Ruby Dhalla is in one heap of trouble

Dhalla is the Brampton-Springdale Liberal MP, who usually finishes in the top three in the annual best-looking MP contest in the Hill Times newspaper.

Last week, she had it all –- highly respected MP, registered chiropractor, successful business woman, owner of a Toronto chain of clinics, and accomplished “Bollywood” television actress with celebrity status in the Sikh community on two continents.

Elected in 2004 as the first-ever Sikh woman in parliament, she has often been touted as a future leadership candidate, or at least a minister in a Michael Ignatieff cabinet.

Today she finds herself the central figure in a political scandal after allegations in the Toronto Star last Tuesday that she mistreated, exploited and abused two Philippine care-givers in her charge.

Ignatieff quickly removed her as Liberal youth and multiculturalism critic, saying he is awaiting “with interest” for the facts to be established.

It’s the first scandal within his ranks since he became leader and how he handles it will have political repercussions on his leadership.

The two women, Magdalena Gordo, 31, and Richelyn Tongson, 37, say they were hired by Dhalla to look after her ailing mother who has difficulty walking.

But they ended up, they claim, forced to wash cars, shine shoes and even clean the family clinics, all of which had nothing to do with their contract approved by the immigration department as care-givers in the Dhalla home.

They say they were forced to work 12 and 14 hours a day for $250 a week, well below the minimum wage.

They say that when they complained, Dr. Dhalla took away Gordo’s passport and refused to pay Tongson her back wages.

On Thursday a third woman came forward claiming she too had been exploited by the Dhalla family. The 32-year old woman said she had worked 12 hours a day for nine days for $370. She could not continue and quit.

Friday in Toronto, Dhalla held a news conference, and said the allegations of the women are "simply not true."

Flanked by her lawyer Howard Levitt, Dhalla said the women had not been working for her, but rather for her mother Tavinder Dhalla, and it all happened a year ago.

Documents in hand, she said she owes nothing to any of the women.

Lawyer Levitt said there was a political conspiracy behind the whole affair. He did not elaborate.

Before she left Ottawa Dhalla had asked Commons Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson for an investigation into the allegations.

The Conservatives say a full police investigation is needed, not an ethics investigation which could take four to six months. By then the whole thing would be forgotten.

There has been fall-out in Toronto because it seems the provincial Labor minister Peter Fonesca knew about the allegations some time ago but did nothing.

The Conservatives say it was a case of one Liberal helping another Liberal out of trouble. One provincial New Democrat wants Dhalla sent right to jail . . . without a trial.

The unions are involved. The Homeworker section of the Independent Workers Association says the allegations of the two women point to violations of labor, minimum wage and immigration laws.

Caregivers are supposed to be hired to deliver care to our elderly and our children, said union spokesperson Peter Leibovitch: “They are not supposed to be treated as modern day slaves, shining shoes for abusive employers.”

Canada fast-tracks foreign care-givers into the country. They come here to work for two years as live-ins with families. Then they can apply for permanent residency status, the first step on the way to full citizenship.

The demand for child-care givers has been considerable ever since the Conservatives abolished the national child care plan set up by Liberal Ken Dryden three years ago.

It is unclear where the Dhalla affair will end up, but this past week the Conservatives were visibly happy to have something finally to throw at the Liberals who of late have been getting a little too big for their red britches.