Aga Khan, leader of Ismaili Muslims, dead at 88
Death of Prince Karim Aga Khan IV was confirmed in a statement Tuesday
Aga Khan dead at 88A statement said he died "peacefully" in Lisbon on Tuesday.
"Leaders and staff of the Aga Khan Development Network offer our condolences to the family of His Highness and to the Ismaili community worldwide," read the statement from the network, which was the Aga Khan's central philanthropic organization.
It said a designated successor will be announced later.
The death is significant for 15 million Ismailis across 35 countries, who haven't grieved the loss of a spiritual leader in more than a generation. The Aga Khan was a student when succeeded his grandfather, the Aga Khan III, at the age of 20 on July 11, 1957.
His grandfather, Sultan Muhammad Shah, unexpectedly skipped his own son in the line of succession to name Prince Karim as ruler of the family's 1,300-year dynasty.
The
Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the world's 15 million Shia Ismaili
Muslims, receives a standing ovation from the House of Commons in Ottawa
on Feb. 27, 2014. (Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press)
Ismailis hold that the Aga Khan was directly descended from an unbroken line of imams going back to the Prophet Muhammad — through Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, Ali, the first imam, and his wife Fatima, Muhammad's daughter.
The title, derived from Turkish and Persian words to mean commanding chief, was originally granted in the 1830s by the emperor of Persia to Karim's great-great-grandfather when the latter married the emperor's daughter.
Beyond his spiritual leadership, the Aga Khan was a jet-setting, entrepreneurial millionaire — or billionaire — who enjoyed a lavish personal lifestyle and poured millions into helping people in some of the most impoverished parts of the world.
His connection to Canada was cemented when the nation, under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, took in thousands of Ismaili refugees who were abruptly expelled from Uganda in 1972.
Decades later, the Trudeau family's friendship with the Aga Khan created an expenses scandal for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when he vacationed on the leader's private island in the Caribbean over the holidays in 2016.
Trudeau pays tribute to Aga KhanOn Tuesday, the younger Trudeau offered his condolences to a man he saw as an "honourary Canadian."
"His Highness the Aga Khan was an extraordinarily compassionate global leader, a man of vision, of faith and of incredible generosity," Trudeau said during a Lunar New Year event in Ottawa.
"He will be deeply, deeply missed by people around the world but particularly by the Ismaili community that is grieving tonight," he continued.
"And I lost a very good friend — a friend of my father's and a friend of mine — tonight, so I am sad and we will all reflect on his extraordinary legacy for the coming days, weeks and, indeed, years."
The Aga Khan is seen at the 2017 Asia Game Changer Awards and Gala Dinner in New York, on Nov. 1, 2017. (Amr Alfiky/Reuters)
Entrepreneurship and philanthropy
Prince Shah Karim Al Husseini was born on Dec. 13, 1936, in Geneva. He spent his early childhood in Nairobi, Kenya, before returning to Switzerland and attending the exclusive Le Rosey School.
He later moved to the United States to study Islamic history at Harvard University. He was a junior when he left to be with his aging grandfather in France, but went back 18 months later with a weighty new title, bestowed by Queen Elizabeth, to mark his ascension: "His Highness."
His predecessors had been similarly honoured by the Crown.
"I was an undergraduate who knew what his work for the rest of his life was going to be," he told Vanity Fair in 2012. "I don't think anyone in my situation would have been prepared."
He also took up his family tradition of racing and breeding thoroughbreds.
His name became synonymous with success as a racehorse owner, especially with a horse named Shergar. The thoroughbred won the Epsom Derby, the Irish Derby and the King George before being kidnapped from an Irish stud farm in 1983. A ransom was demanded, but no money ever changed hands and the horse was never found.
Estimates of his personal wealth ranged up to $13 billion US, with his money coming from his family inheritance, the horse breeding business and his personal investments in tourism and real estate.
He set up the Aga Khan Development Network in 1967. The group of international development agencies, which has roughly 80,000 employees, helps to build schools and hospitals and providing electricity for millions of people in the poorest parts of Africa and Asia.
With files from Shanifa Nasser and The Associated Press
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/1.4990602
https://lawandstyle.ca/career/best-practices-why-arif-virani-ran-for-parliament/
Why Arif Virani ran for Parliament
It’s hard keeping up with Arif Virani. Not only on foot—on a recent overcast but pleasant morning, he strides down Roncesvalles Avenue at a no-nonsense clip—but also with his human-rights legal work and budding political career. A mere five months ago, the 44-year-old became a rookie Liberal member of Parliament. As he strolls through a busy fruit market in his own Parkdale-High Park riding, Virani chats about his career path up to this point—and, at the same time, proves he’s mastered the walk-and-talk.
Before his electoral victory this past October, he explains, he spent 12 years as a Crown lawyer in the constitutional law branch at the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario, which represents the provincial government of the day when its legislation faces a constitutional challenge. But midway through that tenure, he also took a two-year sabbatical and worked abroad. He spent one year in Delhi, India, as a legal consultant. The second year took him to Tanzania as an assistant trial attorney where he prosecuted perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide. “It was extraordinary,” he says. “We were dealing with rape. Genocide. Crimes against humanity. How many lawyers get to say they prosecuted genociders? It was phenomenal in many, many respects.” These days, his activism is closer to home. He volunteers extensively, including at the Redwood shelter for women and children.
Arif Virani
Member of Parliament
All heavy stuff, but Virani is possessed of a vitality and positivity that propels him through the grimmest of work, and his new political job. Days after he clinched his seat in the government he found the energy to knock on neighbourhood doors to introduce himself. A Twitter photo shows him greeting a constituent while pushing his sleepy toddler in a stroller. Virani is a married father of two young boys. He began his legal career as a litigator at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. But after a couple of years, Virani saw a job ad for the Crown counsel and went for it. “It was the right time financially. The Golden Handcuffs weren’t strapped on yet,” he jokes. “It was about an $18,000 pay cut, but well worth it.” He swotted up for a week on constitutional law before the job interview, which turned out to be more academically demanding than a corporate-law interview. “Rather than it being about my knowledge of art or my squash game, it was about my knowledge of the Charter.” He nailed it.
“He brought amazing energy to his work, and an understanding of how to balance competing interests,” says Janet Minor, the current treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada and Virani’s mentor back when she was general counsel for the Ministry of the Attorney General. “This will make him a great MP.”
By Virani’s account, he never pivoted away from job satisfaction at the Ministry of the Attorney General. But, over time, he felt increasingly frustrated with the Stephen Harper political climate. “Entering politics wasn’t an epiphany,” he says. He always liked to talk politics. But one event pushed him over the edge: the robocall scandal of the 2011 election. “It was a blatantly antidemocratic endeavour to prevent people from voting in the proper place and to dissuade youth from voting. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.” Virani, for the first time, stopped just talking and got politically active. He got involved with the Liberals in his riding. And when the party held open nominations, he felt confident he had the work ethic needed to put in the long hours of a campaign. The hard work paid off: he won both the nomination and a seat in Parliament.
Since being sworn in, Virani has assumed a high-profile post as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. This puts him front and centre in welcoming Syrian refugees, an issue that hits close to home. Virani himself came to Canada as an infant and a Ugandan refugee when Trudeau père welcomed 7,000 exiled Ismaili Muslims. “I don’t remember being a baby at Dorval Airport”—now called the Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport—“in 1972, but I have recently met Syrian families with babies. And looking at these families now, I think, That was me.”
He makes an effort to talk to them about his own past. “I can speak some Arabic, but using a translator I explain I was in their shoes 43 years ago. I say, ‘Canada is a land of opportunity. Please seize every opportunity to be anything you want in this country. I became an MP.’”
Arif Virani’s career timeline
1987: Virani, 16, works as a ballboy at a tennis tournament, in which Arantxa Sanchez and Martina Navratilova both played. “It paid $10 a day and I got a free pair of tennis shoes,” says the tennis nut.
1994: He graduates from McGill University with a joint honours BA in political science and history.
1999: Virani articles at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP.
2001: He works for a year in London on the Harold G. Fox Scholarship. At a salsa class, he meets his future wife, Suchita Jain, a Canadian grad student studying International Public Health.
2003: Virani joins the constitutional law branch of the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario.
2009: During a sabbatical, Virani heads to Tanzania to work at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
2013: Virani uploads a YouTube video to announce he’s running for the federal Liberal nomination in the Parkdale-High Park riding.
2015: Virani wins a seat in Parliament, overtaking the NDP’s incumbent, Peggy Nash. Then, he and his wife hire a nanny to cover morning daycare drop-off.
This story is from our Spring 2016 Issue.
David Quayat opens up about life as a federal Crown prosecutor
- By Daniel Fish
Whenever the public debates a vital topic in criminal justice — the lack of funding to legal aid, the over-incarceration of racialized people, the psychological toll of difficult casework — one actor in the system is typically absent: the Crown. “I don’t know if it’s because we don’t get asked enough or we’re just not willing to volunteer,” says David Quayat, a 44-year-old prosecutor in Brampton. “I’m not sure what the culprit is.”
No matter where the blame lies, Quayat is ready to talk candidly about his job. By speaking out, he hopes in part to correct long-standing misconceptions about the prosecution service. He objects, for instance, to the popular narrative that casts defence counsel in a David-vs.-Goliath battle against the limitless powers of the state. “I would agree that the defence bar, as a general proposition, is under-resourced,” he says. But prosecutors live under constraints too, he insists, even if they aren’t as acute as those in criminal defence. “The idea that there is an infinite number of resources to be brought to bear against a particular accused is just inaccurate.”
Quayat is an unlikely figure to initiate a public conversation from the perspective of a Crown. Back in 2015, as a seventh-year lawyer, he landed what seemed like his ideal role: defence counsel at Edward H. Royle & Associates (now called Edward H. Royle & Partners LLP). By that point in his career, he’d worked in trade law and civil litigation, but he craved more time in court. As a defence lawyer, he conducted trials on a near-constant basis. He loved it.
David Quayat
Federal Crown counsel, Public Prosecution Service of Canada
Year of call: 2009
Then Quayat had a son. “That was itself a complicating variable,” he says. “It’s not a secret: I wasn’t in any meaningful relationship with my son’s mother. It was a completely unexpected thing.” All of a sudden, his work schedule — which might take him to court in Barrie one week, then to Hamilton the next — made it “very difficult” to be a part of his son’s life.
By 2017, he had joined the federal Crown’s off ice. He remained a busy courtroom lawyer, but he enjoyed less travel, a higher salary, a good benefits package and a pension. As a new parent, he says, “it made all the sense in the world.”
When Quayat became a prosecutor, James Miglin, a criminal-defence lawyer at Edward H. Royle, knew that his colleague would bring integrity and a “sense of fairness” to the position. “We need good Crowns,” says Miglin. “That’s essential to the proper functioning of the criminal-justice system.”
In his first few years as a prosecutor, Quayat took on two additional jobs. First, he became an instructor of international law at the University of Toronto. (He teaches the course on Monday evenings.) Second, he joined the armed forces as a reserve legal officer. “The work ebbs and flows,” he says. He might be called on, for instance, to brief commanders on updates to military law. Because he’s a federal public servant, it’s relatively simple to book off time as a prosecutor to advise the military. “It’s been a great experience.”
He spends the bulk of his working life, however, as a federal Crown. And, today, he’s happy to provide a sight line into the world of the prosecution service.
“One thing I wish people knew more of,” he says, “is just how much work goes on behind the scenes in evaluating our cases.” Before proceeding with a charge, he has to consider, for instance, his department’s resources and what to prioritize in the face of a chronically backlogged court calendar. Those decisions can be “agonizing.”
The behaviour of law enforcement is also a persistent preoccupation. “Most police officers are very good people, but some are not,” he says. “Like any institution staffed by humans, there are going to be people who don’t deserve to or ought not to be there.” Part of his job is to identify instances of misconduct. “Not a week goes by as a prosecutor where I am not questioning, interrogating or examining the conduct of police officers to ensure that it is above board and that it’s compliant with our constitutional norms.”
Quayat also wants the public to understand that prosecutors appreciate, deeply, what it means to ask the court to convict and imprison another human being. To illustrate that point, he describes how he’s handled about 15 “courier-import cases,” in which someone has tried to smuggle drugs (say, two kilograms of cocaine) into the country through the airport. That’s a crime, and he works hard to secure a conviction. But he also knows that the defendants are often racialized, poor or otherwise disadvantaged, not “the mastermind of a criminal organization.” After the court places such a person into custody following a conviction or sentencing hearing, Quayat has an emotional reaction: “When I leave the courthouse or the courtroom, I usually have to find a private place, and I sometimes cry.”
Such stories, he thinks, are important to share. “We need to, as Crowns, be a little bit more open to talking and to expressing our feelings,” he says. “In a universe where you have Twitter and TikTok, we can’t not be part of the conversation.”
Timeline of a prosecutor
2005: Quayat starts law school at the University of Ottawa.
2006: He summers at the Department of Foreign Affairs, where he spends most of his time on the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber dispute.
2007: He summers at McCarthy Tétrault LLP in Calgary.
2008: He clerks at the Federal Court under Chief Justice Allan Lutfy. “He was an amazing boss,” says Quayat. “I always felt heard.”
2009: Quayat moves to Washington, D.C., to join White & Case LLP as an associate in the trade group.
2011: He joins Lenczner Slaght LLP in Toronto. He learns a lot and has great colleagues, but he appears in court less often than he’d like.
“There are fewer and fewer civil trials,” he says. “I didn’t feel like a real litigator at times.”
2015: He becomes a defence lawyer at what was then called Edward H. Royle & Associates.
2017: Quayat takes a job at the federal Crown’s office in Brampton. He handles a wide range of files, including drug, terrorism and organized-crime cases.
2018: He starts to teach international law to political science students at the University of Toronto.
2019: He joins the Canadian Armed Forces as a reserve legal officer. Looking back, he feels fortunate to have stumbled into such a wide-ranging career: “The best part about being a lawyer is sometimes being open to the wind.”
This story is from our Fall 2022 Issue.
Illustration by Melinda Josie.
Precedent Magazine / Law + Style Media Inc.
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Toronto, ON M5A 4J5
416.929.4495
Editorial inquiries: editor@precedentmagazine.com
Daniel Fish is the editor of Precedent, where he sets the overall direction of the publication. He has received several leading journalism awards for his long-form feature writing. In 2017, he won a National Magazine Award for his profile of Michael Bryant, the former attorney general of Ontario. Then, in 2019, he earned a second National Magazine Award for his investigation into the high rate of mental illness in the legal profession. Daniel is a graduate of Carleton University’s journalism program, and he holds a master’s in English from the University of Guelph.Melissa Kluger
Melissa
Kluger is the founder and CEO of Law and Style Media Inc. – an
independent, Toronto-based media company that produces professional and
stylish content for lawyers and law students. She is the publisher and
editor of the company’s flagship brand: Precedent Magazine. Precedent,
has been recognized with gold awards at the National Magazine Awards,
the Canadian Business Press Awards, the Canadian Society of Magazine
Editors, and the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing.
Before launching her company, Melissa was a media lawyer in Toronto
Precedent is an award-winning career and lifestyle publication for Toronto lawyers. We profile the profession’s changemakers, tackle difficult topics and go beyond the office to find out what matters to lawyers outside of work.
Since 2007, Precedent has hired some of the country’s top writers, editors and artists to produce high-quality content for the legal community. Updated regularly with new content, our website delivers insightful and relevant journalism specifically for our audience.
Precedent is published by Law and Style Media Inc., a Toronto-based, independently owned media company. In addition to Precedent, Law and Style Media publishes The Precedent A-List, a website for career announcements and job opportunities exclusively for lawyers.
Precedent Magazine pivots to a digital-only model
- By Precedent
Toronto, ON: Today, Law and Style Media Inc. announced that Precedent Magazine will discontinue its print edition and transition to a digital-only model.
In 2007, lawyer and entrepreneur Melissa Kluger launched Precedent as a career and lifestyle magazine for lawyers. For nearly two decades, the high-quality print publication has been distributed for free to more than 15,000 lawyers on a quarterly basis. The magazine also published its content—which frequently won recognition in the broader media industry, including at the National Magazine Awards—online at PrecedentMagazine.com.
In recent years, Precedent, like many publications, has been hit with both rising print costs and a growing number of challenges with distribution. Looking ahead to the shifting media landscape, those difficulties will only become more acute, making the print version of the magazine unsustainable.
At the same time, an increasing portion of the Precedent audience primarily consumes the magazine’s journalism online. Those readers, already familiar with the publication’s web products, will benefit from a digital-first editorial calendar. Precedent will now have the resources to publish content in a timelier manner and to experiment with new ways to tell stories online. Importantly, the magazine’s work will continue to be available for free to all readers.
“I have always loved making the print edition of Precedent,” says Kluger, the CEO of Law and Style Media. “But there are so many exciting ways for Precedent to serve its audience in a digital-only format. In addition to expanding our websites and email newsletters, we also look forward to developing other new products in the near future.”
Precedent’s editor, Daniel Fish, will lead the publication’s digital strategy. “No matter the format, we plan to continue our investment in well-researched, in-depth content that our audience can’t get anywhere else,” he says. “That remains our top priority.”
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.
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
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
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.
arif.virani@parl.gc.ca
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 |
Justice Minister Arif Virani addresses the media with NWT Premier R.J. Simpson – October 18, 2024
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]
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/1.4990602
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arif_Virani
Arif Virani | |
|---|---|
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]
_GC.svg){kind=small}
_-_ribbon_bar.gif){kind=small}
_Ribbon.svg){kind=small}
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
- 21st-century British philanthropists
- 21st-century imams
- 21st-century Islamic religious leaders
- 21st-century Ismailis
- 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
- Iranian male alpine skiers
- British male alpine skiers
- British billionaires
- British Ismailis
- British imams
- British people of Iranian descent
- British people of Italian descent
- British people of Arab descent
- Iranian people of English descent
- Iranian people of Italian descent
- Iranian people of Arab descent
- Living people
- Qajar dynasty
- Quran reciters
- Harvard University alumni
- Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
- Grand Crosses of the National Order of Mali
- Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ (Portugal)
- Grand Crosses of the Order of Merit (Portugal)
- Grand Crosses of the Order of Prince Henry
- Grand Crosses of the Order of Liberty
- Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit
- Imams in the United Kingdom
- Olympic alpine skiers for Iran
- Owners of Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winners
- Owners of Prix Ganay winners
- People from Geneva
- People with multiple citizenship
- Portuguese people of Arab descent
- Recipients of the Order of Merit for Labour
- Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in trade & industry
- Royal Olympic participants
https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/statements/2024/07/11/statement-prime-minister-imamat-day
Statement by the Prime Minister on Imamat Day
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on Imamat Day:
“Today, on Imamat Day, we join Ismaili Muslims in Canada and around the world in celebrating the 67th anniversary of the accession of His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV as the 49th hereditary Imam.
“Since becoming Imam, the Aga Khan’s spiritual leadership has been guided by compassion, generosity, and tolerance – values held closely by Canadians. Through the Aga Khan Development Network, His Highness has helped improve the lives of millions of people around the world, from expanding access to health services to promoting gender equality and addressing barriers to education.
“The Aga Khan’s commitment to peace and human rights has had a profound impact on Canada. Through initiatives like the Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa and the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, His Highness is helping promote equality and intercultural understanding. In recognition of his various contributions to our country, the Aga Khan was appointed as an honorary Companion of the Order of Canada in 2005 and was granted honorary Canadian citizenship in 2010.
“The Aga Khan has been a steadfast advocate for inclusivity, pluralism, and respect for all. Here in Canada, we take inspiration from this work, and we reaffirm our commitment to put an end to systemic racism and discrimination in our communities, particularly amid the disturbing rise in Islamophobia and antisemitism. Let us be clear – there is no place for hate in Canada.
“On Imamat Day, let us reflect on the Aga Khan’s leadership and recommit to building a more inclusive, fair, and prosperous world for everyone.
“Khushiali Mubarak!”
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/1.4990602
From: David Amos <motomaniac333@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Mar 13, 2019 at 11:32 AM
Subject: Fwd: The first question I would have asked Jody.Wilson-Raybould is why did she snub the Senate committee on the corporate corruption bill
To: <george.furey@sen.parl.gc.ca>, <nicole.eaton@sen.parl.gc.ca>, <diane.bellemare@sen.parl.gc.ca>, <grant.mitchell@sen.parl.gc.ca>, <larry.smith@sen.parl.gc.ca>, <martin@sen.parl.gc.ca>, <don.plett@sen.parl.gc.ca>, <joseph.day@sen.parl.gc.ca>, <terry.mercer@sen.parl.gc.ca>, <percy.downe@sen.parl.gc.ca>
Cc: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>, mcu <mcu@justice.gc.ca>, David.Lametti <David.Lametti@parl.gc.ca>, andrew.scheer <andrew.scheer@parl.gc.ca>, maxime.bernier <maxime.bernier@parl.gc.ca>, elizabeth.may <elizabeth.may@parl.gc.ca>, pm <pm@pm.gc.ca>, premier <premier@ontario.ca>, attorneygeneral <attorneygeneral@ontario.ca>
---------- Original message ----------
From: Catherine.McKenna@parl.gc.ca
Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2019 14:00:37 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: The first question I would have asked
Jody.Wilson-Raybould is why did she snub the Senate committee on the
corporate corruption bill
To: motomaniac333@gmail.com
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---------- Original message ----------
From: Newsroom <newsroom@globeandmail.com>
Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2019 14:00:37 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: The first question I would have asked
Jody.Wilson-Raybould is why did she snub the Senate committee on the
corporate corruption bill
To: David Amos <motomaniac333@gmail.com>
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If your matter pertains to newspaper delivery or you require technical
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---------- Original message ----------
From: David Amos <motomaniac333@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2019 10:00:31 -0400
Subject: The first question I would have asked Jody.Wilson-Raybould is
why did she snub the Senate committee on the corporate corruption bill
To: JUST@parl.gc.ca, Arif.Virani@parl.gc.ca, Iqra.Khalid@parl.gc.ca,
Ali.Ehsassi@parl.gc.ca, Ron.McKinnon@parl.gc.ca,
Michael.Cooper@parl.gc.ca, dave.mackenzie@parl.gc.ca,
Michael.Barrett@parl.gc.ca, "lisa.raitt" <lisa.raitt@parl.gc.ca>,
rfife <rfife@globeandmail.com>, Newsroom <Newsroom@globeandmail.com>,
"David.Akin" <David.Akin@globalnews.ca>, "steve.murphy"
<steve.murphy@ctv.ca>, joan.bryden@thecanadianpress.c
Marco.Mendicino@parl.gc.ca, "Carla.Qualtrough"
<Carla.Qualtrough@parl.gc.ca>, pierre-hugues.boisvenu@sen.par
serge.joyal@sen.parl.gc.ca, peter.harder@sen.parl.gc.ca,
"Beverley.Busson" <Beverley.Busson@sen.parl.gc.c
<kathleen.roussel@ppsc-sppc.gc
<Nathalie.Drouin@justice.gc.ca
<Katie.Telford@pmo-cpm.gc.ca>, "hon.ralph.goodale"
<hon.ralph.goodale@canada.ca>, "Catherine.Tait"
<Catherine.Tait@cbc.ca>, "Catherine.McKenna"
<Catherine.McKenna@parl.gc.ca>
<Bill.Morneau@canada.ca>, "hon.melanie.joly"
<hon.melanie.joly@canada.ca>
Cc: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.c
"Jody.Wilson-Raybould" <Jody.Wilson-Raybould@parl.gc.
<editorial@thecanadianpress.co
"darrow.macintyre" <darrow.macintyre@cbc.ca>
Seems that everybody but CBC reported this N'esy Pas?
https://nationalpost.com/pmn/n
https://www.ctvnews.ca/politic
---------- Original message ----------
From: Newsroom <newsroom@globeandmail.com>
Date: Fri, 8 Mar 2019 17:53:56 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: YO Pierre Poilievre RE SNC-Lavalin Need I say HMMMM?
To: David Amos <motomaniac333@gmail.com>
Thank you for contacting The Globe and Mail.
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This is the correct email address for requests for news coverage and
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---------- Original message ----------
From: David Amos <motomaniac333@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 8 Mar 2019 13:53:49 -0400
Subject: Re: YO Pierre Poilievre RE SNC-Lavalin Need I say HMMMM?
To: pierre.poilievre.a3@parl.gc.ca
David.Lametti.a1@parl.gc.ca, Jody.Wilson-Raybould.a1@parl.g
maxime.bernier@parl.gc.ca, andrew.scheer@parl.gc.ca,
charlie.angus@parl.gc.ca, Amarjeet.Sohi.a1@parl.gc.ca,
hannelie.stockenstrom@snclaval
Hartland.Paterson@snclavalin.c
tony.clement.a1@parl.gc.ca, scott.bardsley@canada.ca,
mcu@justice.gc.ca, JUSTWEB@novascotia.ca
Cc: david.raymond.amos333@gmail.co
justin.trudeau.a1@parl.gc.ca, coi@gnb.ca,
MRichard@lawsociety-barreau.nb
Newsroom@globeandmail.com, Jacques.Poitras@cbc.ca,
sfine@globeandmail.com
https://www.nationalobserver.c
Wilson-Raybould snubbed Senate committee on corporate corruption bill
By Joan Bryden in News, Politics | February 17th 2019
Jody Wilson-Raybould, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General
of Canada, seen in the foyer of the House of Commons, in Parliament in
Ottawa on June 20, 2018. File photo by Alex Tétreault
Former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould angered senators by
refusing to give testimony on a change to the Criminal Code that is
now at the centre of allegations that she was improperly pressured to
help SNC-Lavalin avoid criminal prosecution.
The Criminal Code amendment was stuffed into an omnibus budget
implementation bill last year and got little scrutiny from MPs on the
House of Commons finance committee.
But when it got to the Senate, the upper chamber's legal and
constitutional affairs committee was tasked with scrutinizing the
provision, which allows prosecutors to negotiate remediation
agreements, a kind of plea bargain, in cases of corporate corruption.
The committee held extensive hearings last May and heard from an array
of expert witnesses, including Justice Department officials, who
suggested that some questions were best put to the minister of
justice. The committee invited Wilson-Raybould but she did not show
up. In her stead, the government sent her parliamentary secretary,
Liberal MP Marco Mendicino, and Public Services Minister Carla
Qualtrough.
"It's very unusual to study a bill, especially in the criminal domain,
and to not have the minister responsible appear before the committee,"
Conservative Sen. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu observed at the time. "I
would like to know why the minister of justice is not here herself."
Qualtrough said it was her "understanding" that Wilson-Raybould
"wasn't available." Qualtrough, who is responsible for the
government's broader corporate-integrity agenda, acknowledged that she
was "not technically, obviously, representing Justice," but
nevertheless "felt myself capable to offer you some perspectives on
our government's position on these matters."
Senators on the committee were sufficiently miffed by
Wilson-Raybould's no-show to make an "observation" about it in their
final report: "The committee notes it did not have the opportunity to
hear the testimony of the minister of justice on the proposed
amendments that are under her ministerial mandate, although she was
invited to appear."
Independent Liberal Sen. Serge Joyal, the chair of the committee, said
in an interview that he actually spoke to the government's
representative in the Senate, Peter Harder, to see if he could
persuade Wilson-Raybould to appear at the committee — to no avail.
"The members were rather frustrated by that," he said.
Joyal said the recent controversy over Wilson-Raybould's role in the
SNC-Lavalin case puts her refusal to testify in a different
perspective.
"Now, of course, in retrospect ... I can understand that she might not
have been at ease with the overall issue of remediation agreements and
didn't want to submit herself to questions in relation to that."
Wilson-Raybould, who was demoted to the veterans-affairs post in
January, resigned altogether from cabinet on Tuesday. That followed an
anonymously-sourced newspaper article that alleged she was improperly
pressured by the Prime Minister's Office last fall to instruct the
director of public prosecutions to negotiate a remediation agreement
with SNC-Lavalin rather than pursue a criminal prosecution that could
cripple the company.
The Montreal engineering giant has been charged with corruption and
bribery in relation to government contracts in Libya; if found guilty
it would be barred from bidding on government contracts in Canada for
10 years.
She has thus far refused to comment on the allegation, citing
solicitor-client privilege. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has denied
there was any undue pressure and insists he specifically told
Wilson-Raybould the decision whether to prosecute was hers alone as
attorney general.
The budget bill was not the only time Wilson-Raybould snubbed the
Senate's legal and constitutional affairs committee. Throughout last
fall, the committee tried repeatedly to get her to testify on the
government's access-to-information reforms — specifically on a
provision that would require judges to publicly disclose their
expenses, which some senators fear could undermine judicial
independence.
Joyal said Wilson-Raybould "systematically" refused repeated
invitations to testify, even though the committee offered to be
flexible on the timing to accommodate the minister's schedule. The
only response it received was that the minister was unavailable, he
said.
"We're having a great deal of difficulty scheduling the minister's
appearance before our committee," Boisvenu remarked during an Oct. 3
committee meeting. "It's a habit of hers."
Unlike the budget bill, on which the committee was under pressure to
report by a specific deadline, Joyal said he warned Harder that in the
case of the access-to-information bill, the committee would sit on the
legislation until it heard from Wilson-Raybould. "No minister, no
bill."
Indeed, he said the committee was on the point of passing a motion to
that effect when Wilson-Raybould was shuffled out of the justice
portfolio in January. Within two weeks, he said, her successor David
Lametti agreed to testify. He is now scheduled to appear on Thursday.
Wilson-Raybould has appeared before the Senate on other bills, notably
those on medical assistance in dying and legalization of cannabis. But
her selective approach to which bills she chose to defend publicly
raises potential questions about cabinet solidarity.
Joyal, who served as a minister in the cabinets of Pierre Trudeau and
John Turner, said disagreements are common around the cabinet table.
But once a consensus decision is made, every minister is required to
stand by it, whether or not he or she personally agrees with it.
In the case of a minister who personally disagrees with a bill that
falls under his or her responsibility, Joyal said: "If the decision of
the government is to proceed with the bill, you have no choice than to
stand by the bill. And if you don't want to stand by the bill, well,
the option is to resign from the portfolio. It's quite clear."
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