Indo Canadian politician clarifies on racial ad

Toronto: An Indo-Canadian politician has come out with a clarification over a job posting by her party that allegedly offered lower wages to Punjabi-speaking callers than their English-speaking counterparts, said a media report.

India-born Jinny Sims' New Democratic Party (NDP) had come under criticism after the ad on classified advertisements website Craigslist, placed by Express Employment Professionals, offering merely $13 per hour to Punjabi-speaking callers while the party was paying $17 an hour for English-speaking canvassers, Canada-based The VOICE reported.

Sims, who represents the electoral district of Surrey-Newton in the Canadian House of Commons, blamed the subcontractor for the discrepancy.

"The NDP contracted with a company called Stratcom, who in turn subcontracted with a job agency to recruit two (canvassers). We did not know about the subcontractor. However, when Stratcom learned the (canvassers) were paid less than $17 per hour, their salaries were immediately topped up," Sims was quoted as saying in a statement.

"Contrary to spin by the Liberals and Conservative, the subcontractor pays exactly the same rate to all of its (canvassers), which is $17," she added.

Sims was elected in the 2011 election.

She migrated from India to England at the age of nine and earned a bachelor's of education degree from the Victoria University of Manchester (now the University of Manchester).

Sims moved to Canada in 1975.