Canadians re-elect Liberal minority government, Maryam Monsef loses seat
The Liberal party has won enough seats to form another minority government.
After a 36-day campaign and a $600-million election, the final standings looks very similar to the House of Commons when it was dissolved in early August.
Maryam Monsef, the minister for women and gender equality and rural economic development, lost her seat to Conservative Michelle Ferreri in the Ontario riding of Peterborough-Kawartha.
After her defeat, Monsef congratulated Ferreri on her win and then spoke to a small gathering of reporters.
“I wish her and her team the very best,” Monsef told reporters. “Four women running on a ballot in Peterborough: This is a big deal, and it’s a testament to our community and should be recognized.”
Monsef thanked her campaign volunteers and staff in her constituency office: “Many of you have been with me since 2014. You are the best part of politics,” she said. “And something tells me that my whole team keeps coming back because of my mother, because of her cooking. Because it’s hard to say no to her.”
Monsef thanked her mother and her whole family and said they all know her work was always a “labour of love.”
When asked whether it was frustrating that a federal election had even been called, Monsef said the country she fled as a girl – Afghanistan – could only dream of holding an election now that it’s been swept by the Taliban.
“I’m grateful to live in a country where the democratic process allows communities to be heard,” she said. “And I’m glad that there is a Liberal government in place.”
NEWLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT MEMBERS
Shafqat Ali held the seat for the Liberals in Brampton Centre. Ali replaced Ramesh Sangha on the ballot after Sangha was ejected from the Liberal caucus after making controversial statements. This will be Ali’s first term, having previously served on the board of directors for the Peel Multicultural Council.
Yasir Naqvi, a former provincial MPP for Ottawa Centre, has been elected in the riding. The riding was left open after Infrastructure and Communities Minister Catherine McKenna announced she'd be leaving federal politics. Naqvi was Ontario's Attorney General in 2016 but lost his provincial seat in 2018.
RETURNING GOVERNMENT MEMBERS
Ahmed Hussen has been returned to the riding of York South-Weston for the Liberals. The vote secures a third term for Hussen, who has served in cabinet as minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship and as minister of families, children and social development.
Omar Alghabra has held onto Mississauga Centre for the Liberals. The federal minister of transport has represented the GTA seat since 2015. He has a degree in engineering from Ryerson University, and an MBA from York University.He has worked as a visiting professor at Ryerson University, and as an executive in the sustainable energy sector.
Sameer Zuberi won convincingly once again in Pierrefonds-Dollard. Zuberi was first elected as the Member of Parliament in 2019. Before being elected to the House of Commons, he worked at McGill University's Faculty of Medicine and also worked professionally as a legal researcher and as an educator in media relations and human rights.
Iqra Khalid has won the riding of Mississauga—Erin Mills for the Liberals. She has represented the riding since 2015, when it was created from parts of former Mississauga ridings. Khalid has become a prominent member of the Liberal caucus, chairing the standing committee of justice and human rights and the all-party women’s caucus.
Majid Jowhari has been re-elected in the Richmond Hill riding, having been first elected in 2015 for the Liberals. Jowhari earned a degree in industrial engineering from Ryerson University and an MBA at York University’s Schulich School of Business. In Parliament, Jowhari has chaired the all-party mental health caucus.
Arif Virani has won the riding of Parkdale—High Park for the Liberals. Virani has held the riding since 2015. Virani came to Canada as a refugee from Uganda, and practised as a human rights and constitutional lawyer for 15 years before entering politics and serving the last two terms.
Salma Zahid was re-elected for the Liberals in the riding of Scarborough Centre. Zahid first won the riding in 2015 and was re-elected in 2019. Before politics, she was a community organizer and has a masters in educational management and administration from the University of London’s Institute of Education as well as an MBA from Quaid-i-Azam University in Pakistan.
Ali Ehsassi has won the riding of Willowdale for the Liberal party, first being elected in 2015. Before entering politics, Ehsassi was a lawyer. He is a graduate of the University of Toronto, attended the London School of Economics, and received degrees from Osgoode Hall Law School and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Taleeb Noormohamed captured the riding of Vancouver Granville for the Liberal Party. Taleeb Noormohamed is a Vancouver based technology entrepreneur and investor – and community volunteer.