Omar Alghabra

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Omar Alghabra
MP MBA
Omar alghabra photo.jpg
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Mississauga Centre
Assumed office
October 19, 2015
Preceded by riding created
Member of Parliament
for Mississauga—Erindale
In office
January 23, 2006 – October 14, 2008
Preceded by Carolyn Parrish
Succeeded by Bob Dechert
Personal details
Born (1969-10-24) October 24, 1969 (age 46)
Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia
Political party Liberal
Residence Mississauga, Ontario
Profession Engineer, Entrepreneur, Politician

Omar Alghabra is a Saudi Arabian born Canadian politician of Syrian Canadian[1] descent, who represented the riding of Mississauga—Erindale in the Canadian House of Commons from 2006 to 2008. He is the former president of the Canadian Arab Federation, and senior policy advisor to Justin Trudeau.

Alghabra graduated from Ryerson University with a degree in engineering and in 2000 received his Master of Business Administration from York University.

He was elected to the House of Commons in the 2006 election as a member of the Liberal caucus, and was an active organizer for Gerard Kennedy's leadership bid. He was the opposition critic for Citizenship and Immigration, and later for Natural Resources.

He was narrowly defeated by Bob Dechert in the 2008 election and the 2011 election. In the 2015 election he was returned to Parliament as the MP for the recreated riding of Mississauga Centre.

Campaigning[edit]

The National Post stated that Alghabra promotes himself by "humour and self-deprecation to win over voters. Rather than vilify his opponents, Alghabra is establishing himself in the public mind in a positive sense, before he can be trashed by competitors."[2]

According to a column in The Globe and Mail, Alghabra's "combination of biographical information and self-deprecating humour stands in contrast to the aggressive attack ads currently in rotation on the federal stage."[3]

In the 2015 election, Alghabra won national attention for his campaign's ad that parodied a Conservative attack ad against Justin Trudeau that used a job application as the premise.[4] Later in the campaign, he released a campaign video that parodied the opening sequence of Game of Thrones.[5]

Views[edit]

In 2010, Alghabra identified key issues on his platform:[6]

  • Ending poverty in Mississauga; Alghabra states that one out of five children in Mississauga live in poverty
  • Reduce the unemployment rate; Alghabra quotes a 2010 figure of around 10%.
  • Integration of immigrants; Alghabra said he would work towards the recognition of foreign credentials.

On Canadian democracy, Alghabra stated:[6]

I was raised in areas where they don't believe in democracy and civil rights, cultures of equality and justice, and there is no belief that a citizen has the power over their own destiny...now I have a unique appreciation for Canada and what Canada has to offer, so it is that passion about striving to protect the idea and the noble concept of democracy.

Electoral record[edit]

Canadian federal election, 2015: Mississauga Centre
Party Candidate Votes % ∆% Expenditures
Liberal Omar Alghabra 28,372 54.72 +18 –
Conservative Julius Tiangson 17,431 33.62 -8.06 –
New Democratic Farheen Khan 4,920 9.49 -9.51 –
Green Linh Nguyen 1,129 2.18 -0.14 –
Total valid votes/Expense limit 51,852 100.0   $218,539.24
Total rejected ballots 342 – –
Turnout 52,194 – –
Eligible voters 82,443
Source: Elections Canada[7][8][9]
Canadian federal election, 2011: Mississauga-Erindale
Party Candidate Votes % ∆% Expenditures
Conservative Bob Dechert 29,793 46.95 +4.24 –
Liberal Omar Alghabra 21,541 33.95 -8.05 –
New Democratic Michelle Bilek 10,327 16.27 +7.73 –
Green John Fraser 1,694 2.67 -3.83 –
Marxist–Leninist Dagmar Sullivan 99 0.16 -0.07 –
Total valid votes 63,454 100.00 –
Total rejected ballots 217 0.34 -0.02
Turnout 63,671 61.61 +5.4
Eligible voters 103,337 – –
Canadian federal election, 2008: Mississauga-Erindale
Party Candidate Votes % ∆% Expenditures
Conservative Bob Dechert 23,863 42.71 +3.3 $96,559
Liberal Omar Alghabra 23,466 42.00 -2.8 $74,412
New Democratic Mustafa Rizvi 4,774 8.54 -2.6 $1,330
Green Richard Pietro 3,636 6.50 +2.1
Marxist–Leninist Dagmar Sullivan 129 0.23 -0.3
Total valid votes/Expense limit 55,868 100.00 $98,112
Total rejected ballots 203 0.36 -0.06
Turnout 56,071 56.2 -9.9
Canadian federal election, 2006: Mississauga-Erindale
Party Candidate Votes % ∆% Expenditures
Liberal Omar Alghabra 26,852 44.81 -9.56 $75,892
Conservative Bob Dechert 23,524 39.25 +7.30 $81,890
New Democratic Rupinder Brar 6,644 11.08 +1.26 $3,459
Green Adam Hunter 2,613 4.36 +0.79 $1,484
Independent Ronnie Amyotte 289 0.48 – $1,249
Total valid votes/Expense limit 59,922 100.00 $162,852
Total rejected ballots 251 0.42 -0.10
Turnout 60,173 65.5 +6.2

References[edit]

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ "Two approaches to political advertising: Humour versus vilification". National Post. 
  3. ^ Jane Taber. "And now for something completely different in political ads: ‘blind puppies’ and ‘smart pantsery’". Globe and Mail. 
  4. ^ "The Gargoyle – Liberal candidate responds to Tories' "Just not ready" ad". Ottawa Citizen. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015. 
  5. ^ Omar, Mohamed (2 October 2015). "Omar Alghabra, Liberal Candidate, Releases Incredibad 'Game Of Thrones' Ad". Huffington Post Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2015. 
  6. ^ a b Saaliha Malik (2010-02-01). "TALKING WITH OMAR ALGHABRA". The Medium. 
  7. ^ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Mississauga Centre, 30 September 2015
  8. ^ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates
  9. ^ Federal Election 2015: Mississauga Centre riding results

External links[edit]


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