oath of office next week.
Kochhar is among five outstanding Canadians who have been nominated to the Senate by Harper, whose Conservatives party is now closer to taking back control of the Upper House with the new appointments.
The government is still three seats shy of absolute control of the 105-member Senate.
Born in India, Kochhar received his engineering degree at the University of Texas and migrated to Canada in 1967,becoming a Canadian citizen in 1974.
Kochhar is the President and founder of the Vimal Group of Companies in Toronto.
Working for InterContinental Hotels and Howard Johnson Hotels, he was responsible for project management of major hotels around the world.
For the past 30 years, Kochhar has played an active role in the community by creating the Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons.
He is currently serving as Board Member for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and as Chair of the Canadian Paralympic Foundation.