Wajid Khan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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|
| Incumbent | |
|---|---|
| Riding | Mississauga—Streetsville |
| In office since | 2004 election |
| Preceded by | Steve Mahoney |
| Born | April 24, 1946 (age 60) Lahore, Pakistan |
| Residence | Toronto |
| Political party | |
| Profession(s) | Businessman |
| Religion | Islam |
Wajid Ali Khan (born April 24, 1946 in Lahore, Pakistan) is a Canadian businessman and politician. He is a current member of the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Mississauga—Streetsville for the Conservative Party. He is also the special advisor of the Prime Minister of Canada for the Middle East and South Asia.
Khan served as an officer and pilot in the Pakistan Air Force from 1966 to 1973. He took part in the India-Pakistan war in 1971 as a MiG-19 fighter pilot. He was shot down during one of his missions and spent some time as a Prisoner of War.
He moved to Toronto, Canada, in 1974. Since then, he has emerged as a prominent voice in the city's Pakistani and Muslim communities of the city. Prior to his election, he was the President and CEO of the largest automobile showroom in Canada, that of Dufferin Mazda. He can still be heard advertising for his dealership regularly on the FAN 590 morning Radio Show in Toronto.
Khan supported Paul Martin for the Liberal Party leadership in 2003. He was elected with over 50% support in Mississauga—Streetsville in the 2004 federal election, defeating Conservative Nina Tangri by nearly a 20 percentage point margin.
Along with Yasmin Ratansi, Khan is the first Muslim Member of Parliament (MP) to be elected for the Liberal Party. Rahim Jaffer, also a Muslim MP, had been elected for the Reform Party in 1997.
Khan voted against the government's same-sex marriage bill on June 28, 2005.
Khan was re-elected in the 2006 federal election, defeating Conservative Raminder Gill by an 11 percentage point margin. After his reelection, he was appointed Associate Critic for National Defense, and more recently Associate Critic for Treasury Board. Khan initially supported Joe Volpe in the 2006 Liberal leadership campaign, and later joined Volpe in throwing his support behind Bob Rae.
He was appointed as special advisor to Prime Minister Stephen Harper for the Middle East and Afghanistan on August 8, 2006. Khan emphasized the non-partisan nature of his appointment, noting that he sought and received the approval of Liberal leader Bill Graham prior to taking on the responsibility. [1]
Early in January 2007, media outlets began reporting speculation that Khan was considering crossing the floor to join the Conservative Party.[2] Liberal leader Stéphane Dion had stated that he would not permit Khan to continue in his role as an advisor to Stephen Harper while sitting as a Liberal MP. On January 5, Khan crossed the floor to the Conservatives.[3]
On January 15, 2007 it was revealed that Khan's old Liberal riding association had been deregistered by Elections Canada effective December 31, 2006. Khan's businesses lent a nearly $180,000 to the riding association in a two-year period. While loans to riding associations are permissible, the magnitude of the loans from Khan's business was considered highly unusual.[4] However, Elections Canada later ruled that no wrongdoing had been committed by Khan.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ PM picks Muslim Liberal MP as adviser on Mideast. globeandmail.com (August 9, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-01-17.
- ^ Liberal MP with Tory advisory role will not defect: Dion. cbc.ca (January 5, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-03-01.
- ^ MP Khan bolts Liberals for Tories. cbc.ca (January 5, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-01-05.
- ^ New Tory lent $179,946 to ex-Liberal associates. canada.com (Ottawa Citizen). Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
- ^ Elections Canada says Khan can lend himself money. CTV.ca. Retrieved on 2007-03-01.
