List of Asian-Canadian first ministers
There have been three first ministers of a Canadian government of Asian descent. Of these, all three served premiers of a province; no person of Asian descent has ever served as Prime Minister of Canada.[lower-alpha 1]
Asian-Canadians have been eligible to become first ministers since they gained the right to vote, beginning in 1947. The three Asian-Canadians who have held this office are Joe Ghiz and Robert Ghiz of Prince Edward Island and Ujjal Dosanjh of British Columbia. Dosanjh earned his position through a party leadership race within their political party while it was in government, while Joe and Robert Ghiz won the title by defeating an incumbent premier in a general election. No two Asian-Canadian first ministers have ever served concurrently.
Seven Asian-Canadians have served as the leader of a political party with representation in the legislature.
First Ministers
Three Asian-Canadians have served as first ministers, all at the provincial level.
Image | Premier | Province | Ancestry | Took office | Left office | Duration | Mandates | Party | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Joe Ghiz (1945–1996)[1] |
Prince Edward Island | Lebanese | 2 May 1986 | 25 January 1993 | 6 years, 268 days | 1986 Election 1989 Election |
Liberal | ||
Ujjal Dosanjh (b. 1947)[2] |
British Columbia | Indian | 24 February 2000 | 5 June 2001 | 1 year, 101 days | 2000 Designation | New Democratic | ||
Robert Ghiz (b. 1974)[3] |
Prince Edward Island | Lebanese | 12 June 2007 | 23 February 2015 | 7 years, 256 days | 2007 Election 2011 Election |
Liberal | ||
Leaders of opposition parties
The following Asian-Canadians have served as leaders of political parties represented in the House of Commons or a provincial legislature. All eight served at the provincial level, with one going on to lead a national party. Those Asian-Canadians who served as both opposition leader and first minister at some point in their careers are listed in the above section.
Image | Leader | Jurisdiction | Ancestry | Took office | Left office | Duration | Party | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Raj Pannu (b. 1934) |
Alberta | Indian | 8 February 2000 | 13 July 2004 | 4 years, 156 days | New Democratic | ||
Amir Khadir (b. 1961) |
Quebec | Iranian | 4 February 2006 | 4 November 2012 | 6 years, 274 days | Québec solidaire | ||
Lorraine Michael (b. 1943) |
Newfoundland and Labrador | Lebanese | 28 May 2006 | 7 March 2015 | 8 years, 283 days | New Democratic | ||
Raj Sherman (b. 1966) |
Alberta | Indian | 10 September 2011 | 26 January 2015 | 3 years, 138 days | Liberal | ||
Rana Bokhari (b. 1977) |
Manitoba | Pakistani | 26 October 2013 | 24 September 2016 | 2 years, 334 days | Liberal | ||
Flor Marcelino (b. 1951/1952) |
Manitoba | Filipino | 30 April 2016 | 16 September 2017 | 1 year, 139 days | New Democratic | ||
David Khan (b. 1974/1975) |
Alberta | Pakistani | 4 June 2017 | Incumbent | 3 years, 64 days | Liberal | ||
Jagmeet Singh (b. 1979) |
Canada | Indian | 1 October 2017 | Incumbent | 2 years, 311 days | New Democratic |
See also
- List of current Canadian first ministers
- List of female first ministers in Canada
- List of Visible Minority Canadian Cabinet Ministers
- List of visible minority politicians in Canada
Footnotes
- Current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has very distant Indonesian ancestry. However, this is more of a genealogical footnote than a real cultural or ethnic connection, and Trudeau is not identified by himself or the public as a member of a visible minority.
References
- "Premiers Gallery: Ghiz, Joe". Biographical Directory of Prince Edward Island. Government of Prince Edward Island. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
- "Premiers of British Columbia". Art & History Home. Government of BC, The British Columbian Government. Archived from the original on June 4, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
- "Robert Ghiz". Government of PEI. Prince Edward Island Government, Canadian Government. Archived from the original on July 31, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.