Trudeau overhauls his cabinet, drops 7 ministers and shuffles most portfolios
Cabinet shakeup introduces new faces to Trudeau's front bench
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today dropped seven ministers and changed nearly three-quarters of his cabinet, overhauling his team at a time of heightened tensions overseas and scandals at home.
Trudeau unveiled a new cabinet team meant to have a renewed focus on economic priorities, such as housing, during a ceremony at Rideau Hall Wednesday morning. The shuffle promotes seven new faces and tasks more than a dozen ministers with new roles, including a new minister of defence and public safety.
Reporters asked the prime minister repeatedly whether the shakeup amounts to an admission that his nearly eight-year-old government is slumping.
"On the contrary," he responded.
Recent polling indicates the Liberals are trailing the Conservatives. Opposition parties have criticized how the government has addressed the cost of living crisis.
WATCH | Trudeau says his new cabinet will 'step up' on critical issues
"This is a difficult time right now for millions of people in Canada and around the world, and making sure that we have the best possible team aligned to respond to Canadians' challenges with the supports necessary, but also show that optimism, that ambition for getting us through these consequential times and building a brighter future for everyone —that's what we're focused on," Trudeau said.
Amid those global challenges, Toronto-area MP Bill Blair takes over the defence portfolio from Anita Anand, who becomes president of the Treasury Board.
Bill Blair arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
Blair, a former police chief who was most recently the minister of emergency preparedness, becomes the country's point person at NATO and will be responsible for Canada's response to the war in Ukraine.
The Canadian Armed Forces is also reeling from a sexual misconduct scandal; Blair is now responsible for overseeing the military's attempt to change its culture.
New Brunswick's Dominic LeBlanc will now lead public safety, an often-challenging portfolio that includes the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the RCMP. He also takes on the democratic institutions file and will continue to serve as intergovernmental affairs minister.
Anita Anand arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)
LeBlanc, who represents Beauséjour, will play a key role in determining how the government responds to allegations that China interfered in the past two federal elections, and to the damning report on the Mounties' handling of the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia. He'll also have to stickhandle negotiations with the provinces about the future of RCMP contract policing.
His predecessor, Marco Mendicino, was dropped from cabinet. His demotion ends a tenure at the cabinet table plagued by multiple controversies, including the government's poorly received gun control legislation and lingering questions on the foreign interference file.
Dominic LeBlanc arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
More recently, Mendicino was under intense pressure due to the controversy over the transfer of serial killer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security prison.
Along with the new names heading up security and intelligence-related portfolios, the Prime Minister's Office announced Wednesday it will follow the example of its Five Eye allies and set up a cabinet committee on national security and intelligence. The lack of one has been cited by the national security community as an oversight in light of recent controversies.
A PMO spokesperson called the new National Security Council a "forum for ministers to deliberate on and address issues of pressing concern to Canada's domestic and international security."
7 fresh faces called up
Arif Virani and his family arrive for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at
Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
Mississauga-Streetsville MP Rechie Valdez arrives for a cabinet
swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on July 26, 2023. (Justin
Tang/Canadian Press)
Seven new MPs received a promotion to cabinet:
- Toronto MP Arif Virani, who represents Parkdale—High Park, becomes minister of justice and attorney general of Canada
- Quebec MP Soraya Martinez Ferrada, who represents the riding of Hochelaga, becomes the minister of tourism and minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for Quebec Regions.
- Gary Anandasangaree, who represents Scarborough—Rouge Park, becomes minister of Crown-Indigenous relations
- B.C. MP Terry Beech of Burnaby North—Seymour becomes minister of citizens' services
- Toronto-area MP Ya'ara Saks, who represents York Centre, becomes minister of mental health and addictions and associate minister of health
- Ottawa-area MP Jenna Sudds, who represents, Kanata—Carleton, becomes minister of families, children and social development
- Mississauga—Streetsville MP Rechie Valdez becomes minister of small business
Multiple ministers changing responsibilities
Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau looks on as Leader of the Government in the
House of Commons Karina Gould takes the oath during a cabinet
swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 26,
2023. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)Wednesday's shuffle also saw several current ministers change positions or add to their portfolios:
- Pablo Rodriguez becomes transport minister
- Pascale St-Onge becomes minister of Canadian heritage
- Mark Holland becomes minister of health
- Sean Fraser becomes minister of housing, infrastructure and communities
- Lawrence MacAulay becomes minister of agriculture
- Jean-Yves Duclos becomes minister of public services and procurement
- Marie-Claude Bibeau becomes minister of national revenue
- Gudie Hutchings remains minister of rural economic development but now takes on responsibility for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
- Diane Lebouthillier becomes minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
- Harjit Sajjan becomes president of the King's Privy Council and minister of emergency preparedness, and keeps his role as minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada
- Carla Qualtrough becomes minister of sport and physical activity
- Karina Gould becomes government House leader
- Ahmed Hussen becomes minister of international development
- Seamus O'Regan stays on as minister of labour and adds the seniors portfolio
- Ginette Petitpas Taylor becomes minister of veterans affairs
- Mary Ng remains minister of export promotion, international trade and economic development but drops small business from her files
- Jonathan Wilkinson stays put but his portfolio is being renamed "energy and natural resources"
- Marc Miller becomes minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship
- Randy Boissonnault becomes minister of employment workforce development and official languages
- Kamal Khera becomes minister of diversity, inclusion and persons with disabilities.
Freeland, Joly staying put
Francois-Philippe
Champagne (left), Chrystia Freeland (centre) and Mary Ng arrive for a
cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, July
26, 2023. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)
Just eight ministers kept their portfolios:
-
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland
-
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly
-
Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault
-
Innovation, Science and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne
-
Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu, also minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
-
Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario Filomena Tassi
-
Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, also minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada and the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
-
Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth Marci Ien
Gould recently announced she is expecting her second child in the new year. Trudeau announced Wednesday that Government Whip Steve MacKinnon will serve as House leader in her absence and Ruby Sahota will fill in as whip.
The cabinet is now made up of 19 women and 20 men, including the prime minister himself.
Liberal
MPs Helena Jaczek left, Omar Alghabra, centre left, Carolyn Bennett,
centre right, and Joyce Murray are not running in the next election. (Patrick Doyle/Reuters, Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press, Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press, Blair Gable/Reuters)
Four of the seven ministers who were dropped announced earlier this week that they would not be running again:
- Former public services and procurement minister Helena Jaczek
- Former transport minister Omar Alghabra
- Former mental health and addictions minister Carolyn Bennett
- Former fisheries minister Joyce Murray
Trudeau did not answer when reporters asked why Mendicino, former justice minister David Lametti and former president of the Treasury Board Mona Fortier were axed.
The prime minister said he was putting forward "the strongest possible team with fresh energy and a range of skills."
"I want to thank everyone who has served this country and this cabinet so well over the past number of years," he said.
Lametti released a statement Wednesday congratulating his former parliamentary secretary Virani and saying he was proud of what he accomplished in the role.
"Confidence in our justice system is central to the rule of law. One way of building that confidence is by reaching out to communities who feel alienated from our justice system: Indigenous people, black and racialized communities," he wrote.
"This was an important priority for me."
Mona Fortier, left, David Lametti, centre, and Marco Mendicino were dropped from cabinet. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press, Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press, Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press)
In his own media statement, Mendicino said it was an honour to serve as public safety minister and thanked members of the national security and law enforcement communities.
"Thank you for putting yourselves in harm's way to protect Canadians every single day. We do not say this nearly enough," he wrote.
"To my cabinet and caucus colleagues, it remains a privilege to work with you. The seating arrangements may move around in the House or Commons from time to time, but we are family and committed to the same cause."
Fortier tweeted that it was a privilege to serve in cabinet.
WATCH | Poilievre says cabinet shuffle amounts to PM admitting 'he broke the economy'
The cabinet reset did little to impress Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
"After eight years of Trudeau, everything costs more," he told a news conference in Timmins, Ont.
"His government is a failure. It's funny, though — the one minister responsible for those failures didn't get moved. And that minister is Justin Trudeau."
Singh still plans on backing Liberals
This new cabinet is believed to be the team Trudeau will take into the next election.
The Liberal minority government is being propped up by the NDP through a confidence-and-supply agreement that's set to last until 2025, but either party could trigger an election earlier.
As part of that deal, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has agreed to support the government on key House of Commons votes in exchange for the government championing some of his priorities, like dental care.
Following Wednesday's shuffle, Singh called the government a failure on key files like housing affordability but didn't suggest he was willing to pull his support.
"Our priority isn't triggering an election. It's forcing the government to work for people," said Singh.
"We are focused on getting results for people, not focused on forcing an election."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
From: <Bill.Blair.A1@parl.gc.ca>
Date: Fri, Nov 22, 2019 at 12:01 PM
Subject: Automatic reply: YO Gerry Butts at least Ralph Goodale's replacement Bill Blair can never claim that he didn't know all about my lawsuits on boths sides of the 49th EH?
To: <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Thank you for your email.
As of August 2nd, 2019 I no longer work in the office of the Hon. Bill Blair, Member of Parliament for Scarborough Southwest. For all office inquiries, please contact Jessica Bozzo in our constituency office at bill.blair.c1@parl.gc.ca or at 416-261-8613.
Thank you very much and have a pleasant day.
Sincerely,
Liam Kirkpatrick
LIVE: Trudeau fires his cabinet. He should have fired himself
Meet the new faces in Prime Minister Trudeau's cabinet
Trudeau has named 7 new ministers to cabinet, including new Attorney General Arif Virani
One of the new faces is from Quebec and one is from B.C. The other five are from Ontario; four are from GTA ridings. Their appointments match the regional representation of the seven MPs no longer in cabinet.
Trudeau gave some big responsibilities and key portfolios to cabinet novices. MP Arif Virani, for example, is the new justice minister and attorney general; he takes over the file from outgoing minister David Lametti.
Virani, who represents Parkdale-High Park in Ontario, has been an MP since the Trudeau Liberals first came to power in 2015. He has been a parliamentary secretary to a number of ministers since then, including his predecessor at justice.
Virani has served on a number of key committees, including special joint committees examining medical assistance in dying (MAID) and the government's use of the Emergencies Act during the 2022 convoy protests.
As a parliamentary secretary, Virani voted with most MPs in favour of a motion to declare China's treatment of its Uyghur population a genocide. All cabinet ministers abstained from that vote.
Asked if his promotion to cabinet had changed his position on the plight of Uyghurs, Virani told reporters he thinks the situation is "serious" but stopped short of calling it a genocide.
"The legal threshold is quite high for proving genocide. That doesn't mean that investigations shouldn't take place," he said, adding that he wants international bodies like the UN to investigate the situation.
Virani came to Canada as a refugee from Uganda in 1972, when the country's then-president Idi Amin expelled Uganda's Indian minority.
Prior to running for office, Virani worked as a human rights lawyer and served as an assistant trial attorney prosecuting genocide at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau poses with Minister of Mental Health and
Addictions and Associate Minister of Health Ya’ara Saks during a cabinet
swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 26,
2023. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
Ontario MP Ya'ara Saks is another cabinet newcomer from the GTA. The MP for York Centre replaces Carolyn Bennett as minister of mental health and addictions and associate minister of health. Bennett announced this week she won't be seeking re–election after serving an MP for 26 years.
Saks is a relatively new MP. She was first elected in an October 2020 by-election.
Following the 2021 general election, Saks was named parliamentary secretary to the minister of families, children and social development.
Prior to her election, Saks was a co-owner of a yoga studio and director of a mental health charity.
In her new ministerial role — itself a new portfolio created after the 2021 election — Saks will be tasked with addressing Canada's opioid crisis and overseeing the establishment of the 988 suicide prevention hotline, which is expected to come this fall.
Gary Anandasangaree arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
Gary Anandasangaree, MP for Scarborough Rouge Park, will be the new minister for Crown-Indigenous relations. He takes over the file from Marc Miller, who has been moved to the immigration, refugees and citizenship portfolio.
Like Virani, Anandasangaree was first elected in 2015 and has served as a parliamentary secretary to the justice minister. He also sat on the Indigenous and northern affairs House committee.
Anandasangaree led the government's charge to develop a national anti-racism strategy when he was parliamentary secretary to the minister of heritage and multiculturalism.
The Ontario MP arrived in Canada as a refugee from Sri Lanka in 1983. Prior to his election, he worked as a human rights lawyer and with a number of community organizations, including as a member of the Toronto Police Chief's Advisory Council.
Speaking with reporters following the swearing-in ceremony, Anandasangaree said his experience as a refugee offers him a unique perspective on the government's relationship with Indigenous peoples.
"What I bring here is that lived experience of what survival means, what going through oppression and colonialism means," he said.
Liberal MP Jenna Sudds rises during Question Period, in Ottawa, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
Former Ottawa city councillor Jenna Sudds will be the new minister of families, children and social development. She replaces Karina Gould, who was shuffled into the role of government House leader.
Sudds won her Kanata-Carleton seat in the last general election. Before joining cabinet, Sudds was parliamentary secretary to Minister of Women and Gender Equality Marci Ien.
Sudds was elected as a city councillor in 2018 and made a name for herself fighting the redevelopment of the old Kanata Lakes Golf and Country Club — an open space community members have used for recreational purposes for decades.
Prior to entering elected politics, Sudds worked as an economist for the federal government and in the private sector. She is also a founding member of the Kanata North Business Association.
Liberal
MP Terry Beech rises during question period in the House of Commons on
Parliament Hill. The Burnaby North-Seymour MP was named minister of
citizens' services on Wednesday. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)
Terry Beech is the lone new minister from B.C. He takes on the newly created role of minister of citizens' services.
The MP for Burnaby North-Seymour was first elected when the Liberals took power in 2015. Since then he has held a number of parliamentary secretary roles, most recently to Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Beech has been involved in politics for a long time — he was elected as a city councillor in Nanaimo, B.C. when he was just 18. He also established a non-profit to help students access post-secondary scholarships.
The government says Beech will be responsible for Service Canada and the new portfolio will cover any services the federal government provides directly to Canadians, such as passport applications and employment insurance. The B.C. government has a similar cabinet role.
Quebec
MP Soraya Martinez Ferrada is the new minister responsible for the
Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec.
Martinez Ferrada represents the riding of Hochelaga. (Ivanoh Demers/Radio-Canada)
Quebec MP Soraya Martinez Ferrada has been named minister of tourism and minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for Quebec Regions.
Ferrada, who represents the riding of Hochelaga, was first elected in the 2019 election and has been a parliamentary secretary since then, most recently for the minister of housing.
Ferrada and her family came to Canada in the 1980s after fleeing Chile, then controlled by dictator Augusto Pinochet.
She served as a city councillor in Montreal and was chief of staff to Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly when Joly was still the minister of heritage.
Mississauga-Streetsville
MP Rechie Valdez arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau
Hall in Ottawa, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)
Ontario MP Rechie Valdez is the new minister of small business, taking over a portfolio previously under Minister of International Trade and Export Promotion Mary Ng.
The MP for Mississauga-Streetsville was first elected in 2021 and is the only new minister who hasn't held a parliamentary secretary position.
Valdez told reporters Wednesday that she has been advocating to make small business its own portfolio since she was elected.
"[I'm] super excited to be here and support small businesses," she said.
The Prime Minister's Office says Valdez is the first Filipino-Canadian woman elected to the House of Commons and the first to sit in cabinet.
Prior to her election, Valdez worked as a corporate banker and television host. She also ran a bakery in Mississauga specializing in Filipino desserts.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mario Dion 'will resume his duties as soon as he is able,' says his office
Catharine Tunney · CBC News · Posted: Mar 12, 2019 3:31 PM ET
1956 Comments
David Amos
@Alex Norris Methinks folk should ask me why this news does not
surprise me Nesy Pas?
"Canada’s new Transport Minister was caught driving drunk in 2010, according to police documents reviewed by the Halifax Chronicle Herald."
Nothing says “responsible decision-making” like appointing a drunk driver as the Transport Minister.
TCS Wire
July 26, 2023
Canada’s new Transport Minister was caught driving drunk in 2010, according to police documents reviewed by the Halifax Chronicle Herald.
Liberal MP facing charge of refusing breathalyzer test
By Maclean's June 8, 2010
According to police documents examined by the Halifax Chronicle Herald, Liberal MP Pablo Robdriguez had bloodshot eyes and alcohol on his breath after his BMW hit a parked car last April 16. A police report into the incident notes Rodriguez initially denied having had anything to drink prior to the accident and then admitted he’d had “two small glasses of wine” before leaving Ottawa that night for Montreal. When the officer tried to administer a breathalyzer test, “Rodriguez breathed very weakly and cut his breath repeatedly, all the while holding the plastic tip at the edge of his lips.” After several unsuccessful attempts to administer the test, the police officer warned Rodriguez he could be charged with refusing. “Rodriguez told me several times that we were going to damage his career that he had taken 30 years to build,” the officer reported. “He also mentioned that he hoped that it wasn’t because he was in the Liberal party that I was charging him. I told the monsieur that I was only doing my job.”The Montreal MP told reporters last month he would plead not guilty to a charge of refusing the breathalyzer test on June 15.
Chronicle Herald
Trump grants full pardon to former media baron Conrad Black
Black was convicted in 2007 of fraud and obstruction of justice
CBC News · Posted: May 15, 2019 10:14 PM ADT
Trump grants full pardon to former media baron Conrad Black
Black was convicted in 2007 of fraud and obstruction of justice
CBC News · Posted: May 15, 2019 10:14 PM ADT
Anand says she doesn't see move from defence to Treasury Board as a demotion
Oakville MP says her new role puts her on PM's 'core economic team'
"There is not one policy of our government that doesn't go through Treasury Board. I will be seeing everything from a policy perspective," she told CBC's Power & Politics.
"And yes, I am going to have to speak with my colleagues about the need for prudent spending and I'm looking forward to those conversations as well."
Anand told host David Cochrane that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked her to be a member "of his core economic team." During the interview, she repeatedly stressed that she would be working alongside Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
"We need to continue to have our eye on how we can help Canadians during this economic time. And as the president of the Treasury Board, working closely with the minister of finance, that's exactly what we will do," she said.
When asked about Anand's move, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called it another example of "disrespect for women in Justin Trudeau's cabinet."
WATCH | Anand sworn in as Treasury Board president
For more than a year, Anand has led Canada's response to the Ukraine war and, alongside Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, has been one of Canada's representatives on the world stage.
When she was appointed defence minister back in 2021, she was tasked with cleaning up the Canadian Armed Forces' culture following a sexual misconduct scandal. Those duties now fall to her replacement in the portfolio, Bill Blair.
Treasury Board an often behind-the-scenes job
Her new role will curb her international travel. As president of the Treasury Board, Anand's eyes will be trained on domestic files and Canada's fiscal operations.
Considered a central government agency, Treasury Board manages and approves all government spending, looks for efficiencies and handles labour relations with the public service.
(Left
to right) President of the Treasury Board Anita Anand, Minister of
Innovation, Science and Industry Francoise-Philippe Champagne, Deputy
Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Minister of Employment, Workforce
Development and Official Languages Randy Boissonnault leave a press
conference following a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in
Ottawa on July 26, 2023. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)
It's often a behind-the-scenes gig, but Anand — who is widely believed to have party leadership ambitions, alongside Freeland, Joly and Innovation, Science and Industry Francoise-Philippe Champagne — said people can expect to see her out and about.
"In fact, the prime minister of our country has asked me specifically to go across the country, engage with chambers of commerce, engage with Canadians, and deliver our message," she said.
WATCH | Will Trudeau's big cabinet shuffle reset his government?
Anand described her role as one of ensuring the government is spending public funds wisely while delivering on key platform promises like dental and child care.
"I've just come out of my first briefing and I can tell you that that's exactly what I'm focused on," she said.
Wednesday's shuffle was almost a complete overhaul of Trudeau's front bench. Only about a quarter of his ministers, including Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Joly, kept their portfolios.
Seven ministers were dropped and seven cabinet rookies were brought into the fold.
Watch David Cochrane's full interview with Anand on Power & Politics Thursday night at 5 p.m. ET on CBC News Network.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
'It's a surprise': David Lametti says he wasn't expecting to be dropped from cabinet
Lametti says he plans to reoffer in the Montreal riding of LaSalle-Émard-Verdun
"It's a surprise," Lametti told CBC News in a short text message.
Sources tell CBC News he delivered the same message to other Liberal MPs — that he was surprised by his ouster on Wednesday because he felt he had delivered on his files and there were no problems within his ministry.
Lametti had held the key portfolio for the Trudeau government since 2019.
In another statement, issued Wednesday, Lametti said he's proud of what his ministry accomplished, citing a ban on so-called conversion therapy, the elimination of some mandatory minimum penalties and a new process for implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
More recently, critics accused his department of being too slow to move on proposed changes to bail reform.
The mayor of Edmonton, former Liberal cabinet minister Amarjeet Sohi, wrote a letter imploring Lametti to take "immediate action" after a father of seven was stabbed to death in a random attack.
Premiers, police chiefs and the Conservative opposition also have called for more to be done to keep repeat violent offenders off the street.
From 2017 to 2019, Lametti served as parliamentary secretary to both the minister of international trade and the minister of innovation, science and economic development.
He was replaced by rookie minister Arif Virani on Thursday. Lametti remains in the Liberal caucus as a backbencher.
Lametti also posted on his Instagram page early Thursday morning that he is planning to reoffer in the next election.
He represents a riding in the southwest of Montreal.
"Now that the dust has settled and the cabinet shuffle has taken place, there is much speculation about my future as MP for Lasalle-Émard-Verdun," he wrote.
"I want to reassure my constituents that I intend to remain your MP and continue to serve you in the House of Commons."
He went on to say that he meets the eligibility requirements and intends to run in the next election, "whenever it may be."
Lametti was first elected in 2015. Prior to politics, he taught law at McGill University. He is an expert in intellectual property and property law.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from David Cochrane
Mary Anne Locke
Don't run again , you will not get your job back
Chris Halford
Reply to Mary Anne Locke
Not your call, it's for his constituents to decide.
David Amos.
Reply to Chris Halford
I certainly hope that he does
Bigger surprise was his appointment in the first place.
David Amos
Reply to Walter Olsen
Not really
Daniel Nowak
It is better for JT to have a bunch of easily intimidated rookies as cabinet ministers. Makes it much easier to micromanage.
David Amos
Content Deactivated
Reply to Daniel Nowak
C'est Vrai
Reply to Daniel Nowak
Thats true
Reply to Daniel Nowak
You had two cars stolen belonging to the tax payers stolen , what do you think Lammy
David Amos
Reply to Mary Anne Locke
Where was his chauffeur and RCMP bodyguards?
Landers Haughten
Trudeau one month ago...."Trudeau says he has ‘nothing to announce’ regarding a cabinet shuffle"
Reply to Landers Haughten
He didn't then
Walter Olsen.
Reply to David Amos
Last week he said those in Cabinet had his full support.. So what happened David?
Reply to Walter Olsen
Perhaps it was my emails
Sheesh Dave,you don't know what your purpose was when you were parachuted in to replace JWR to give trudeau the answers he wanted?
How you lasted this long is the surprise.
Apparently all legalists aren't that bright
Reply to Ralph Kramden
Oh So True Why else would I run again in 2019?
Gord Dennis
Sunny ways Dave... sunny ways.
Reply to Gord Dennis
However there are not many Sunny Days in our Summer of Discontent
Gord Dennis
Surprise? Geez Dave, not too quick on the uptake? Go back to teaching bud, you'll fit right in... they offer secure parking.
David Amos
Reply to Gord Dennis
Methinks he should go back to law school like I suggested years ago when he replaced Jody N'esy Pas?
Marian Minar
Poor chap, he tried so hard to help teflonjustin at every turn and now this? Yes, that is a surprise.
Reply to Marian Minar
I have no pity for that snobby lawyer
Reply to David Amos
Neither do I, I am glad he is gone.
Reply to Marian Minar
He is not gone YET
Reply to Marian Minar
BTW His ethical computer answered me again just before he lost his cabinet post
From: Ministerial Correspondence Unit - Justice Canada <mcu@justice.gc.ca>
Date: Tue, Jul 25, 2023 at 3:53 PM
Subject: Automatic Reply
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Thank you for writing to the Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.
Due to the volume of correspondence addressed to the Minister, please note that there may be a delay in processing your email. Rest assured that your message will be carefully reviewed.
We do not respond to correspondence that contains offensive language.
-------------------
Merci d'avoir écrit à l'honorable David Lametti, ministre de la Justice et procureur général du Canada.
En raison du volume de correspondance adressée au ministre, veuillez
prendre note qu'il pourrait y avoir un retard dans le traitement de
votre courriel. Nous tenons à vous assurer que votre message sera lu
avec soin.
Nous ne répondons pas à la correspondance contenant un langage offensant.
---------- Original message ---------
Date: Fri, Jul 28, 2023 at 3:18 PM
Subject: Attn Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.I just called both your offices and left voicemails Correct?
To: <Arif.Virani@parl.gc.ca>, <mcu@justice.gc.ca>, David.Lametti <David.Lametti@parl.gc.ca>, <Philippe.Joly@cie.parl.gc.ca>, <pierre.poilievre@parl.gc.ca>, <michael.chong@parl.gc.ca>, <andrew.scheer@parl.gc.ca>, <charlie.angus@parl.gc.ca>, rob.moore <rob.moore@parl.gc.ca>, John.Williamson <John.Williamson@parl.gc.ca>, David.Akin <David.Akin@globalnews.ca>, <joan.bryden@thecanadianpress.com>, <Marco.Mendicino@parl.gc.ca>, Carla.Qualtrough <Carla.Qualtrough@parl.gc.ca>, hon.melanie.joly <hon.melanie.joly@canada.ca>, fin.minfinance-financemin.fin <fin.minfinance-financemin.fin@canada.ca>, <MRichard@lawsociety-barreau.nb.ca>, <David.Eidt@gnb.ca>, <Newsroom@globeandmail.com>, <Jacques.Poitras@cbc.ca>, <sfine@globeandmail.com>, editorial <editorial@thecanadianpress.com>, <irwincotler@rwchr.org>, darrow.macintyre <darrow.macintyre@cbc.ca>, Nathalie.G.Drouin <Nathalie.G.Drouin@pco-bcp.gc.ca>
Cc: motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com>, Ginette.PetitpasTaylor <Ginette.PetitpasTaylor@parl.gc.ca>, alaina.lockhart <alaina.lockhart@gnb.ca>, Katie.Telford <Katie.Telford@pmo-cpm.gc.ca>
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ministerial Correspondence Unit - Justice Canada <mcu@justice.gc.ca>
Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2023 18:10:34 +0000
Subject: Automatic Reply
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.c
Thank you for writing to the Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of
Justice and Attorney General of Canada.
Due to the volume of correspondence addressed to the Minister, please
note that there may be a delay in processing your email. Rest assured
that your message will be carefully reviewed.
We do not respond to correspondence that contains offensive language.
-------------------
Merci d'avoir écrit à l'honorable Arif Virani, ministre de la Justice
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arif_Virani
Arif Virani | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Virani in 2024 | |
| Minister of Justice Attorney General of Canada | |
| Assumed office July 26, 2023 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | David Lametti |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada | |
| In office August 31, 2018 – July 26, 2023 | |
| Minister | Jody Wilson-Raybould David Lametti |
| Preceded by | Marco Mendicino |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage (Multiculturalism) | |
| In office January 28, 2017 – August 30, 2018 | |
| Minister | Mélanie Joly |
| Preceded by | Vacant |
| Succeeded by | Gary Anandasangaree |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship | |
| In office December 2, 2015 – January 27, 2017 | |
| Minister | John McCallum |
| Preceded by | Costas Menegakis |
| Succeeded by | Serge Cormier |
| Member of Parliament for Parkdale—High Park | |
| Assumed office October 19, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Peggy Nash |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 23, 1971 Kampala, Uganda |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Suchita Jain |
| Residence(s) | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Alma mater | McGill University (BA) University of Toronto Faculty of Law (LLB) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
.jpg)
The Aga Khan affair was a political scandal in Canada involving Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In 2017, Trudeau was found guilty of violating sections 5,11,12, and 21[1] of the Federal Conflict of Interest Act[1] by accepting private-island vacations, gifts, and flights from the Aga Khan, a philanthropist and spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili religion. This was deemed significant as the Aga Khan Foundation, a registered lobby, had received over $50 million of federal funding in 2016.[2][3][4]
Justin Trudeau adopted the position that he and the Aga Khan were close friends, and the trips were of a personal nature.[5] This was ostensibly supported by a close relationship between Trudeau’s father, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, and the Aga Khan. Furthermore in 1983, when Justin Trudeau was twelve years old, their two families had undertaken a vacation together to Greece.[1]
Then-Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson stated in her ruling however that Justin Trudeau and the Aga Khan had undertaken no serious social interactions for thirty years outside a single instance at the funeral of Pierre Elliot Trudeau; and that, “there were no private interactions between Mr. Trudeau and the Aga Khan until Mr. Trudeau became Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. This led me to conclude that their relationship cannot be described as one of friends for the purposes of the Act.”[6]
December 2016 Vacation
On December 26, 2016 Justin Trudeau and his family left Canada to travel to the Aga Khan’s private residence at Bell Cay, The Bahamas, via Nassau.[1] Over the course of the trip Trudeau would travel to and from various locations via the Aga Khan’s personal helicopters.
During his stay on Bell Cay, Trudeau met with the Aga Khan, as well as then-United States Secretary of State John Kerry who was also visiting the island at the time. This meeting was entirely coincidental and not unusual as in the six months prior, Bell Cay had entertained 178 guests. Trudeau stated that although all interactions were of a purely social nature, the topic of the US administration did come up.[7]
The vacation lasted until January 4, 2017: eight days in total. It was later disclosed that government expenditures for the trip had amounted to CA$215,000.[8]
This was later followed by the Aga Khan Foundation receiving an amount of $50 million in funding and donations from the Liberal government of Canada.[9]
Investigation
The existence of the trip was not disclosed to the public.[10] Shortly after Trudeau's return to Canada, however, details about the trip were reported by the media.[11] These were confirmed in a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office on January 6, 2017.[12] This began calls for an investigation into the matter by the Official Opposition who filed formal complaints on January 8 and 11 to the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.[13]
On January 14, 2017 then-Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson officially opened an investigation into the matter.[14] As a result of the investigation, two more trips taken by Trudeau’s family to Bell Cay, in March and December 2014 were retroactively disclosed; these were taken into consideration in the final report.[15]
On December 20, 2017 Mary Dawson released her final report entitled “The Trudeau Report”.[16]
The Trudeau Report
The final report released by the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner exonerated the Aga Khan of all involvement as he was found to be acting entirely within his rights as a private citizen. Justin Trudeau was found to have violated four sections of the Conflict of Interests Act.[17]
Section 5
Section 5 requires that a public office holder arrange his or her private affairs in a manner that will prevent the public office holder from being in a conflict of interest.
Section 11
Subsection 11(1) prohibits a public office holder or a member of his or her family from accepting any gift or other advantage that might reasonably be seen to have been given to influence the public office holder in the exercise of an official power, duty or function.
Section 12
Section 12 prohibits ministers and members of their families from accepting travel on non-commercial chartered or private aircraft unless certain exceptions apply, namely travel required as part of the minister’s official duties, in exceptional circumstances or with the prior approval of the Commissioner.
While the English section of the act, written in both official languages, specifically prohibited various types of aircraft, the French version referred only to avions, or aircraft in general. Trudeau, through his legal team, would unsuccessfully argue that the French wording of the act was written too ambiguously which had caused confusion in his interpretation of the wording and subsequently that no violation had taken place.[2]
Section 21
Section 21 requires that public office holders recuse themselves from any discussion, decision, debate or vote on any matter in respect of which they would be in a conflict of interest.
Outcome
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police determined there were "reasonable grounds" to think fraud may have been committed.[18] They considered charging Trudeau; however, they did not do so because, as the head of government, Trudeau may have had the authority to approve the trip himself.[18][19] On December 20, 2017 Justin Trudeau apologized[1] and stated he would report future trips to the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. Trudeau stated "Obviously there was a mistake," and that, "Moving forward, we will be behaving differently…I take full responsibility for it. We need to make sure that the office of the prime minister is without reproach."[20]
Attempts at further investigations into the Trudeau Report, such as calling the Prime Minister to testify before a parliamentary committee, were blocked through parliamentary procedure along partisan lines.[21]
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aga_Khan_IV
Aga Khan IV | |
|---|---|
آقا خان چهارم | |
Aga Khan in 2014 | |
| Born | Prince Karim Al-Husseini[1] |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom France[citation needed] Switzerland[citation needed] Portugal Canada (Honorary) |
| Occupation(s) | Imam (spiritual leader), philanthropist, businessman |
| Title | Aga Khan IV |
| 49th Imam of Nizari Ismaili | |
| Tenure | 11 July 1957 – present |
| Installation | 19 October 1957[2] |
| Predecessor | Aga Khan III |
| Born | Shāh Karim al-Husayni 13 December 1936 Geneva, Switzerland |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | |
| House | Fatimid |
| Father | Prince Aly Khan |
| Mother | Princess Taj-ud-dawlah |
| Religion | Ismaili Shia Islam |
Prince Karim Al-Husseini[1][3][4][5] (Arabic: شاه كريم الحسيني, romanized: Shāh Karīm al-Ḥusaynī; born 13 December 1936), known as the Aga Khan IV (Persian: آقا خان چهارم, romanized: Āqā Khān Chāram)[6][7] since the death of his grandfather in 1957, is the 49th and current imam of Nizari Isma'ilis. He has held the position of Imam and the title of Aga Khan since 11 July 1957[8] when, at the age of 20, he succeeded his grandfather, Aga Khan III. The Aga Khan claims direct lineal descent from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, Ali,[9][10] who is considered an Imam by Nizari Isma'ilis, and Ali's wife Fatima, Muhammad's daughter from his first marriage. Aga Khan IV is also known by the religious title Mawlānā Hazar Imam by his Isma'ili followers.
Ismailis gave Ali and their Imams a near-divine status.[dubious – discuss] His grandfather, Aga Khan III, states in his memoirs that the Shias had a "need (for) Divine guidance"[11][non-primary source needed] after the Prophet of Islam's death, this need being fulfilled by the Imamate. According to the Aga Khan III as mentioned in his memoirs, he has actual "Divine power, guidance, and leadership (authority)."[12][non-primary source needed] The Institution of Imamate has continued to present day with the Aga Khan IV as the 49th Imam of the Ismaili Community. The Aga Khan is a business magnate with British and Portuguese citizenship,[13][14][15] as well as a racehorse owner and breeder.[15][16]
Aga Khan's net worth has been estimated over $13.3 billion.[17] Forbes describes the Aga Khan as one of the world's fifteen richest royals.[18] He is the founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network, one of the largest private development networks in the world.
Since his ascension to the Imamate of the Nizari Ismailis in 1957, the Aga Khan has been involved in complex political and economic changes which have affected his followers, including the independence of African countries from colonial rule, the expulsion of Asians from Uganda, the independence of Central Asian countries such as Tajikistan from the former Soviet Union and the continuous turmoil in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Aga Khan IV became the first faith leader to address the Joint Session of the Parliament of Canada on 27 February 2014.[19]
Early life and education
The Aga Khan IV is the eldest son of Prince Aly Khan (1911–1960), and his first wife, Princess Taj-ud-dawlah Aga Khan, formerly Joan Yarde-Buller (1908–1997), the eldest daughter of the British peer John Yarde-Buller, 3rd Baron Churston.
Born in Geneva, Switzerland, on 13 December 1936, Prince Karim was declared healthy despite being born prematurely.[20] His brother, Amyn Aga Khan, was born less than a year later. In 1949, his parents divorced in part due to Prince Aly Khan's extramarital affairs,[21] and shortly after, Prince Aly Khan married American actress Rita Hayworth – with whom he had a daughter, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, the half-sister of Aga Khan IV.
The Aga Khan IV also had a half-brother, Patrick Benjamin Guinness (1931–1965), from his mother's first marriage, as Joan Yarde-Buller was previously married to Loel Guinness of the banking Guinnesses.[22]
Prince Karim spent his childhood in Nairobi, Kenya,[23] where his early education was by private tutoring. Prince Karim later attended the Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland, the most expensive boarding school in the world,[24] for nine years where he ended up with, in his words, "fair grades".[22] Prince Karim was admitted to MIT and wanted to study science, but his grandfather, Aga Khan III, vetoed the decision and Prince Karim attended Harvard University, where he was elected a member of The Delphic Club and majored in Islamic history.[25][26][22]
When his grandfather died, the young Prince was thrust into the position of the Aga Khan (IV). A university student who was known to be humble by peers became the new Nizari Imam. He said about it: "Overnight, my whole life changed completely. I woke up with serious responsibilities toward millions of other human beings. I knew I would have to abandon my hopes of studying for a doctorate in History".[22] He graduated from Harvard University in 1959, two years after becoming the Imam of the Nizari Ismailis, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History (with Cum Laude honours) and his varsity H for the Harvard Crimson men's soccer team.[27][22]
The young Aga Khan was a competitive downhill skier, and skied for Iran in the 1964 Winter Olympics.[22][28]
Ismaili Constitution
Aga Khan IV enacted the Ismaili Constitution in Lisbon on 13 July 1998. Aga Khan IV "in direct lineal descent from the Holy Prophet (SAS) through Hazrat Mawlana Ali (AS) and Hazrat Bibi Fatima (AS), is the Forty-Ninth Imam of the Ismaili Muslims" - Ismaili Constitution Preamble Article One.
Although Aga Khan IV encourages his spiritual children to question in order to learn and understand their beliefs, values, and principles, as a formal policy he retains "the sole authority to determine all questions that arise regarding the meaning of their religion" - Ismaili Constitution Article One.
Ascension to Nizari Ismaili Imamat
Following the death of his grandfather the Aga Khan III, Prince Karim, at the age of 20, became the 49th Imam of the Nizari Ismailis and Aga Khan IV, bypassing his father, Prince Aly Khan, and his uncle, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, who were in direct line to succession. In his will, the Aga Khan III explained the rationale for choosing his eldest grandson as his successor (which marked the second time in the history of the Nizari Ismaili chain of Imamat that a grandson of the preceding Imam – instead of one of the sons of the preceding Imam – was made the next Imam):
In view of the fundamentally altered conditions in the world has provoked many changes, including the discoveries of atomic science, I am convinced that it is in the best interests of the Nizari Ismaili community that I should be succeeded by a young man who has been brought up and developed during recent years and in the midst of the new age, and who brings a new outlook on life to his office.[29]
In light of his grandfather's will, the Aga Khan IV has sometimes been referred to by Nizari Ismailis as the "Imam of the Atomic Age".[30] The will of the Aga Khan III added that the next Aga Khan, in the first several years of his Imamat, should look to the Aga Khan III's widow for guidance on general matters pertaining to the Imamat:
I DESIRE that my successor shall, during the first seven years of his Imamat, be guided on questions of general Imamat Policy, by my said wife, Yvette called Yve Blanche Labrousse Om Habibeh, the BEGUM AGA KHAN, who has been familiar for many years with the problems facing my followers, and in whose wise judgment, I place the greatest confidence.[31]
Nizari Ismaili Imamat
Upon taking the position of Imam, the Aga Khan IV stated that he intended to continue the work his grandfather had pursued in building modern institutions to improve the quality of life of the Nizari Ismailis.[32] Takht nashini (installation of the new Imam) ceremonies occurred at several locations over the course of 1957 and 1958. During this time, the Aga Khan emphasized to his followers the importance of fostering positive relations with different ethnicities[33] – a message highly appropriate considering the racially tense atmosphere in East Africa at the time between blacks and South Asians. During the Aga Khan's installation ceremonies in the Indian subcontinent, the Aga Khan stressed his commitment to improving the standard of living of Nizari Ismailis and encouraged co-operation with individuals of other religions.[34]
In 1972, under the regime of President Idi Amin of Uganda, people of South Asian origin, including Nizari Ismailis, were expelled. The South Asians, some of whose families had lived in Uganda for over 100 years, were given 90 days to leave the country.[35] The Aga Khan phoned his long-time friend Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Trudeau's government agreed to allow thousands of Nizari Ismailis to immigrate to Canada.[36] The Aga Khan also undertook urgent steps to facilitate the resettlement of Nizari Ismailis displaced from Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, and Burma, to other countries.[37] Most of these Nizari Ismailis found new homes in Asia, Europe and North America.[38] Most of the initial resettlement problems were overcome rapidly by Nizari Ismailis due to their educational backgrounds and high rates of literacy, as well as the efforts of the Aga Khan and the host countries, and with support from Nizari Ismaili community programs.
The Aga Khan has encouraged Nizari Ismailis settled in the industrialised world to contribute towards the progress of communities in the developing world through various development programs.[39] He has described his role as Imam as being partly to uplift the material and spiritual wellbeing of Nizari Ismailis – a duty which requires an understanding of Nizari Ismailis in the context of their geographic location and their time.[20] He elaborated on this concept in a 2006 speech in Germany, saying "The role and responsibility of an Imam, therefore, is both to interpret the faith to the community, and also to do all within his means to improve the quality, and security, of their daily lives and the people with whom Ismailis share their lives."[40] This engagement of the Aga Khan with Nizari Ismailis is said to extend to the people with whom the Nizari Ismailis share their lives, locally and internationally.[41]
The Aga Khan is one of several Shia signatories of the Amman Message which gives a broad foundation for defining those denominations of Islam that should be considered as part of the wider Muslim Ummah.[42]
During the Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy, he said:
I have two reactions to the pope's lecture: There is my concern about the degradation of relations and, at the same time, I see an opportunity. A chance to talk about a serious, important issue: the relationship between religion and logic.[43]
When the Aga Khan IV was asked about his view on the consumption of alcohol in a 1965 interview with The Sunday Times, he said, in line with Muslim teaching:[44]
Our belief is that the thing which separates man from the animals is his power of thought. Anything that impedes this process is wrong. Therefore, alcohol is forbidden. I have never touched alcohol. But this, to me, is not a puritan prohibition. I don't want to drink. I've never wanted to drink. There's no pressure being placed on me by my religion.
The Status of the Imam in Nizari Ismailism
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The Ismailis are a community of Shi'ism, and their theology is derived from the teachings of the Shi'i Imams – 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, Muhammad al-Baqir and Ja'far al-Sadiq. According to early Shi'i Ismaili theology, God or Allah is absolutely transcendent and unique.[45][46] Unlike Sunni theology where God's Essence is conjoined to eternal attributes, the early Shi'i Imams emphasized a theology according to which God's Essence is beyond all names and attributes. The first creation of God is a spiritual entity (Ruhani) or light (nur) called the Intellect ('Aql), the Light of Muhammad (nur Muhammad) or the Light of Ali. This cosmic Intellect or Light exists prior to the creation of the physical world and is the highest of created beings is identified with the Eternal Imam or the spiritual essence of the Prophet Muhammad and the Shi'i Imams. The historical Imams on earth are the locus of manifestation (mazhar) of the Light (nur) or Intellect (aql). Ismaili philosophers developed these ideas further using Neoplatonic frameworks and identified the Intellect ('Aql) or Light of the Imam with the Universal Intellect (Nous) of Plotinus. Similarly, the Imam's human soul – revered as pure based on Qur'an 33:33 – is regarded as the reflective mirror of the Universal Intellect.[47]
The 1975 Ismailia Association Conference – a meeting of the Aga Khan with senior Nizari Ismaili council leaders from several countries – addressed the question of the status of the Imam. It mentioned:
"The Imam to be explained as the 'mazhar' ["locus of manifestation"] of God, and the relationship between God and the Imam to be related to varying levels of inspiration and communication from God to man."[48] Paris Conference Report
The term mazhar is also used in Sufi literature by Ibn 'Arabi ("Bezels of Wisdom"), Nasir al-Din al-Tusi ("Contemplation and Action", "The Paradise of Submission") and many others. The meaning of the word mazhar denotes the idea of a mirror in which an object is reflected as an image but not incarnate. Similarly, the Imam as mazhar (locus of manifestation, mirror) 'differs greatly' from the idea of incarnation or indwelling (hulul) in which the Divine dwells inside a material body. The Imam is not seen as an incarnation of divinity. The Imam is also the Pir (Sufism) within Nizari Ismailism denoting a title from the Sufi heritage of Nizari Ismaili history.
Silver Jubilee Year of Imamat
From 11 July 1982 to 11 July 1983 – to celebrate the present Aga Khan's Silver Jubilee, marking the 25th anniversary of his accession to the Imamat – many new social and economic development projects were launched.[49] These range from the establishment of the US$450 million international Aga Khan University with its Faculty of Health Sciences and teaching hospital based in Karachi,[50] the expansion of schools for girls and medical centres in the Hunza region[51] (one of the remote parts of Northern Pakistan bordering on China and Afghanistan that is densely populated with Nizari Ismailis), to the establishment of the Aga Khan Rural Support Program[52] in Gujarat, India – and the extension of existing urban hospitals and primary health care centres in Tanzania and Kenya.[53]
Golden Jubilee Year of Imamat
11 July 2007 to 13 December 2008 marked the 50th Anniversary of the Prince karim Aga Khan reign of Imamat (Golden Jubilee). On this occasion, leaders representing Nizari Ismailis from different areas of the world gathered at the Aga Khan's residence to pay homage to the Imam.[54] As part of the Golden Jubilee, the Aga Khan made official visits to various countries – using the visits to recognize the friendship and longstanding support of certain leaders of state, government, and others, to the Aga Khan and his Nizari Ismaili community, as well as to lay the foundations for certain future initiatives and programmes.[55] Areas of the world visited included the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa. During his visit to Houston, US, he announced the establishment of the Ismaili Center Houston. The Aga Khan also organized a Nizari Ismaili sports meet in Kenya, and teams of Nizari Ismailis from different areas of the world came to play in this event.[56]
One of the initiatives of the Golden Jubilee was the Jubilee Games, firstly named as the Golden Jubilee Games but continued as the Jubilee Games. The first event was held in Kenya in 2008. The second Jubilee Games were held in Dubai, UAE in July 2016.[57]
Diamond Jubilee Year of Imamat
11 July 2017 to 11 July 2018 was designated the Diamond Jubilee Year of the Aga Khan's 60th year of reign.[58] The Aga Khan travelled throughout the Diamond Jubilee year to countries where his humanitarian institutions operate to launch new programs that help alleviate poverty and increase access to education, housing and childhood development. The Aga Khan's Diamond Jubilee opening ceremony was held in his Aiglemont estate. On 8 March 2018, Queen Elizabeth II hosted the Aga Khan at Windsor Castle at a dinner to mark his Diamond Jubilee. He has visited a number of countries including the United States, UAE, India, Pakistan, Canada, France, UK, Kenya, and others. The Diamond Jubilee ended with grand celebrations in Lisbon, Portugal on and around 11 July 2018. People from around the world came to celebrate with their worldwide community. There were many concerts, a Jubilee Arts festival, and other events planned for tens of thousands of people. Following a historic agreement with the Portuguese Republic in 2015, His Highness the Aga Khan officially designated the premises located at Rua Marquês de Fronteira in Lisbon – the Henrique de Mendonça Palace – as the Seat of the Ismaili Imamat on 11 July 2018, and declared that it be known as the "Diwan of the Ismaili Imamat".[59]
Business activities
Thoroughbred horse racing
The Aga Khan's racing horse businesses bring in considerable income.[60] He owns and operates the largest horse racing and breeding operation in France, the French horse auction house, Arqana, Gilltown Stud near Kilcullen in Ireland, and other breeding/stud farms in Europe.[60]
The Aga Khan operates a large horse racing and breeding operation at his estate Aiglemont, in the town of Gouvieux in the Picardy region of France – about 4 kilometres (2+1⁄2 miles) west of the Chantilly Racecourse. In 1977, he paid £1.3 million for the bloodstock owned by Anna Dupré and in 1978, £4.7 million for the bloodstock of Marcel Boussac.[61]
The Aga Khan is said to be France's most influential owner-breeder and record winner of The Prix de Diane, sometimes referred to as the French Oaks.[62]
The Aga Khan owns Gilltown Stud near Kilcullen, Ireland, and the Haras de Bonneval breeding farm at Le Mesnil-Mauger in France. In March 2005, he purchased the Calvados stud farms, the Haras d'Ouilly in Pont-d'Ouilly and the Haras de Val-Henry in Livarot.[63] Haras d'Ouilly had been owned by such horsemen as the Duc Decazes, François Dupré and Jean-Luc Lagardère.[64]
In 2006 the Aga Khan became the majority shareholder of French horse auction house Arqana.[60]
On 27 October 2009 it was announced that Sea the Stars, regarded by many as one of the greatest racehorses of all time, would stand stud at the Aga Khan's Gilltown Stud in Ireland.[65]
His unbeaten homebred filly, Zarkava, won the 2008 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. His homebred colt, Harzand, won the 2016 Epsom Derby and the 2016 Irish Derby.
The Aga Khan was the lead owner of Shergar, the Irish racehorse that was kidnapped from Ballymany stud farm in County Kildare, Ireland by masked men in 1983 and held for ransom. The Aga Khan and the other co-owners refused to pay a ransom, and the horse was not recovered.[66] The Aga Khan, the police and the public suspected the Provisional Irish Republican Army of the abduction, though the IRA denied all involvement. In 1999, former IRA member Sean O'Callaghan published an autobiography in which he implicates the IRA as being responsible for the abduction. Shergar had become a national symbol in Ireland, and the IRA had underestimated the public outpouring of support for the horse and the backlash for the IRA even among Irish republicans who had historically supported the IRA, leading the IRA to deny involvement.[67]
Other business ventures
The Aga Khan is and has been involved in multiple business ventures, in such areas as communications media and luxury hotels. In 1959 he founded the Kenyan media company Nation Media Group,[68] which among others owns Daily Nation and Sunday Nation.[69]
In the 1990s, the Aga Khan had a group of US$400 a night Italian luxury hotels, called Ciga. Currently the Aga Khan, through his for-profit AKFED, is the largest shareholder in the Serena Hotels chain.[70]
Other activities
Aga Khan Development Network
The Aga Khan is the founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network, which coordinates the activities of over 200 agencies and institutions, employing approximately 80,000 paid staff, the majority of whom are based in developing countries.[71] AKDN is partly funded by his followers and donor partners that include numerous governments and several international organisations. AKDN agencies operate in the fields of health, education, culture, rural development, institution-building and the promotion of economic development, with a special focus on countries of the Developing Nations. It is dedicated to improving living conditions and opportunities for the poor, without regard to their faith, origin or sex.[72]
AKDN includes the Aga Khan University, the University of Central Asia, the for-profit Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, the Aga Khan Foundation, the Aga Khan Health Services, the Aga Khan Education Services, the Aga Khan Planning and Building Services, and the Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance. One of the companies that the AKFED is the main shareholder of is the Serena Hotels Group[73] – a chain of luxury hotels and resorts primarily located in Africa and Asia. The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is the largest architectural award in the world.[74] The Aga Khan is also the chairman of the Board of Governors of the Institute of Ismaili Studies, which he founded in 1977.[75] He is also a Vice-President of the Royal Commonwealth Society.[76]
Focus Humanitarian Assistance, an affiliate of the AKDN, is responsible for emergency response in the face of disaster. Recent disasters that FOCUS was involved in helping address include the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan (AKDN earthquake response) and the South Asian tsunami.[77]
Significant recent or current projects that are related to the development and that are being led by the Aga Khan include the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat and the Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa, the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, the Al-Azhar Park in Cairo, the Bagh-e Babur restoration in Kabul, and a network of full IB residential schools known as the Aga Khan Academies.
The Aga Khan has expressed concern about the work of the AKDN being described as philanthropy. In his address to the Evangelische Akademie Tutzing, when he was awarded their Tolerance Prize in 2006, he described this concern:
Reflecting a certain historical tendency of the West to separate the secular from the religious, they often describe [the work of the AKDN] either as philanthropy or entrepreneurship. What is not understood is that this work is for us a part of our institutional responsibility – it flows from the mandate of the office of Imam to improve the quality of worldly life for the concerned communities.[40]
Promotion of Islamic architecture
In 1977, the Aga Khan established the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, an award recognising excellence in architecture that encompasses contemporary design and social, historical, and environmental considerations. It is the largest architectural award in the world (prize money for which is a million US dollars) and is granted triennially.[78] The award grew out of the Aga Khan's desire to revitalise creativity in Islamic societies and acknowledge creative solutions for buildings facilities and public spaces.[79] The prize winner is selected by an independent master jury convened for each cycle.[80]
In 1979, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) established the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture (AKPIA), which is supported by an endowment from Aga Khan. These programs provide degree courses, public lectures, and conferences for the study of Islamic architecture and urbanism. Understanding contemporary conditions and developmental issues are key components of the academic program.[81] The program engages in research at both institutions and students can graduate with a Master of Science of Architectural Studies specialising in the Aga Khan program from MIT's Department of Architecture.[82]
Personal life
In 1964 Sports Illustrated wrote that despite the Aga Khan's reputation as "a gallivanting jet-setter who wants his horses, cars and women to be fast", he avoided most parties, never appeared in gossip columns, and had been associated with only one woman for the previous five years ("an exquisite, publicity-avoiding blonde named Annouchka von Mehks").[22] In 1969, the Aga Khan married former British model Sarah Frances Croker Poole, who assumed the name Begum Salimah Aga Khan upon marrying him. Sarah Frances was a divorcee, having previously been married to Lord James Charles Crichton-Stuart, son of John Crichton-Stuart, 5th Marquess of Bute. The wedding ceremonies were held on 22 October 1969 (civil) and 28 October 1969 (religious) at Karim Aga Khan's home in Paris. By 1984, the Aga Khan and Begum Salimah had taken to living separate lives.[83] The Aga Khan and Begum Salimah had one daughter and two sons together, Zahra Aga Khan (born 18 September 1970), Rahim Aga Khan (born 12 October 1971) and Hussain Aga Khan (born 10 April 1974). Eleven years later, in 1995 they divorced.
On 30 May 1998, The Aga Khan married for the second time at his walled compound and chateau, Aiglemont, in Gouvieux, France. The bride was Gabriele Renate Thyssen, who assumed the name Begum Inaara Aga Khan at her wedding. Born to Roman Catholic German entrepreneur parents in 1963, Gabriele was twenty-seven years younger than the Aga Khan. She was also a divorcee, having previously been married to Prince Karl Emich of Leiningen, by whom she had a daughter, Teresa. On 7 March 2000, two years after the wedding, he had a son, Aly Muhammad Aga Khan. On 8 October 2004, after six years of marriage the couple announced they would be getting divorced.[84][85] In September 2011, seven years later, a divorce settlement was reached between them in the French courts, and the divorce settlement amount was agreed upon in March 2014.[86]
The Aga Khan is an ardent yachtsman. He co-founded the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, in 1967. He also commissioned a 164-foot yacht, Alamshar, named after a prized racehorse of his, with a price tag of £200 million. The cost and maintenance are partly covered by chartering. The yacht was advertised as having a top speed of 60 knots, capable of setting a new transatlantic speed record.[citation needed] It reached a speed in excess of 55 knots in its initial trials but despite the claims, it was never intended for transatlantic speed records as it does not have the range.[citation needed]
In 2021 Aga Khan took delivery of a new Bombardier Global 7500 registered LX-PAK,[citation needed] operated by Global Jet Luxembourg. His previous aircraft, a Bombardier Global 6000, registered LX-ZAK, was sold in 2020.[citation needed]
Personal finances
In 2009, Forbes reported that the Aga Khan's net worth was US$1 billion.[87] In 2013, Vanity Fair estimated his fortune to be well over US$1 billion.[88] Forbes describes the Aga Khan as one of the world's fifteen richest royals, and the most recent[when?] estimate of his net worth is $13.3 billion.[17] He is unique among the richest royals in that he does not preside over a geographic territory.[18] He owns hundreds of racehorses, valuable stud farms, an exclusive yacht club on Sardinia,[89] Bell Island in the Bahamas,[90] two Bombardier jets, a £100 million high speed yacht Alamshar, and several estates around the world, with his primary residence at Aiglemont estate in the town of Gouvieux, France, north of Paris. The Aga Khan's philanthropic non-profit institutions spend about US$600 million per year – mainly in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.[91]
Titles, styles and honours
The titles Prince and Princess are used by the Aga Khans and their children by virtue of their descent from Shah Fath Ali Shah of the Persian Qajar dynasty. The title was officially recognised by the British government in 1938.[92]
Author Farhad Daftary wrote of how the honorific title Aga Khan (from Agha and Khan) was first given to Aga Khan I at the age of thirteen after the murder of his father: "At the same time, the Qajar monarch bestowed on him the honorific title (laqab) of Agha Khan (also transcribed as Aqa Khan), meaning lord and master." Daftary additionally commented, "The title of Agha Khan remained hereditary amongst his successors."[93] On the other hand, in a legal proceeding, the Aga Khan III noted that 'Aga Khan' is not a title, but, instead a sort of alias or "pet name" that was given to Aga Khan I when he was a young man.[94]
The style of His Highness was formally granted to the Aga Khan IV by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957 upon the death of his grandfather Aga Khan III.[95] The granting of the title to the Aga Khan IV was preceded by a strong expressed desire of the Aga Khan III to see the British monarchy award the non-hereditary title to his successor.[31] The style of His Royal Highness was granted in 1959 to the Aga Khan IV by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, later overthrown in the Iranian Revolution of 1979,[96] but he uses instead His Highness.[97][98][99] Over the years, the Aga Khan has received numerous honours, honorary degrees, and awards.
Honours
Bahrain:
Member 1st Class of the Order of Bahrain (2003)[100]
Canada:
Honorary Companion of the Order of Canada (CC, 2005)[101]
Comoros:
Grand Cross of the Order of the Green Crescent (1966)[100]
France:
Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour (2018)
Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters (2010)[100]
India:
Padma Vibhushan (2015)[102]
Iran:
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Crown (1967)[100]
Commemorative Medal of the 2500th Anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire (14 October 1971)[103]
Italy:
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (1977) [a][100]
Knight of the Order of Merit for Labour (1988)[100]
Ivory Coast:
Grand Cross of the National Order of the Ivory Coast (1965)[100]
Kenya:
Chief of the Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya (CGH, 2007)[100][104]
Madagascar:
Grand Cross 2nd Class of the National Order of Madagascar (1966)[100]
Mali:
Grand Cross of the National Order of Mali (2008)[100]
Mauritania:
Commander of the National Order of Merit (1960)[100]
Morocco:
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Throne (1986)[100]
Pakistan:
Nishan-e-Pakistan (NPk, 1983)[100]
Nishan-i-Imtiaz (NI, 1970)[100]
Portugal:
Grand Cross of the Order of Liberty (GCL, 2017)[105]
Grand Cross of the Order of Christ (GCC, 2005)[100]
Grand Cross of the Order of Merit (GCM, 1998)[100]
Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry (GCIH, 1960)[100]
Senegal:
Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion (1982)[100]
Spain:
Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit (1991)[100][106]
Tajikistan:
Recipient of the Order of Friendship (1998)[100]
Uganda:
Collar of the Order of the Pearl of Africa (2017)[107]
United Kingdom:
Ordinary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE, 2003)[97][100]
Upper Volta:
Grand Cross of the National Order of Upper Volta (1965)[100]
Zanzibar:
Grand Cross of the Order of the Brilliant Star of Zanzibar (1957)[100]
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Honorary degrees
- Canada: Honorary LL.D. degree, Simon Fraser University (2018)[108]
- Canada: Honorary LL.D. degree, University of British Columbia (2018)[109]
- Canada: Honorary LL.D. degree, University of Calgary (2018)[110]
- Canada: Honorary LL.D. degree, McGill University (1983)[111]
- Canada: Honorary LL.D. degree, McMaster University (1987)[112]
- Canada: Honorary LL.D. degree, University of Toronto (2004)[113]
- Canada: Honorary LL.D. degree, University of Alberta (2009)[114]
- Canada: Honorary DUniv degree, University of Ottawa (2012)[115]
- Canada: Honorary D.S.Litt. degree, University of Toronto (2013)[116]
- Canada: Honorary D.Litt. degree in medieval studies, Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies (2016)[117]
- Pakistan: Honorary LL.D. degree, University of Sindh (1970)[118]
- Portugal: Honorary PhD degree, NOVA University of Lisbon (2017)[119]
- United Kingdom: Honorary LL.D. degree, University of Wales (1993)[120]
- United Kingdom: Honorary D.D. degree, University of Cambridge (2009)[121]
United States: Honorary LL.D. degree, Brown University (1996)[122]- United States: Honorary LL.D. degree, Harvard University (2008)[123]
Awards
- Canada: Key to the City of Ottawa (2005)[100]
- Canada: Honorary Canadian citizenship (2010)[124][125]
- Canada: Key to the City of Toronto (2022)[126]
- France: Silver Medal of the Académie d'Architecture (1991)[100]
- France: Insignia of Honour, International Union of Architects (2001)[100]
- France: Associate Foreign Member, Académie des Beaux-Arts (2008)[100]
- France: Philanthropic Entrepreneur of the Year, by Le Nouvel Economiste, Paris (2009)[100]
Germany: Die Quadriga Award, the United We Care Award (2005)[100]- Germany: Tolerance Prize of the Evangelical Academy of Tutzing (2006)[100]
- Italy: Honorary Citizen of the Town of Arzachena (Sardinia) (1962)[100]
- Italy: Gold Mercury Ad Personam Award, Non-State Organization (1982)[100]
- Ivory Coast: Freeman of Abidjan, and presented with a Key to the City of Abidjan (1960)[100]
Jordan: One of The 500 Most Influential Muslims in the world, by Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre (2009–13)
Kazakhstan: State Award for Peace and Progress (2002)[100]- Kazakhstan: Honoured Educator of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2008)[100]
- Kenya: Honorary Citizen of the Town of Kisumu (1981)[100]
- Madagascar: Key to the city of Majunga (1966)[100]
- Mali: Honorary Citizen of the Islamic Ummah of Timbuktu (2003)[100]
- Mali: Citizen of Honour of the Municipality of Timbuktu (2008)[100]
- Pakistan: Honorary Colonel of the 6th Lancers by the Pakistani Army (1970)[100]
- Pakistan: Honorary Citizen of Lahore, and presented with a key to the city of Lahore (1980)[100]
- Pakistan: Honorary Membership, Pakistan Medical Association, Sindh (1981)[100]
- Pakistan: Key to the city of Karachi (1981)[100]
- Pakistan: Honorary Fellowship of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) (1985)[100]
- Portugal: Key to the City of Lisbon (1996)[100]
- Portugal: Foreign Member, Class of Humanities, by Lisbon Academy of Sciences (2009)[100]
- Portugal: 2013 North–South Prize of the Council of Europe (2014)
- Portugal: Key to the City of Porto (2019)
Scotland: Carnegie Medal for Philanthropy (2005)[100]- Spain: Guest of Honour of Granada (1991)[100]
- Spain: Honorary Citizen of Granada (1991)[100]
- Spain: Gold Medal of the City of Granada (1998)[100]
- Spain: Royal Toledo Foundation (Real Fundación de Toledo) Award (2006)[100]
Sweden: Archon Award, International Nursing Honour Society, Sigma Theta Tau International (2001)[100]
Tanzania: Honorary Citizen of Dar es Salaam (2005)[100]- United Kingdom: The Gold Mercury International "AD PERSONAM" Award (1982)[100]
- United Kingdom: Honorary Fellowship, Royal Institute of British Architects (1991)[100]
- United Kingdom: Andrew Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy (2005)[100]
- United Kingdom: Winner of the 10th annual Peter O'Sullevan Award at the Savoy in London (2006)[100]
- United States: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Medal in Architecture, University of Virginia (1984)[100]
- United States: Institute Honor of the American Institute of Architects (1984)[100]
- United States: Honorary Member of the American Institute of Architects (1992)[100]
- United States: Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1996)[127]
- United States: Hadrian Award, World Monuments Fund (1996)[100]
- United States: Vincent Scully Prize, National Building Museum (2005)[100]
- United States: Key to the City of Austin (2008)[100]
- United States: UCSF medal (2011) [128]
- United States: Key to the City of Sugar Land, Texas (2018)[100]
- United States: ULI J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development, Los Angeles (2011)[100]
Uzbekistan: Honorary Citizen of the City of Samarkand and presented with a key to the city of Samarkand (1992)[100]
Hashemite ancestry
| Ancestors of Aga Khan IV |
|---|
Patrilineal descent
| Patrilineal descent[129] |
|---|
|
Shah Karim al-Hussaini Aga Khan's patriline is the line from which he is descended father to son.
|
References
- The Aga Khan is the first Muslim to receive the honour.
- "The Aga Khan's Direct Descent from Prophet Muhammad: Historical Proof". Ismaili Gnosis. 9 July 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
External links
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Data from Wikidata
- His Highness the Aga Khan
- NanoWisdoms Archive – Dedicated to the Aga Khan's speeches and interviews (over 600 readings and 1,000 quotes)
- His Highness the Aga Khan Spiritual Leader of Shia Ismailis
- An Islamic Conscience: the Aga Khan and the Ismailis – Film of HH the Aga Khan IV Archived 29 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine
- About His Highness the Karim Aga Khan
- About Her Highness the Begum Aga Khan (PIF)
- Aga Khan Development Network
- The Institute of Ismaili Studies
- The Institute of Ismaili Studies: Introduction to His Highness the Aga Khan and Selected Speeches
- Aga Khan article at SIPA (Columbia University) Archived 19 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- Brown University President Vartan Gregorian's introduction of the Aga Khan (1996 baccalaureate address)
- The Ismaili website Archived 10 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine
- Read the spirit[permanent dead link]
- A rare interview with the Aga Khan on poverty, climate change, and demystifying Islam Quartz
- The Secret Life of the Aga Khan
- 1936 births
- 20th-century British philanthropists
- 20th-century imams
- 20th-century Islamic religious leaders
- 20th-century Ismailis
- 20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam
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- 21st-century Islamic religious leaders
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- 21st-century Muslim scholars of Islam
- Aga Khan Development Network
- Aga Khans
- Alpine skiers at the 1960 Winter Olympics
- Alpine skiers at the 1964 Winter Olympics
- Alumni of Institut Le Rosey
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- Living people
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