- Rahim Jaffer
Infobox CanadianMP
honorific-prefix =
name = Rahim Jaffer
رحيم جعفر
honorific-suffix =
MP
riding =Edmonton—Strathcona
parliament = Canadian
term_start = 1997 federal election
term_end =
predecessor =Hugh Hanrahan
successor =
birth_date = birth date and age |1971|12|15
birth_place = Kampala,Uganda
death_date =
death_place =
party = Conservative (2003-present)
otherparty = Reform (1997-2000)Canadian Alliance (2000-2003)
spouse = Engaged toHelena Guergis
residence = Edmonton,Alberta
profession =businessman ,entrepreneur
portfolio =
religion =Ismaili
footnotes =Rahim Jaffer ( _ur. رحيم جعفر) (born
December 15 ,1971 ) is a Canadian politician. He has served in theCanadian House of Commons since 1997, and currently represents theAlberta riding ofEdmonton—Strathcona as a member of the Conservative party.Jaffer was born in
Kampala ,Uganda . When Rahim was a young child, he and his family came to Canada to escape persecution in Uganda. The government of Idi Amin confiscated their business and their home, and sent them as penniless refugees to a new country.Jaffer completed his Bachelor of Social Sciences degree at the
University of Ottawa inPolitical Science andEconomics . He took his degree in French and also served as a legislative assistant in the House of Commons. After completing his degree, Jaffer returned toEdmonton where he operated a successful coffee shop in the heart of Old Strathcona.Rahim was elected to the House of Commons as the
Member of Parliament for Edmonton-Strathcona on June 2, 1997 at the age of 25. He originally won his seat as a member of theReform Party of Canada (later theCanadian Alliance , ultimately merged with the Progressive Conservatives to form the Conservative Party). Jaffer is aMuslim of theIsmaili faith, and was the onlyMuslim member of the Canadian House of Commons from 2000 to 2004.Fact|date=February 2007 He graduated from theUniversity of Ottawa . Jaffer speaks fluent English and French.In 2001, Matthew Johnston, an aide to Jaffer, impersonated him during a radio interview that Jaffer was himself unable to attend. Jaffer subsequently apologized in the House of Commons and was suspended from his caucus position for several months.
Jaffer supported the
2003 invasion of Iraq , [House of Commons, Edited Hansard,24 March 2003 , http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?pub=Hansard&doc=76&Language=E&Mode=2&Parl=37&Ses=2#T1605] arguing thatIraqis longed to live in freedom and rid themselves ofSaddam Hussein . In making this argument, he drew attention to the fact that his own family endured oppression underIdi Amin .On January 23, 2006, Jaffer was re-elected to serve a fourth term as the Member of Parliament for Edmonton-Strathcona. On February 8, 2006, he was named chair of the Conservative caucus by Prime Minister
Stephen Harper .He is engaged to fellow Conservative MP
Helena Guergis . [Alan Kellogg, "Jaffer parlays backroom role into position of influence", "Edmonton Journal",28 May 2006 , A2.]Electoral record
-
Conservative
Rahim Jaffer
align="right"|22,009
align="right"|41.7%
align="right"
align="right"New Democratic Party Linda Duncan
align="right"|17,153
align="right"|32.5%
align="right"
align="right"
LiberalAndy Hladyshevsky
align="right"|9,391
align="right"|17.8%
align="right"
align="right"
GreenCameron Wakefield
align="right"|3,139
align="right"|5.9%
align="right"
align="right"Progressive Canadian Party Michael Fedeyko
align="right"|582
align="right"|1.1%
align="right"
align="right"
MarijuanaDave Dowling
align="right"|390
align="right"|0.7%
align="right"
align="right"
Marxist-LeninistKevan Hunter
align="right"|106
align="right"|0.2%
align="right"
align="right"
- bgcolor="white"!align="right" colspan=3|Total valid votes!align="right"|52,770!align="right"|99.72%!align="right"
!align="right"
- bgcolor="white"!align="right" colspan=3|Total rejected ballots!align="right"|148!align="right"|0.28%!align="right"
!align="right"
- bgcolor="white"!align="right" colspan=3|Turnout!align="right"|52,918!align="right"|70.6%!align="right"
!align="right"-
Conservative
Rahim Jaffer
align="right"|19,089
align="right"|39.40%
align="right"
align="right"|$67,449
LiberalDebby Carlson
align="right"|14,057
align="right"|29.01%
align="right"
align="right"|$67,910New Democratic Party Malcolm Azania
align="right"|11,535
align="right"|23.80%
align="right"
align="right"|$46,100
Green
Cameron Wakefield
align="right"|3,146
align="right"|6.49%
align="right"
align="right"|$2,353
Marijuana
Dave Dowling
align="right"|519
align="right"|1.07%
align="right"
align="right"
Marxist-Leninist
Kevan Hunter
align="right"|103
align="right"|0.21%
align="right"
align="right"|$26
- bgcolor="white"!align="right" colspan=3|Total valid votes!align="right"|48,449!align="right"|100.00%!align="right"
!align="right"
- bgcolor="white"!align="right" colspan=3|Total rejected ballots!align="right"|150!align="right"|0.31%!align="right"
!align="right"
- bgcolor="white"!align="right" colspan=3|Turnout!align="right"|48,599!align="right"|65.66%!align="right"
!align="right"-
Canadian Alliance
Rahim Jaffer
align="right"|23,463
align="right"|42.00%
align="right"
align="right"|$57,365
Liberal
Jonathan Dai
align="right"|17,816
align="right"|31.89%
align="right"
align="right"|$48,430New Democratic Party
Hélène Narayana
align="right"|8,256
align="right"|14.78%
align="right"
align="right"|$25,883
Progressive Conservative
Gregory Toogood
align="right"|5,047
align="right"|9.03%
align="right"
align="right"|$4,252
Marijuana
Ken Kirk
align="right"|814
align="right"|1.45%
align="right"
align="right"|$149
Canadian Action
style="width: 145px"|Kesa Rose Semenchuk
align="right"|299
align="right"|0.53%
align="right"
align="right"|$1,485
Marxist-Leninist
Kevan Hunter
align="right"|164
align="right"|0.29%
align="right"
align="right"|$275
- bgcolor="white"!align="right" colspan=3|Total valid votes!align="right"|48,449!align="right"|100.00%!align="right"
!align="right"
- bgcolor="white"!align="right" colspan=3|Total rejected ballots!align="right"|150!align="right"|0.31%!align="right"
!align="right"
- bgcolor="white"!align="right" colspan=3|Turnout!align="right"|48,599!align="right"|65.66%!align="right"
!align="right"-
Reform
Rahim Jaffer
align="right"|20,605
align="right"|41.30%|
align="right"|$58,003
Liberal
Ginette Rodger
align="right"|17,654
align="right"|35.38%|
align="right"|$58,244New Democratic Party
Jean McBean
align="right"|7,251
align="right"|14.53%|
align="right"|$42,936
Progressive Conservative
Edo Nyland
align="right"|3,614
align="right"|7.24%|
align="right"|$10,183
Green
Karina Gregory
align="right"|406
align="right"|0.81%
align="right"
align="right"|$520
Natural Law
Maury Shapka
align="right"|153
align="right"|0.30%
align="right"
align="right"
No affiliationNaomi Rankin
align="right"|115
align="right"|0.23%
align="right"
align="right"|$1,732
Canadian Action
J. Alex Ford
align="right"|92
align="right"|0.18%
align="right"
align="right"|$845
- bgcolor="white"!align="right" colspan=3|Total valid votes!align="right"|49,890!align="right"|100.00%!!
- bgcolor="white"!align="right" colspan=3|Total rejected ballots!align="right"|101!align="right"|0.20%!!
- bgcolor="white"!align="right" colspan=3|Turnout!align="right"|49,991!align="right"|62.74%!!References
External links
* [http://www.rahimjaffer.com rahimjaffer.com]
* [http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/key/bio.asp?lang=E&query=9127&s=M Political Biography from the Library of Parliament]
* [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2001/03/19/jaffer010319.html cbc.ca, "Jaffer to apologize to House of Commons."] Accessed May 1, 2007Footnotes
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.