Somali Canadians in public life

Who are the Somali Canadians in public office?

One Somali Canadian sits in the House of Commons, one in the Ontario legislature and one in Alberta's. Another served a term on Victoria's city council. This page lists them by level of office, then public figures by role. Background on the community is on the Canada page.

Who represents Somali Canadians in Parliament?

Ahmed Hussen (Liberal) was elected for York South—Weston in Toronto on 19 October 2015 (House of Commons, roles). CBC News reported him as the first Somali-Canadian elected to Parliament (CBC News, October 2015). He was re-elected in 2019, 2021 and, for the renamed York South—Weston—Etobicoke, on 28 April 2025 (House of Commons). A fuller profile is on his people page.

His Cabinet posts, as listed by the House of Commons (House of Commons, roles):

• First Somali-born minister: his 2017 appointment made him Canada's first Cabinet minister born in Somalia (Yahoo News Canada, January 2017).
• Since 2025: he has chaired the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development since 17 June 2025 (House of Commons).
• Background: he came to Canada as a refugee at 16, finished high school in Hamilton and settled in Toronto in 1997 (Ahmed Hussen, MP). He studied at York University and the University of Ottawa law school, and practised criminal defence, immigration and human rights law (same source).
• Community roles: he co-founded and led the Regent Park Community Council and was national president of the Canadian Somali Congress (Ahmed Hussen, MP).
• A public act: as Minister of International Development he spoke at the March 2025 announcement of up to $20 million in federal money for Wadnaha Dhexe, a Somali community centre in Toronto (Government of Canada, 1 March 2025). "The Canadian-Somali community is young and dynamic," he said (same source).

Who sits in provincial legislatures?

Ontario

• Faisal Hassan (NDP) was MPP for York South—Weston from June 2018 to 2022 (Global News, 2018; Wikipedia). He came to Canada in 1990, first to Winnipeg (Wikipedia).
• In March 2020 he brought a bill to recognise Somali Heritage Week (Ontario NDP, March 2020). The Somali Heritage Week Act, 2020 marks 25 June to 1 July each year (Ontario, S.O. 2020, c. 22).
• He sat in Ontario's first Black Caucus, with four NDP colleagues (Wikipedia).
• Mohamed Firin (Progressive Conservative) won York South—Weston in the 27 February 2025 Ontario election (Legislative Assembly of Ontario). Since 22 October 2026 he has been Parliamentary Assistant to the Solicitor General (same source).
• Firin is described as Canadian-born, of Somali descent, and a former provincial Advocate for Community Opportunities and Special Advisor to the Premier (Wikipedia). An election-results site gives his 2025 margin as 202 votes over the Liberal candidate (Stephen Taylor results map).

Alberta

• Sharif Haji (NDP) was elected for Edmonton-Decore on 29 May 2023 (Legislative Assembly of Alberta). Hiiraan Online reported him as the first Somali Canadian elected to Alberta's legislature (Hiiraan Online, May 2023).
• His main opponent, a Conservative, was also of Somali descent (Hiiraan Online).
• The Assembly lists him as born in Somalia, a former executive director of the Africa Centre (2019 to 2023), and a former manager of the provincial affordable housing strategy (Legislative Assembly of Alberta).
• In opposition he has been critic for immigration (2023 to 2024), for affordability and utilities (2024 to 2025), and since 22 October 2025 for primary and preventative health (same source).

Who has sat on a city council?

Sharmarke Dubow was elected to Victoria city council, British Columbia, on 20 October 2018 (UNHCR Canada, 17 June 2019). UNHCR described him as the first Somali Canadian on a Canadian city council and Victoria's first Black councillor in 152 years (same source).

• He fled Somalia by boat in 1992, aged eight, and lived as a refugee in Kenya, Ethiopia and Egypt (UNHCR Canada).
• He reached Canada in 2012, became a citizen on 1 July 2017, and cast his first vote in the election he won (same source; CBC News, 2018).
• In April 2022 he said he would not seek a second term (Hiiraan Online, April 2022).

Edmonton's Somali Canadian Cultural Society said in 2021 that it had hoped for more diversity on the city's school board (CBC News, 2021).

Who are Somali Canadians in public life outside elected office?

Journalism and media

• Hodan Nalayeh (1976 to 2019) founded Integration TV, an online channel of stories about Somalis (CBC News, July 2019). She and her husband were killed in the attack on the Asasey Hotel in Kismaayo on 12 July 2019 (Al Jazeera, 15 July 2019). See her people page.
• A podcast she began with Windsor writer Fartumo Kusow was finished after her death with help from a CBC Windsor journalist (CBC News, 2020).
• Hassan Ghedi Santur, a Toronto writer, has worked as a CBC Radio journalist, and his print work has appeared in The Walrus and the New York Times (Rungh).

Music and the arts

• K'naan (Keinan Abdi Warsame), born in Mogadishu in 1978, grew up in Toronto (Britannica). His song "Wavin' Flag" was Coca-Cola's anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup (same source). See his people page.

Community bodies

• The Canadian Somali Congress is a national body; Hussen was its national president before entering politics (Ahmed Hussen, MP).
• Local centres and their leaders are listed on the Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton and Calgary pages.

Related pages

• Canada
• Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary
• Somali Americans in public office
• British Somalis in public life
• Somalis in public office in Europe
• Ahmed Hussen, Hodan Nalayeh, K'naan