RAHIM JAFFER

'Rahim Jaffer' () (born December 15, 1971) is the Conservative Party of Canada Member of Parliament for the Edmonton—Strathcona district of Alberta. Born in Kampala, Uganda and of Indian origin, he originally won his seat as a member of the Reform Party of Canada (later the Canadian Alliance and then merged with the Progressive Conservatives to form the Conservative Party). Jaffer is a Muslim of the Ismaili faith, and was the only Muslim member of the Canadian House of Commons from 2000 to 2004. He graduated from the University of Ottawa. Jaffer speaks fluent English and intermediate French.
In a much-publicized 2001 incident, Matthew Johnston, an aide to Jaffer, impersonated him during a radio interview that Jaffer was himself unable to attend. Jaffer subsequently apologized in the House of Commons and was suspended from his caucus position for several months.
Jaffer strongly supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq, arguing that Iraqis longed to live in freedom and rid themselves of Saddam Hussein. In making this argument, he drew attention to the fact that his own family endured oppression under Idi Amin.
Jaffer is currently the chair of the Conservative caucus, led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
He is in a relationship with fellow Conservative MP Helena Guergis.^[1]

Contents

Electoral record

External links

Footnotes

Electoral record

|-
|Conservative
|Rahim Jaffer
|align="right"|22,009
|align="right"|41.7%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|
|New Democratic Party
|Linda Duncan
|align="right"|17,153
|align="right"|32.5%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|
|Liberal
|Andy Hladyshevsky
|align="right"|9,391
|align="right"|17.8%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|
|Green
|Cameron Wakefield
|align="right"|3,139
|align="right"|5.9%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|
|Progressive Canadian Party
|Michael Fedeyko
|align="right"|582
|align="right"|1.1%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|
|Marijuana
|Dave Dowling
|align="right"|390
|align="right"|0.7%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|
|Marxist-Leninist
|Kevan Hunter
|align="right"|106
|align="right"|0.2%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|
|- bgcolor="white"
!align="right" colspan=3|Total valid votes
!align="right"|52,770
!align="right"|99.72%
!align="right"|
!align="right"|
|- bgcolor="white"
!align="right" colspan=3|Total rejected ballots
!align="right"|148
!align="right"|0.28%
!align="right"|
!align="right"|
|- bgcolor="white"
!align="right" colspan=3|Turnout
!align="right"|52,918
!align="right"|70.6%
!align="right"|
!align="right"|
|-
|Conservative
|Rahim Jaffer
|align="right"|19,089
|align="right"|39.40%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|$67,449
|Liberal
|Debby Carlson
|align="right"|14,057
|align="right"|29.01%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|$67,910
|New Democratic Party
|Malcolm Azania
|align="right"|11,535
|align="right"|23.80%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|$46,100
|Green
|Cameron Wakefield
|align="right"|3,146
|align="right"|6.49%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|$2,353
|Marijuana
|Dave Dowling
|align="right"|519
|align="right"|1.07%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|
|Marxist-Leninist
|Kevan Hunter
|align="right"|103
|align="right"|0.21%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|$26
|- bgcolor="white"
!align="right" colspan=3|Total valid votes
!align="right"|48,449
!align="right"|100.00%
!align="right"|
!align="right"|
|- bgcolor="white"
!align="right" colspan=3|Total rejected ballots
!align="right"|150
!align="right"|0.31%
!align="right"|
!align="right"|
|- bgcolor="white"
!align="right" colspan=3|Turnout
!align="right"|48,599
!align="right"|65.66%
!align="right"|
!align="right"|
|-
|Canadian Alliance
|Rahim Jaffer
|align="right"|23,463
|align="right"|42.00%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|$57,365
|Liberal
|Jonathan Dai
|align="right"|17,816
|align="right"|31.89%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|$48,430
|New Democratic Party
|Hélène Narayana
|align="right"|8,256
|align="right"|14.78%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|$25,883
|Progressive Conservative
|Gregory Toogood
|align="right"|5,047
|align="right"|9.03%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|$4,252
|Marijuana
|Ken Kirk
|align="right"|814
|align="right"|1.45%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|$149
|Canadian Action
| style="width: 145px"|Kesa Rose Semenchuk
|align="right"|299
|align="right"|0.53%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|$1,485
|Marxist-Leninist
|Kevan Hunter
|align="right"|164
|align="right"|0.29%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|$275
|- bgcolor="white"
!align="right" colspan=3|Total valid votes
!align="right"|48,449
!align="right"|100.00%
!align="right"|
!align="right"|
|- bgcolor="white"
!align="right" colspan=3|Total rejected ballots
!align="right"|150
!align="right"|0.31%
!align="right"|
!align="right"|
|- bgcolor="white"
!align="right" colspan=3|Turnout
!align="right"|48,599
!align="right"|65.66%
!align="right"|
!align="right"|
|-
|Reform
|Rahim Jaffer
|align="right"|20,605
|align="right"|41.30%
|
|align="right"|$58,003
|Liberal
|Ginette Rodger
|align="right"|17,654
|align="right"|35.38%
|
|align="right"|$58,244
|New Democratic Party
|Jean McBean
|align="right"|7,251
|align="right"|14.53%
|
|align="right"|$42,936
|Progressive Conservative
|Edo Nyland
|align="right"|3,614
|align="right"|7.24%
|
|align="right"|$10,183
|Green
|Karina Gregory
|align="right"|406
|align="right"|0.81%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|$520
|Natural Law
|Maury Shapka
|align="right"|153
|align="right"|0.30%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|
|No affiliation
|Naomi Rankin
|align="right"|115
|align="right"|0.23%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|$1,732
|Canadian Action
|J. Alex Ford
|align="right"|92
|align="right"|0.18%
|align="right"|
|align="right"|$845
|- bgcolor="white"
!align="right" colspan=3|Total valid votes
!align="right"|49,890
!align="right"|100.00%
!
!
|- bgcolor="white"
!align="right" colspan=3|Total rejected ballots
!align="right"|101
!align="right"|0.20%
!
!
|- bgcolor="white"
!align="right" colspan=3|Turnout
!align="right"|49,991
!align="right"|62.74%
!
!

External links

★ rahimjaffer.com

★ Political Biography from the Library of Parliament

★ cbc.ca, "Jaffer to apologize to House of Commons." Accessed May 1, 2007

Footnotes