Majid Jowhari

Majid Jowhari MP (Persian: مجید جوهری‎, born October 24th, 1960) is a Canadian Liberal politician who represents the riding of Richmond Hill in the House of Commons of Canada. He was first elected in the 2015 federal election[1][2] and was re-elected in 2019.[3] He is the first federal nominee and candidate of Iranian heritage. Jowhari is one of the first two Iranian-Canadian Members of Parliament, with the other being Ali Ehsassi.[4]

Majid Jowhari MP
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Richmond Hill
Incumbent
Assumed office October 19, 2015
Preceded by	Costas Menegakis
Personal details
Born	October 24, 1960 Yusef Abad, Tehran, Iran
Nationality	Canadian
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Homeira Jowhari
Residence	Richmond Hill, Ontario
Alma mater	Ryerson University York University
Profession	Consultant & Former Professional Engineer

Education and designations

Jowhari attended Ryerson University, earning a Bachelor of Technology in industrial engineering, and York University's Schulich School of Business, where he earned an MBA. Jowhari was a licensed professional engineer from 1995 to 1999 and founded his own boutique consulting firm.[5]

During the 2015 federal election, Jowhari was told that he was not allowed to use the restricted title "Engineer" because did not renew his licence when he changed fields. Jowhari apologized and donated $5,000 to support the Ontario Professional Engineers Foundation for Education, which provides annual scholarships for engineering students who are on the path to licensing.[6]

Federal politics

2015 Federal Election

Jowhari was elected as the Liberal Party's candidate in Richmond Hill on September 7, 2014 and elected as the Member of Parliament for Richmond Hill in the October 19, 2015 election.[1]

Member of Parliament

Jowhari is the Founder and Chair of the Parliamentary Mental Health Caucus and holds roles on Parliamentary Committees, Parliamentary Associations, and Interparliamentary Groups. On January 29, 2016, Jowhari was appointed to the Industry, Science and Technology Parliamentary Committee and the Government Operations and Estimates Parliamentary Committee in August 2017. Jowhari is a member of the Canada-China Legislative Association, the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group, and the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association.[7]

Mental Health Advocacy in Parliament

In 2018, the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) named Majid Jowhari as a Parliamentary Mental Health Champion.[8] Jowhari received this award due to the fact that he drafted and introduced legislation to change the criminal code to incorporate Mental Health into the pre-sentencing report. In 2016, Jowhari founded and chaired the Liberal Mental Health Caucus, which he later expanded in 2018 by creating the Parliamentary Mental Health Caucus. As the founder and Chair of Parliamentary Mental Health Caucus, Jowhari worked with Parliamentarians across all parties and Senators to create a collaborative team that will bring mental health to the forefront of discussion on the hill.[9][8]

Advocacy for Diplomacy

Consistent with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's 2015 federal election promise to establish diplomatic relations with Iran,[10] Jowhari accepted the request to sponsor a Parliamentary E-Petition "E-553 (Iran)" initiated by Bijan Ahmadi which specifically asks the Government of Canada to re-establish diplomatic relations and consular services with Iran, including reopening embassies in both countries. The petition provided historical background information and cited how the 2012 closure impacts Iranian-Canadians nationwide. This petition successfully garnered over 15,781 verified signatures. Conservative Member of Parliament Peter Kent sponsored petition "E-563", which directly opposed Jowhari's but only garnered 607 verified signatures.[11]

An Iranian delegation composed of Members of Parliament and their Secretary of a Development Committee was in Canada to formally meet with officials at the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal. The delegation requested a meeting with Jowhari which took place in his constituency office in Richmond Hill. Jowhari stated over email that the premise of this meeting was an opportunity to listen and discuss as well as express his concerns related to human rights in Iran. “This was an opportunity to listen — as I do with many diverse groups — and to express cautious optimism about the future, including commercial links and facilitating people-to-people ties,” Jowhari said in an email.[12]

2019 Federal Election

Jowhari was re-elected as the Member of Parliament for Richmond Hill in the October 21, 2019 election.[13] He won the tight race with a margin of only 212 votes against Conservative candidate Costas Menegakis.

Motion M-36 Emancipation Day

On March 9th, 2020, Majid tabled a Private Member's Motion that would have August 1st of every year be recognized as 'Emancipation Day' across Canada.[14] Jowhari worked with Nova Scotia Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard on gaining support and momentum for the motion.[15] In an interview with The Globe and Mail on Motion M-36, Jowhari exclaimed that "Canada should also apologize for its history of slavery and consider how it can reconcile it through government initiatives or reparations."[16] In a Facebook Note to his constituents, Majid Jowhari wrote,

As we approach August 1, I want to affirm that our responsibility to confront our history and advocate for greater diversity, inclusion and opportunity does not end with Emancipation Day. While the extraordinary circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic have temporarily changed the course of my Private Member’s Motion, Motion 36, being approved in Parliament, I urge you to continue to prioritize this cause. I will continue to be an advocate for a more inclusive and diverse society in which Emancipation Day and its history are represented and embodied in our schools and institutions. My hope is that you will join me in exploring our nation’s history and take part in your community’s Emancipation Day celebrations safely and remotely.[17]

Electoral record

2019 Canadian federal election: Richmond Hill
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Majid Jowhari	21,804	43.48	-3.42
	Conservative	Costas Menegakis	21,592	43.06	-0.26
	New Democratic	Adam DeVita	4,425	8.80	+0.76
	Green	Ichha Kohli	1,695	3.40	+1.66
	People's	Igor Tvorogov	507	1.0	0
	Rhinoceros	Otto Wevers	126	0.2	0
Total valid votes/Expense limit			50,149	100.0
Total rejected ballots			584
Turnout			50,733	59.9
Eligible voters			84,660
Source: Elections Canada[18][19]

2015 Canadian federal election: Richmond Hill
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Majid Jowhari	23,032	46.9	+8.28	–
	Conservative	Michael Parsa	21,275	43.3	-0.25	–
	New Democratic	Adam DeVita	3,950	8.0	-9.0	–
	Green	Gwendolyn Veenema	856	1.7	-1.96	–
Total valid votes/Expense limit			49,113	100.0		$214,687.76
Total rejected ballots			253	–	–
Turnout			49,366	61.39	+5.43
Eligible voters			80,402
Source: Elections Canada[20][21]

References

1. Lu, Vanessa (20 October 2015). "Richmond Hill goes to Liberals in tight race". Toronto Star. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
2. "Jowhari wins federal Liberal nomination for Richmond Hill". yorkregion.com. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
3. "Canada election results: Richmond Hill". Global News. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
4. "Majid Jowhari becomes the first Canadian federal candidate of Iranian heritage". Salam Toronto. September 11, 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
5. "Meet Majid Jowhari". liberal.ca. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
6. "Liberal MP Majid Jowhari apologizes for misstating engineering credentials". CBC News. The Canadian Press. November 14, 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
7. Jowhari, Majid. "Member of Parliament". House of Commons Canada. House of Commons Overview. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
8. http://www.camimh.ca/the-canadian-alliance-on-mental-illness-and-mental-health-announces-the-2018-champions-of-mental-health
9. https://onrichmondhill.com/articles/richmond-hill-mp-majid-jowhari-named-2018%E2%80%99s-parliamentary-mental-health-champion
10. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/justin-trudeau-i-ll-end-isis-combat-mission-restore-relations-with-iran-1.3124949
11. https://www.yorkregion.com/news-story/6867663-richmond-hill-mp-wants-canada-to-resume-relations-with-iran/
12. https://ipolitics.ca/2016/11/28/liberal-backbencher-has-sit-down-with-iranian-parliamentarians/
13. "Canada election results: Richmond Hill". Global News. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
14. "M-36 Emancipation Day 43rd Parliament, 1st Session - Members of Parliament - House of Commons of Canada". www.ourcommons.ca. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
15. Smith, Emma (August 1, 2020). "N.S. senator calls for Canada to officially recognize Emancipation Day". CBC News. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
16. "Government to commemorate significant Black historical events, figures". Retrieved 2020-09-03.
17. "Emancipation Day - August 1st, 2020". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
18. "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
19. "Election Night Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
20. Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Richmond Hill, 30 September 2015
21. Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine

External links

• Official website