Maryam Monsef | |
|---|---|
مریم منصف | |
 Monsef in 2016 | |
| Minister for Women and Gender Equality[a] | |
| In office January 10, 2017 – October 26, 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Patty Hajdu |
| Succeeded by | Marci Ien |
| Minister of Rural Economic Development | |
| In office November 20, 2019 – October 26, 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Bernadette Jordan |
| Succeeded by | Gudie Hutchings |
| Minister of International Development | |
| In office March 1, 2019 – November 20, 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Marie-Claude Bibeau |
| Succeeded by | Karina Gould |
| Minister of Democratic Institutions | |
| In office November 4, 2015 – February 1, 2017 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Pierre Poilievre |
| Succeeded by | Karina Gould |
| President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada | |
| In office November 4, 2015 – January 10, 2017 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Denis Lebel |
| Succeeded by | Karina Gould |
| Member of Parliament forPeterborough—Kawartha | |
| In office October 19, 2015 – September 20, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Dean Del Mastro (2014) |
| Succeeded by | Michelle Ferreri |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Maryam Monsefzadeh[1] (1984-11-07)November 7, 1984 (age 40) Mashhad,Iran |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Children | 1 |
| Residence(s) | Peterborough, Ontario, Canada |
| Alma mater | Trent University |
Maryam MonsefPC (Persian:مریم منصف, bornMonsefzadeh;[1] November 7, 1984) is anAfghan Canadian politician. She served as themember of Parliament for theriding ofPeterborough—Kawartha from 2015 to 2021 as a member of theLiberal Party of Canada.
A member of the29th Canadian Ministry, she served as theMinister for Women and Gender Equality from 2017 to 2021, asMinister of Rural Economic Development from 2019 to 2021, and asMinister of International Development in 2019. She also served asMinister of Democratic Institutions andPresident of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada from 2015 to 2017. Monsef was defeated in her riding in the2021 federal election.
Monsef was born at the Imam Reza Hospital[b] inMashhad,Iran,[2] toHazara Afghan parents who had fled during theSoviet–Afghan War, and lived with her family there in childhood, together with periods inHerat, Afghanistan, in 1987–1988 and 1993–1996.[3] BecauseIran and Afghanistan (before 2000)[4] followed the principle ofjus sanguinis in their respective nationality laws, Monsef was born anAfghan citizen.[5] Her father was killed on the Iran–Afghanistan border while travelling in 1988, although it is unknown whether he was killed by bandits or Soviet troops.[3] Her uncle had, years earlier, vanished along with several roommates while attending theUniversity of Kabul, in circumstances suggested to have been connected toanti-communist political activity. The family struggled in Iran[6] because of low economic and social prospects for Afghan migrants,[7] even though they had legal status as "involuntary migrants" (mohajerin) under Iranian rules in effect prior to 1992.[8][c] In 1996, during their second return to Herat, her mother opted to move the family to Canada, and the resulting journey involved travelling through Iran,Pakistan, andJordan.[6]
Upon arrival, the family took up residence inPeterborough, where Monsef's uncle already lived. They relied on the support of several charity organizations, including theYMCA and theSalvation Army.[6] Monsef has continued to raise money for humanitarian activities in Afghanistan.[11]
In 2003, Monsef enrolled atTrent University,[12] from which she graduated in 2010 with aBachelor of Science in biology and psychology.[13] After graduation, from 2011 to 2014, she worked in several public sector positions in the Peterborough area.[d]
In 2019, she announced her engagement to former Liberal member of ParliamentMatt DeCourcey.[15]
Monsef holdsdual citizenship with Afghanistan.[16]
In 2014, Monsef was offered a job in Afghanistan but was unable to enter the country because of security concerns.[17] She then went to Iran to work on relief efforts for Afghan refugees, which encouraged her to focus on political endeavours.[17]
When Monsef returned to Canada, she ran for Mayor of Peterborough in 2014, finishing a close second.[18]
Later that same year, she was nominated as theLiberal Party candidate for the2015 federal election.[19] She was elected on October 19, 2015, with 43.8% of the vote.[20][21]
Monsef was appointed asMinister of Democratic Institutions inJustin Trudeau's Cabinet on November 4, 2015.[22][23] She has variously been referred to as the second- or fourth-youngest minister ever appointed to the Cabinet.[6][24] According toThe Hill Times, Monsef was namedPresident of the Queen's Privy Council in Canada although it was unclear at the time whether she had been sworn into that office.[25] Monsef has described this position as "largely ceremonial."[26] The Parliamentary website subsequently indicated that she had assumed the position on November 4.[27]
On January 10, 2017, Monsef was sworn in asMinister for Women and Gender Equality (previously known as the Minister of Status of Women). On March 1, 2019, she was appointedMinister of International Development.[28] She was sworn in asMinister of Rural Economic Development on November 20, 2019.[29]
On May 10, 2016, Monsef gave notice in the House of Commons of the government's plans for the composition of theSpecial Committee on Electoral Reform, which was to have ten members—six members of the Liberal Party, three members from theConservative Party, and one member from theNew Democratic Party.[30] This attracted immediate controversy, as the government possessed a majority of the committee seats and thus could theoretically recommend alterations to the electoral system without the support of any other party. As well, theGreen Party and theBloc Québécois objected to their lack of voting representation on the committee, although they were invited to attend meetings.[31]
On June 2, 2016, the Liberal government reversed course, and both Trudeau and Monsef advised that they would supportNathan Cullen's motion for the composition of the committee, which would instead have twelve members—five Liberals, three Conservatives, two New Democrats, and one member from each of the Bloc Québécois and the Green Party.[32]
Following the release of the final report of the Electoral Reform Committee Monsef criticized the Members of the committee stating "On the main question on the hard choices that we had asked the committee to make, the members of the committee took a pass," and "We asked the committee to help answer very difficult questions for us. It did not do that." The remarks were considered inaccurate and offensive to the Members of the Committee.[33] Monsef later apologized for her comments.[34]
In late 2016, the Government contracted Vox Pop Labs to create an online survey for Canadians on electoral reform at a website called mydemocracy.ca.[35] The survey was condemned as unscientific and misleading by journalists for allowing unlimited entries from one person and failing to ask direct questions about electoral systems. It was also widely mocked by political observers and electoral reform advocates.[36][37] Conservative MPScott Reid and Green Party leaderElizabeth May both claimed the survey looked more like an online dating survey.[38]
In early 2017 Monsef was replaced as Democratic Institutions Minister byKarina Gould and the Liberal campaign promise to replace the first-past-the-post electoral system was not pursued further.[39]
Monsef has been criticized for stating that she was born inAfghanistan, when in fact she was born inIran.[40] When this was revealed in September 2016,[3] some commentators pointed out that this could lead to revocation of herCanadian citizenship and potentialdeportation,[41] while others have criticized the absurdity of the present law[42] or decried the importation ofbirtherism into Canadian politics.[43] The Trudeau government has regularly revoked citizenship from individuals who had become citizens through fraudulent means – including individuals who came to Canada as children but whose parents had made false claims on their immigration forms.[44][45] In an interview at that time, former MPDean Del Mastro said that political workers in the 2014 municipal and 2015 federal campaigns knew she was not born in Afghanistan, but chose not to make an issue of it.[46] Monsef made a request to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to update her information.[47]
In October 2016, her office revealed that she had travelled to Iran withpilgrimage visas in anAfghan passport in 2010, 2013 and 2014 in order to visit theImam Reza shrine in Mashhad.[48] As this type of visa is normally for a single entry to Iran and does not allow a holder to work, her previous admissions that she had crossed over to Afghanistan and back in 2014, together with working with an Iran-based charity at that time, have caught the attention of Iranian authorities.[49] In a 2014 interview in Peterborough, Monsef admitted that she wanted the trip to "remain hush-hush."[49][50]
In November 2020 Monsef accidentally left her microphone on during a vote in the House of Commons while participating virtually onZoom. As a result, the camera showed her saying "The question they're going to ask me — how much do I make now? Like 250?" As a cabinet minister, her annual salary at the time was $269,800.00.[51]
Monsef was criticized for the comments as her salary was more than four times the median wage in her riding and yet she was casually discussing her own salary without knowing it to the nearest $20,000.[52] It was unclear what prompted Monsef to make the comment; however, her office later released a statement claiming "Due to a technical error a private conversation was broadcasted."[53]
I want to take this opportunity to speak with our brothers, the Taliban. We call on you to ensure the safe and secure passage of any individual in Afghanistan out of the country. We call on you to immediately stop the violence, the genocide, the femicide, the destruction of infrastructure, including heritage buildings
— Maryam Monsef[54]
On August 25, 2021, during a press conference regarding theTalibanoverthrow of the democratically elected government ofAfghanistan, Monsef sparked controversy after she referred to Taliban militants as her "brothers" while calling on them to allow safe passage for refugees and stop engaging ingenocide andfemicide.[54][55][56][57] The Canadian government designates the Taliban as aterrorist organization, which has been responsible for the deaths of 158 Canadian soldiers since 2001.[55][58] In response to widespread criticism, Monsef stated that Muslims around the world refer to non-family members as brothers and sisters,[54] and that she "believe[s] deeply that the Taliban are a terrorist organization."[55] Many Farsi speakers and Afghans debunked Monsef's premise on the cultural context of calling the Taliban "brothers", and some have even attributed her defeat in2021 Canadian election to that comment.[59][60][61]
Monsef was defeated in the2021 federal election.[62]
| 2021 Canadian federal election:Peterborough—Kawartha | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Michelle Ferreri | 27,402 | 39.03 | +4.14 | $105,628.34 | |||
| Liberal | Maryam Monsef | 24,664 | 35.13 | –4.12 | $115,503.91 | |||
| New Democratic | Joy Lachica | 13,302 | 18.94 | +1.93 | $30,208.37 | |||
| People's | Paul Lawton | 3,073 | 4.38 | +3.10 | $11,111,91 | |||
| Green | Chanté White | 1,553 | 2.21 | –4.85 | $8,788.53 | |||
| Independent | Robert M. Bowers | 218 | 0.31 | +0.05 | none listed | |||
| Total valid votes | 70,212 | 99.44 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 395 | 0.56 | ||||||
| Turnout | 70,607 | 70.09 | +0.09 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 100,735 | |||||||
| Conservativegain fromLiberal | Swing | +4.13 | ||||||
| Source:Elections Canada[63] | ||||||||
| 2019 Canadian federal election:Peterborough—Kawartha | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Maryam Monsef | 27,400 | 39.25 | -4.57 | $99,034.55 | |||
| Conservative | Michael Skinner | 24,357 | 34.89 | -0.17 | $97,460.55 | |||
| New Democratic | Candace Shaw | 11,872 | 17.01 | -1.68 | none listed | |||
| Green | Andrew MacGregor | 4,930 | 7.06 | +4.84 | none listed | |||
| People's | Alexander Murphy | 890 | 1.28 | none listed | ||||
| Independent | Robert M. Bowers | 180 | 0.26 | $0.00 | ||||
| Stop Climate Change | Ken Ranney | 172 | 0.25 | $1,666.19 | ||||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 69,801 | 99.36 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 448 | 0.64 | +0.35 | |||||
| Turnout | 70,249 | 70.00 | -1.61 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 100,351 | |||||||
| Liberalhold | Swing | -2.20 | ||||||
| Source:Elections Canada[64] | ||||||||
| 2015 Canadian federal election:Peterborough—Kawartha | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Maryam Monsef | 29,159 | 43.82 | +22.42 | $153,380.94 | |||
| Conservative | Michael Skinner | 23,335 | 35.07 | -14.60 | $160,866.22 | |||
| New Democratic | Dave Nickle | 12,437 | 18.69 | -6.19 | – | |||
| Green | Doug Mason | 1,480 | 2.22 | -1.34 | $82.52 | |||
| Strength in Democracy | Toban Leckie | 131 | 0.20 | – | $729.98 | |||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 66,542 | 100.0 | – | $232,452.91[65] | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 190 | 0.28 | -0.01 | |||||
| Turnout | 66,732 | 73.19 | +7.88 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 91,180 | |||||||
| Source:Elections Canada[66][67] | ||||||||
| Candidate | Votes | % of vote |
|---|---|---|
| Daryl Bennett | 11,210 | 41.4 |
| Maryam Monsef | 9,879 | 36.5 |
| Alan Wilson | 4,052 | 14.9 |
| Patti S. Peeters | 1,564 | 5.8 |
| George "Terry" LeBlanc | 202 | 0.7 |
| Tom Young | 183 | 0.7 |
| Total | 27,090 | 100.0 |
The youngest woman in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Cabinet, who arrived in Canada with her family as a child refugee from Afghanistan 20 years ago, was quietly named President of the Queen's Privy Council in Canada.
| 29th Ministry – Cabinet ofJustin Trudeau | ||
| Cabinet posts (5) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| Bernadette Jordan | Minister of Rural Economic Development November 20, 2019 – October 26, 2021 | Gudie Hutchings |
| Marie-Claude Bibeau | Minister of International Development March 1, 2019 – November 20, 2019 | Karina Gould |
| Patty Hajdu | Minister for Women and Gender Equality January 10, 2017 – October 26, 2021 | Marci Ien |
| Denis Lebel | President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada November 4, 2015 – January 10, 2017 | Karina Gould |
| Pierre Poilievre | Minister of Democratic Institutions November 4, 2015 – February 1, 2017 | Karina Gould |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
