Omar Alghabra


Omar Alghabra is a Canadian politician who serves as Liberal Member of Parliament for Mississauga Centre. He was first elected in 2006 to the 39th Parliament of Canada, then again in 2015 to the 42nd Parliament of Canada. He served as Parliament Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2015 to 2018 and Parliament Secretary to the Minister of International Trade Diversification from 2018 to 2019. Alghabra was re-elected in the 2019 federal election. He was appointed as Parliament Secretary to the Prime Minister and Parliament Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. He was also sworn in as a member of the Privy Council in February 2020.

Background

Alghabra was born in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia to a Syrian family. His father, an architect, moved their family to Saudi Arabia in 1968. Alghabra has stated that he remembers living a sheltered life there, attending private school and visiting Syria in the summer. Alghabra completed his high school education at the Dhahran Ahliyya School in Alkhobar. He then moved to Damascus, Syria where he started his Engineering degree at Damascus University. He decided to complete his education in Canada.
Alghabra moved to Toronto when he was 19 years old to attend school. He attended grade 13 to obtain his Canadian high school diploma. Later, he completed his Bachelor of Engineering at Ryerson University. He worked weekends and nights at a donut shop, a gas station, and a convenience store to pay for his formal education.
Alghabra also attended York University, where he graduated with a Master of Business Administration. He built his career by taking on different roles with different companies. His first professional job was with Ainsworth Inc. He also had different roles at General Electric Canada.
Throughout his career, he remained socially engaged. Alghabra supported initiatives that empowered new Canadians and promoted economic and social integration. He became involved in civic organizations in his community to encourage a better understanding of civil rights, equality, and justice. He also served as a member of the community editorial board for the Toronto Star in 2003 where he published several articles.

Private Sector Experience

Alghabra’s first job was at Ainsworth Inc. as a Quality Assurance supervisor. He later transitioned to sales and worked as the Predictive Maintenance supervisor. Afterwards, he joined General Electric as a Six Sigma Black Belt in the Industrial Service Business. He became the Global Business Leader for GE’s Industrial Refurbished Parts business.
After his political defeat in the 2008 general election, Alghabra joined ENBALA Power Networks as their Vice President for Corporate Development. Later, he worked as an advisor to the COO of the Ontario Energy Board on innovation in the utility sector. Alghabra returned to the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science after being appointed a Distinguished Visiting Professor. In this role, he also joined Ryerson’s start-up incubator DMZ as their Executive-in-residence.

Political Career

Alghabra stated that his involvement with Politics began as a campaign volunteer, where he had opportunities to advocate on issues of equality, national security, and racial profiling. When a Member of Parliament retired, Alghabra left General Electric to run as a Liberal candidate for Member of Parliament in the 2006 federal election in the riding of Mississauga—Erindale. He defeated Conservative candidate Bob Dechert by 3,328 votes. He got elected into a Conservative Party minority government, led by Stephen Harper. Alghabra has said his engineering background has enriched his perspective in politics.

In the 39th Parliament of Canada

As Member of Parliament for Mississauga-Erindale, Alghabra was appointed as the Critic for Citizenship and Immigration and served as member in the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration in 2007.

Immigration and Citizenship Reform

Alghabra sponsored Bill C-523, An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts. This enactment seeks to strengthen due process in issuance of security certificates. In particular, to ensure;
all relevant information or evidence will be provided to the court and the special advocate;
the special advocate will have continued access to the person named in the certificate;
evidence will be disclosed to the person named in the certificate in a manner consistent with section 38.11 of the Canada Evidence Act;
the person named in the certificate will have a role in choosing his or her special advocate;
the special advocate will be sufficiently independent of government;
the special advocate will owe a duty of confidentiality to the person named in the certificate;
evidence obtained by torture or cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment will not be allowed;
there will be limits on indefinite detention; and
the special advocate function will be extended to proceedings under section 38.11 of the Canada Evidence Act.

Energy Policies

Alghabra also served as the Critic for Natural Resources and sat as member on the Standing Committee on Natural Resources.
During this time, Alghabra led the charge in defending the independence of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission when the Federal Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn made a decision to fire the president of the Commission Linda Keen. Alghabra criticized Lunn for political interference in a quasi-judicial tribunal.

Youth Engagement

Alghabra has been a consistent advocate for youth empowerment and engagement in politics. He has encouraged students to stay in school and become socially engaged. In 2011, Alghabra committed to creating an internship in his office for Mississauga youth who want to learn about the political process.

Labour Rights

Alghabra sponsored Bill C-409, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code. This enactment seeks to amend the Canada Labour Code to extend the period of absence without penalty from 12 weeks to 52 weeks.
During his time as Member of Parliament, he resolved problems for hundreds of constituents, tabled bills, and pushed for funding of Mississauga Transit.
Alghabra was defeated in General Election 2008 and General Election 2011 for Mississauga-Erindale. He was next re-elected to the 42nd Parliament of Canada in 2015 as Member of Parliament for Mississauga Centre. Alghabra’s campaign efforts garnered media attention for parodying the opening sequence of Game of Thrones.

In the 42nd Parliament of Canada

Alghabra served as Parliament Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2015-2018.

Consular Affairs

As Parliament Secretary, Alghabra had a consular affairs file that oversaw 250,000 cases. Most of these cases were routine matters such as lost passports. The main focus was to help Canadians who needed assistance abroad. However, some cases were very complex.
Alghabra mentioned that the kidnapping of John Ridsdel and Robert Hall by the terrorist organization Abu Sayyaf kept him up at night thinking of solutions for their release. Eventually, the terrorist organization beheaded the two captives when ransom demands were not met. Canada has a no ransom policy.
Alghabra also worked on the release of Joshua Boyle and his family by militants affiliated with the Taliban. After spending 5 years in captivity, they were rescued near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Alghabra was actively involved and informed of rescue plans. The family returned safely to Ontario.
Alghabra was additionally involved in the release of Salim Alaradi who was detained in the United Arab Emirates for 17 months without being charged. Alghabra stated he was personally in discussion with U.A.E. officials about Alaradi’s case and relieved to hear of his release. Alghabra addressed his welcome back to Canada in the House of Commons.
Alghabra’s consular affairs portfolio includes assisting those Canadians stranded by Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean states. Following his work in consular affairs, Alghabra stated that Canadians should abide by travel advisories before leaving the country and that the government will do what they can to help Canadians abroad but there are limited means and options at times. Although he misses his family in Syria, he follows warnings against travelling there and encourages fellow Canadians to follow the government’s advice too.

Political Prisoners

In parliament, Alghabra has advocated for political prisoners and those experiencing human rights abuses, including the Saudi journalist Raif Badawi. He has also spoken on behalf of Minister Freeland regarding the return of Maryam Mombeini following the death of her husband Seyed-Emami in detainment in Iran. Alghabra has also advocated for release of Dr. Homa Hoodfar in the House of Commons as well as being involved in her case as Parliament Secretary. Dr. Hoodfar had successfully returned to Canada and joined Alghabra as his guest at the House of Commons.

NAFTA

Alghabra was involved in production of Report 14 on NAFTA Modernization and North American Trilateral Cooperation. The committee recommended addition of progressive elements to the NAFTA negotiations including labour standards, environment, gender, and indigenous rights. They also recommended that the government finalize the deal in reasonable periods of time.
Alghabra has debated Bill C-100, the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, in the House of Commons when the Trump administration campaigned to remove NAFTA.

Human Rights

Alghabra was also part of Report 15, Supporting Efforts to Address Sex Trafficking in South Asia. The government generally agreed with the committee’s recommendations in the report to strengthen prevention efforts, support survivors, and hold perpetrators to account through bilateral relations and NGOs.
In 2018, Alghabra gave a speech before the United Nations Security Council on behalf of Canada on combating sexual and gender-based violence in conflict. In this speech, he expressed the outrage of Canada on use of sexual violence as a tactic of warfare and urged the international community to take a role in prevention of sexual violence as part of violence prevention and sustainable peace. He spoke of Canada’s concerns over the plight of Irenaeus Rohingya women and girls in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

International Development

Alghabra was part of Report 17 on Canada’s Development Finance Initiative. The committee made recommendations to encourage international development through DFIs that are meant to generate profits and achieve development outcomes simultaneously. The committee noted that Canadian DFIs must compete with established DFIs and must consider higher-risk markets to profit. DFIs were also recommended to be independent from the government while upholding government objectives. The government noted in response that Findev Canada is an independent organization and will complement international assistance programs with the purpose of catalyzing private investment for international development.

Trade

Alghabra was appointed Parliament Secretary to the Minister of International Trade Diversification and served from 2018 to 2019. Alghabra also served on the Standing Committee for International Trade, collaborating on the culmination of various reports.
Report 14 was on Potential Agreement to Advance Trade Relations with Mercosur Countries. The committee made recommendations that the government pursue a free trade agreement with these countries, enhance regulatory cooperation, promote cultural producers, and look out for Canadian firms.
In Report 15 titled “Section 232 of the United States Trade Expansion Act: Implications of Tariffs on Canada”, the committee addressed the tariffs on steel and aluminum products placed by the United States on Canada, recommending that the government aid Small-Medium sized businesses as they are impacted by Canadian countermeasures. The committee also recommended that the government seek an outcome unlimited by trade restrictions. The government condemned the tariffs and agreed with the recommendations of the committee. The government noted funding and relief programs for Small-Medium Enterprises.
Alghabra has advocated against unjust steel and aluminum tariffs when Conservative Party colleagues asked the government to drop Canadian countermeasures.
Report 16 was on the Canada-Pacific Alliance Free Trade Agreement and Possible Implications for Canadians. In this report, the committee made recommendations that non-tariff barriers be accounted for in the agreement, Canadian persons and jobs be protected, provisions be enforceable, and progressive elements like labour standards, human rights, gender equality, and rights of indigenous people be promoted. The government agreed with the recommendations of the committee and took them into consideration.
With respect to trade, Alghabra has also defended a plan for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. The CPTPP is the successor to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. As Parliament Secretary to the Minister of International Trade Diversification, Alghabra had the opportunity to lead the Canada-led Indigenous trade mission to New Zealand. This mission helped grow Indigenous-Indigenous ties while providing a platform to reach out to CPTPP partners.

Support for Canadian Businesses

Report 17 titled “Canada’s Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Federal Support for their International Trade Activities” had recommendations by the committee, including enhancement of domestic competitiveness of Canadian firms and recognition that they have different barriers than those faced by large firms.

Youth Council Mississauga Centre (YCMC)

In 2016, Alghabra followed in the footsteps of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and established a local youth council. The youth council encourages youth to engage with the federal political process and consists of youth in Mississauga centre from ages 16 to 24. Alghabra has also advised people wanting to enter politics to “get involved. There’s no substitute for getting involved—joining a campaign, knocking on doors, making phone calls, attending conventions—this is how you can begin to make change”.

In the 43rd Parliament of Canada">43rd Parliament of Canada">43rd Parliament of Canada

Alghabra was re-elected as Member of Parliament in the 2019 federal election in a Liberal minority government. He has been appointed Parliament Secretary to the Prime Minister with a focus on Public Service Renewal and Parliament Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. Alghabra has also been sworn into the Privy Council.

Flight 752

Alghabra has been tasked with working directly with victim’s families of the Ukrainian International Airlines Flight PS752. Alghabra stated that the government is offering legal assistance and exploring forms of interim compensation while they wait for proper compensation to be settled with Iran. Alghabra also announced that Ottawa will match funds raised during the Canada Strong campaign launched to raise $1.5 million for those who lost loved ones when the Ukrainian passenger plane was shot down by Iranian military. The Prime Minister has thanked Alghabra for his ongoing work with this tragedy.

COVID-19

Alghabra is a member of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs. The committee has had discussions on COVID-19 and is studying Parliamentary Duties and the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Views

On Multiculturalism and Minority Rights

Alghabra is a strong proponent of minority rights in Canada, stating that multiculturalism is “the recognition that while Canadians share equal rights and responsibilities, they come from diverse cultural backgrounds where each is entitled to practice their faith freely and take pride in their heritage”. He has also written that “the core value of multiculturalism is that all humans share similar aspirations, fears, and needs. All humans deserve equal rights and protections from their government regardless of their background”.
Alghabra has written that his own experience as a minority in Canada after being part of the majority in Syria and Saudi Arabia have taught him that “fundamental rights should not be conditional, dependent on the mood of the majority, or bestowed through tradition. Human rights are universal, non-negotiable, and to be applied equally”.

On Immigration

To better integrate immigrants, Alghabra has proposed, in his article titled “Getting PhD Immigrants Out of Cabs and into their Field”, that the government offer mentorship programs, volunteering opportunities with accredited social organizations, an independent commission for integration, and an educational campaign about successful immigration. He offers these programs as alternatives to conventional programs like language classes and job search workshops that he states are insufficient as immigrant success rate has dropped dramatically in 30 years.

On Civil Rights

In 2007, Alghabra critiqued the Harper government of using security rhetoric to invoke the controversial Anti-Terrorism Act that allowed for preventative arrest and investigative hearings. He argued that “good police work using ordinary legal measures” had been used to apprehend alleged suspects in the past. He continued his argument that these extraordinary measures need evidence of threat to merit their use. It is “parliament’s priority to protect all Canadians and not to allow ideology to trump rational and evidence-based debate”. Alghabra also challenged that terror suspects should be charged as a third option, instead of released or deported. He stated that since Canada is supposed to have an unbiased legal system, it should be used otherwise many suspects are vulnerable to presumption of guilt, racial profiling, and public fear. He cited the case of Maher Arar as an example.

On Politicians

Alghabra has stated that “the job of a politician is supposed to be noble where candidates compete to gain our permission to make decisions on our behalf to govern and protect our interests”. He has argued that one way to hold politicians accountable is through an independent regulatory body with a code of conduct and an ombudsman for investigating violations to the code of conduct. He argued that most professions like doctors, accountants, and engineers have self-regulating associations and that politics should be similar. He stated that this association would act as a resource centre for politicians and would hold them to a high standard of accountability for the public.
Alghabra has written that he is a Liberal because he believes that:
Alghabra has argued in favour of a preferential ballot system in place of first-past-the-post because it would be more representative, eliminate strategic voting, and preserve representative parliamentary democracy. He stated that enhancing representation would increase voter turnout.
Alghabra has also supported mandatory voting so that policy is at the forefront of elections instead of voter manipulation. He argues that instead of “dedicating campaign resources to identify voter affiliation…political parties will then focus their campaigns on discussing policies and voter persuasion”.

On Senate Reform

Alghabra has said that the senate is important in their role as a “sober second thought”. He argues they have previously intervened in laws that criminalized abortion and gave ministers too much power. He has stated that the senate’s “inherent independence from election cycles…provides an indispensable public service that enriches our democracy”. However, he proposed that reforms are needed in the form of transparency to senate expenses and to their appointment process. He was also open to examining term limits that would ensure independence and experience but not at the expense of productivity.

On Economic and Environment Policies

Alghabra has proposed that more condos and offices in Mississauga are a good idea when residents do not need to use their cars to access work or shopping facilities in response to the city of Mississauga’s Downtown21 plan where they designated the downtown core as Mixed Use. He states that a high-density community causes congestion when residents need to exit the community to access these places. To make Mississauga a world-class city, he argues that increasing population density is necessary.
He has also argued that a polluter pays policy across all industries is a policy that is good not only for the environment, but also for the economy as the tax revenue can be invested to make sectors competitive. He wrote that leaders should see this policy as an opportunity, not a disease.
Alghabra also wrote about strengthening the middle class in Canada by preparing the education system to provide services in emerging sectors such as healthcare, alternative energy, financial services, and climate change adaption. He argued that Canada needs to transition its economy to a knowledge-based economy to differentiate itself in the global market, otherwise globalization would increase income inequality in Canada. However, he continued, that trade liberalization is good for businesses and consumers and protectionism policies would hurt the economy, stall growth, and remove competitive forces. He concluded that since corporations are indifferent to geography, going where they have the most benefit, the “government must play a leading role in steering the economy to maintain a competitive global edge”.

On being a Muslim MP

Following a motion condemning Islamophobia amidst death threats to Muslim MPs, Alghabra stated that his primary concern was his staff who process these messages. He continued that it is important to have a conversation about Islamophobia and that he purposely does not delete comments received on his Facebook page. Alghabra attributes backlash against the motion to a campaign of misinformation and ignorance.

Personality

In the General Election 2011, the National Post stated that Alghabra promotes himself with “humour and self-deprecation” to establish himself in the public mind in a positive sense, before he can be trashed by competitors.
In March 2020, the Huffington Post published an article titled “Canadian Politicians As the Cast of Brooklyn Nine-Nine” where they compared Alghabra to character Adrian Pimento because “Why not?”.

Electoral Record