Salma Zahid

Salma Zahid MP is an English-born Pakistani-Canadian politician, who was elected as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada to represent the federal riding of Scarborough Centre during the 2015 Canadian federal election. She succeeded the Conservative Roxanne James.[1]

Salma Zahid MP
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Scarborough Centre
Incumbent
Assumed office October 19, 2015
Preceded by	Roxanne James
Personal details
Born	Coventry, England, UK
Citizenship	Canada Pakistan
Political party	Liberal
Residence	Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario
Alma mater	University of London Quaid-i-Azam University
Awards	Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal

Early life and career

Zahid was born in Coventry, England. She holds a master's degree in educational management and administration from the University of London’s Institute of Education, and an MBA from Quaid e Azam University in Pakistan.[2] She is Pakistani Canadian, mother of 2 and has resided in Scarborough since 2000.[3] She is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.[4] Zahid was a community organizer and worked for the Government of Ontario in multiple positions before running in the election. [5]

Politics

Zahid was elected in the 2015 Canadian federal election as a Member of Parliament for Scarborough Centre (electoral district). While in the 42nd Parliament, Zahid had the role of Vice-Chair for the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, where she was a spokesperson for racialized women.[5] Zahid was also a member of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, where she advocated for efficient customer service and family reunification.[5] As a Member of Parliament, Zahid worked to designate the month of June as Filipino Heritage Month, which was unanimously passed by the House of Commons of Canada. [5]

In February 2018, Zahid announced that she was taking medical leave to treat her Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This was used by the Scarborough Centre Conservative Party of Canada Riding Association Vice President to sell memberships via robocall.[6] While recovering from chemotherapy treatment, Zahid wore a hijab for personal reasons, saying that she had grown closer to her Islamic faith while facing cancer. In May 2018, she became the first MP to wear a hijab in the House of Commons.[7] Zahid received both positive and negative reactions to the hijab, and she responded with encouragement for diversity in Canada.[7] In July 2018, after completing six rounds of chemotherapy, Zahid was cancer-free and returned to her job.[6]

Zahid was re-nominated to run in Scarborough Centre for the Liberals in the 2019 Canadian federal election.[6]

2015 Election results

2015 Canadian federal election: Scarborough Centre
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Salma Zahid	22,753	50.5	+18.61	$111,259.09
	Conservative	Roxanne James	14,705	32.7	-2.18	$96,481.13
	New Democratic	Alex Wilson	5,227	11.6	-19.06	$24,264.68
	Libertarian	Katerina Androutsos	1,384	3.1		$1,452.03
	Green	Lindsay Thompson	960	2.1	-0.47	$1,627.92
Total valid votes/Expense limit			45,029	100.00	+22.33	$203,985.80
Total rejected ballots			407	0.90	+0.33
Turnout			45,436	64.36	+10.02
Eligible voters			70,594		+0.46
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing		+10.39%
Source(s) "Election Night Results (Validated by Returning Officer)". Elections Canada. Retrieved November 2, 2015. "Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates".

References

1. "Liberal candidate Salma Zahid wins Scarborough Centre". Toronto Star. October 19, 2015.
2. "Biography: Salma Zahid". Liberal Party of Canada. October 15, 2016.
3. "Two Pakistani women emerge victorious in Canadian general elections". ARY News. October 20, 2015.
4. "Scarborough area Liberal MPs endorse John Tory".
5. "Biography | Salma Zahid | Your member of parliament for Scarborough Centre". szahid.liberal.ca. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
6. Aiello, Rachel (August 22, 2018). "'A new low': Conservative robocall tries to exploit Liberal MP's cancer diagnosis". CTV News. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
7. Massa, Ginella (August 21, 2018). "Scarborough MP responds to criticism over wearing hijab, says she's recovering from cancer". CityNews Toronto. Retrieved September 1, 2018.

External links

• Salma Zahid – Parliament of Canada biography