Wajid Khan
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
Mississaugaâ€"Streetsville for the
Liberal Party. He is also the special advisor of the
prime minister of Canada for the
Middle East and the
South Asia.
Khan served as an officer and pilot in the
Pakistan Air Force form
1966 to
1973, before moving 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.
Khan supported
Paul Martin for the Liberal Party leadership in
2003. He was elected with over 50% support in
Mississaugaâ€"Streetsville in the
2004 federal election, defeating
Conservative Nina Tangri by nearly a 20% margin.
Along with
Yasmin Ratansi, Khan is the first Muslim
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% margin. Since his reelection, he has been appointed Associate Critic for National Defense, and most recently Associate Critic for Treasury Board. Khan has also declared his support for
Joe Volpe in the upcoming
Liberal leadership.
He was appointed as special advisor to
Prime Minister Stephen Harper for the Middle East and the South Asia on
August 8 2006. Khan has 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][
2]
*
Official Website*
How'd They Vote?: Wajid Khan's voting history and quotes*
PM picks Muslim Liberal MP as adviser on Mideast
