Ahmed Hussen has made history in Canada and East Africa. He is the incumbent Minister for International Development.
The Honorable Ahmed Hussen was first elected in 2015 to represent the riding of York South—Weston. He has previously served as Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, as Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, and as Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.
Here is his story as narrated by eafeed.
Background & Education
Ahmed Hussen was born and raised in Mogadishu, Somalia. He has five siblings.
At the age of 15, Somalia was in the middle of a civil war and his family fled to Kenya. He stayed with his family at a refugee camp in Mombasa before later relocating to an apartment in Nairobi.
Two years later, he immigrated to Canada as a refugee. He initially stayed with a cousin in Hamilton and moved to Toronto in 1994. He later settled in Regent Park in 1996.
Hussen completed high school in Hamilton, Ontario, before attending York University, where he earned a BA in History in 2002. Hussen later pursued a law degree at the University of Ottawa, successfully completing his bar exam in 2012.
Career
After earning a law degree from the University of Ottawa, Minister Hussen practised law in the areas of criminal defense, immigration and refugee law, and human rights.
He served as a director on the board of the Global Enrichment Foundation, an organization that has enabled women in East Africa to access education in colleges and universities in the region, and on the board of Journalists for Human Rights, an organization that empowers journalists in developing countries to cover human rights and governance issues objectively and effectively.
In 2001, Hussen volunteered in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, also known as Queen’s Park.
He was hired as an assistant to Dalton McGuinty, the leader of the province’s official opposition in 2002. Hussen worked in this capacity until November 2003, when he was promoted to Special Assistant following the Ontario Liberal Party’s election victory. He held this new post for two years.
Later, Hussen worked with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Youth Engaged in National Security Issues committee, founded the Regent Park Community Council, served as National President of the Canadian Somali Congress, and was a sitting member on the federal government’s Cross-Cultural Roundtable on Security.
As its president, he played a key role in securing the $500‑million revitalization project for Regent Park, while advocating for its 15,000 residents to ensure that their interests were protected.
He was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal for his leadership efforts in the Regent Park community.
Serving as National President for the Canadian Somali Congress, Minister Hussen worked with national and regional authorities to advocate on important issues to Canadians of Somali heritage, strengthening civic engagement and integration.
His results-driven reputation led to an invitation from the Toronto City Summit Alliance to join a task force for modernizing income security for adults.
In October 2015, Hussen won the seat for the York South—Weston riding in the Greater Toronto Area as a candidate for the Liberal Party of Canada.
He has never before served as a federal cabinet minister, and the role as head of the department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is seen as a prominent role within cabinet.
