The Ontario Liberal Party will elect a new Executive Council at the upcoming 2023 Annual Meeting. These are the candidates who have put their names forward.
PresidentExecutive Vice-PresidentSecretaryTreasurerVice-President (Policy)Vice-President (Organization)Vice-President (Communications)Vice-President (Engagement)
|
Regional Vice-PresidentsCentral EastCentral NorthCentral WestEastNorth
South Central
SouthwestToronto (Etobicoke/Downtown/East York)Toronto (York/North York/Scarborough) |
for President
 |
Fadi El MasryFadi has been in Liberal politics for over 15 years. He believes in coming together to be part of something bigger than ourselves and accomplishing great things when we work together. He’s got the vision and experience necessary to create change that lasts: a Party that gets back to our fundamentals to embrace a new future. Fadi grew up in Hamilton after immigrating there in 2003 with his family. He now lives in Ottawa and works as a small business owner and a commercial pilot. Fadi serves on a number of non-profit boards in Ontario, including as chair of a community health centre in Ottawa. Now on the Party’s executive council, Fadi previously worked for Interim Leader John Fraser and has run a number of local campaigns. He has served as a Riding President, CFO, and was once a Young Liberal club President. Having stuck with our Party in the good times and the bad, he’s learned firsthand what works and what doesn’t for our party. He believes that when we come together as Liberals, it’s a powerful thing. We need to do more of that. We miss each other, we have fun together, and it’s going to take all of us to beat Doug Ford’s Conservatives. Fadi’s fundamentals that will help us build change that lasts are:
You can learn more about Fadi and his platform at fadielmasry.ca |
 |
Natalie HartNatalie Hart grew up in campaign offices and whenever there’s a Liberal on the ballot, you’ll find her there. In her most recent role as the OLP’s regional vice-president for Central West, she quickly became known for her hard work, long hours, and accessibility. A committed teambuilder, she worked tirelessly as a volunteer to revive inactive riding associations, recruit a diverse slate of compelling candidates, oversee nominations and policy forums, and help each candidate and riding build their teams and be ready to fight the last election – and knocked on doors across the region. In her work life she’s the general manager of the Malton Business Improvement Association, reporting to a diverse not-for-profit board and working with the business community and all three levels of government to promote business and tourism in the Malton area. She is currently leading a $3 million-project to bring a replica Avro Arrow to Malton, highlighting an important part of Canada’s aviation history. Natalie grew up in Mississauga, and before returning there about a decade ago she built a career in the financial services sector in rural communities across Ontario, where she worked with small business owners to understand the challenges they face and ensure they had access to the resources they needed to create jobs and give back to their communities. When she’s not knocking doors or pulling vote, she remains involved with numerous other community projects such as the Santa Claus Parade, India Republic Day, Canada Day and led the organization of pop-up vaccine clinics in places of worship at the height of the pandemic. In her decades of team-building, Natalie has learned one key lesson: be thankful and keep it fun. Learn more about Natalie’s campaign or get in touch with her at votehart.ca |
 |
Kathryn McGarryKathryn McGarry built a 35-year career as a Registered Nurse at several hospitals including SickKids, and Cambridge Memorial, and as a Care Coordinator in Home and Community Care. Together with her husband Fred, she joined a group of committed citizens to make the case for enhanced end of life care services that led to the founding of the Hospice of Waterloo Region. Her experiences as a nurse during the assault on publicly funded healthcare by the Mike Harris Conservatives in the 1990s directly led to her involvement in politics. She became involved in her local Provincial Liberal Association and served the party as a local riding volunteer, a candidate, an Executive Council Regional Vice-President, an MPP, and as a Cabinet Minister. After two close races, she was elected in 2014 as the MPP for Cambridge, a riding we had not held in 71 years. Kathryn was appointed as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Transportation shortly thereafter. Next, she was appointed to Cabinet as the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry and later served as Ontario’s Minister of Transportation. Most recently, she served as the elected Mayor of Cambridge, Ontario. Kathryn received the Cambridge YWCA Women of Distinction Award in 2009, and the Bernice Adam’s Special Trustee Award in 2011. Her husband Fred works in Waterloo as a software developer. They have been married for over 30 years and remain deeply rooted in Cambridge. Together they have six children – Rory, Jenny, Alex, Liam, Declan, and the late Geordie, as well as four grandchildren. Visit www.votemcgarry.ca to join Kathryn’s campaign and learn more about her plan to lay a solid foundation for victory in 2026. |
for Executive Vice-President
 |
Ibrahim DaniyalExperience. Loyalty. Consistency.
I am proud of being part of the Liberal movement for the last 20 years. I will simply say that I am proud of being a Liberal!I have seen two consecutive elections where the people of Ontario rejected us as a party, mainly because we could not connect with Ontarians, and failed to mobilize and motivate Liberals to come out and vote during the 2022 Election. 2026 is the year where we must aim to come back as a party, and be acceptable for Ontarians to achieve their trust so that we can make sure Doug Ford is OUT.For over 20 years, I have been working as a grassroots volunteer, sat as an executive on various PLAs and FLAs, served as a President of a PLA, served as the VP Engagement on the OLP Executive Council, and ran twice as a candidate. I will bring my rich experience from all levels of voluntarism to the OLP as your Executive Vice-President, to make sure this experience contributes to the reconstruction of our party and ensure we win in 2026.Despite challenging circumstances, I stand proud of who we are, our party’s history and ready to put in the work for our rebuild. I have proven experience and the strategy to connect with the grassroots and engage them in the process of rebuilding a strong, vibrant and nibble party that is representative of them.I want to ensure we have a robust leadership process, where it maintains the integrity and the confidence of all party members. I want to build the membership and find the money for our party through a sustainable fundraising plan, and I want to ensure that our Party is connected with the people of Ontario, the strong diverse communities who make the province a better place to live.For more info on my campaign, please visit:Website: www.votedaniyal.caFacebook: www.facebook.com/Ibrahim4EVPTwitter: www.twiiter.com/Ibrahim4EVPInstagram: www.instagram.com/Ibrahim4EVP
|
 |
Damien O’BrienOntario Liberals are down but we’re not out. We do have an enormous task before us: to work together to pick ourselves up and re-commit ourselves to serving Ontarians. I am a life-long volunteer, this is the kind of work that inspires me, and it’s why I’m running for Executive Vice-President of the Ontario Liberal Party. The very future of our movement hangs in the balance, but by working together we can overcome the challenges we face. As Executive Vice-President I will:
Nothing is permanent. The Ontario PC Party has shown us this by putting our health care and education systems into crisis, ripping up the Greenbelt, and placing our future in jeopardy. Just as true though is that Ontario Liberals will not be where we are forever if we accept what has gone wrong, embrace change, and remain focused on the people of Ontario. The road ahead will be difficult, and the work will challenge us, but I’m so encouraged by the conversations I’ve had and am looking forward to many more. Don’t hesitate to reach out! Email: [email protected] |
 |
Jeff RybakIn 2012 the Liberal Party of Canada held a convention. It followed the disastrous 2011 election. The LPC was in distant third place, with no permanent leader. It was a convention to elect executives, pass constitutional motions, and consider policy for a party many were declaring dead. Sound familiar? Over 3,000 Liberals showed up, including myself, breaking all records for a non-leadership convention. Over half were first-time participants. Over one-third were under thirty years-old. The foundation we laid there – before Justin Trudeau, before the majority in 2015 – is still the bedrock of the party today. To rebuild the Ontario Liberal Party, we need to learn and adopt the same lessons. These are the principles that would guide me, as Executive Vice-President.
Everyone talks about grassroots and frontline volunteers. But no one wants to only be a foot soldier, following orders from above. We need a culture that understands the grassroots is the party itself, and everyone is on the frontline together. Everyone. I’ve served on boards and in related positions for over twenty years. Politically, I’ve been a volunteer, donor, and critic. I’m just a regular guy trying to participate in the party – often feeling alienated by it. That’s exactly what needs to change, so I’m standing for election to do more about it. Email [email protected]. Twitter @JeffRybak. Glad to talk with anyone. |
for Secretary
 |
Pankaj SandhuAn active volunteer for both the Ontario Liberal Party and the Liberal Party of Canada for several years, Pankaj Sandhu has worked for many candidates in municipal, provincial and federal elections. He has also actively worked in the community organizing events, building bridges and attaining consensus through sustained interaction. Provincially, Pankaj served the Ontario Liberal Party by working as the member campaign committee in the 2022 election, as the director for the Brampton South PLA, and as the Central West Region area co-ordinator for the ridings of Brampton and Mississauga-Malton. He is presently serving as the director of the Vaughan-Woodbridge PLA. Pankaj is running for the office of Secretary of the Ontario Liberal Party. Federally, Pankaj served as Chair, Peel Region for the Liberal Party of Canada (O). He served as Vice-Chair of Mississauga-Malton Federal Liberal association and as director Vaughan-Woodbridge Federal Liberal association. He received the Volunteer of the Year award in 2016 from the Liberal Party of Canada (O). He was recognized for his commendable community services with The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Community Service Award, the Canada 150 Community Award, and the Government of Ontario’s Five Year Volunteer Service Award. Pankaj also served as a member of the Heritage Committee and the Property Standards Committee of the City of Vaughan. Pankaj has played a lead role in a charitable organization for 6 years. He is a lifetime member of the Indo-Canada Chambers of Commerce as well. Pankaj was an associate member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 286. His services as a volunteer were recognized with a Certificate of Appreciation by the York Region District School Board. He also served as member, director and treasurer of the Thistletown Lions Club, Toronto. On the account of his work in the community and in the Party, Pankaj has earned a reputation as one always ready to help others in need. People who have worked with him trust him and believe his words. Feel free to contact Pankaj: 647-282-2222 (Mobile) [email protected] (Email) facebook: /pankajsandhu123 twitter: @pankajsandhu123 instagram: /pankajsandhu1 |
for Treasurer
 |
Tim ShortillTim Shortill is the OLP Treasurer and member of the Executive Council. As Treasurer he is responsible for keeping the books of record and financial accounts for OLP, as well as a signing officer for the organization. He is accountable for implementing the Financial Policy of the Executive Council and preparing the annual budget. Prior to his role as Treasurer, Tim held roles at the riding level, including as a PLA CFO. Between 2002 and 2013, Tim worked at Queens Park, including as chief of staff to two finance ministers. In his day job he is the Chief Operating Officer of one of the large Canadian pension funds. He currently resides in Mississauga-Lakeshore with his wife and daughter. |
for Vice-President (Policy)
 |
Fahim KhanFahim Khan has served the Ontario Liberal Party in various capacities starting off with grassroots involvement. He worked tirelessly in the past to help many local Provincial Liberal Associations and candidates across the province. He understands the need for an inclusive approach towards developing policies and platforms. He values empowering our PLAs, paying close attention to the concerns and ideas that our grassroot members and stakeholders share, and most importantly maintaining regular communication with them to make them feel respected, valued and engaged. Fahim considers the diversity of our province to be our strength and is devoted to reflecting that in our approach to policy development. Being a representative of a new generation of OLP members, he is determined to engaging the youth by offering them opportunities to be an integral part of shaping the future of OLP. If elected, as the Vice-President of Policy, he is committed to working collaboratively with the rest of the Executive Council members, PLA leaders, candidates, volunteers to build a stronger OLP so that we can successfully take on Doug Ford and the PCs in 2026. |
for Vice-President (Organization)
 |
David FarrowDavid is running to be the next OLP Vice President-Organization. David spent his career dedicated to serving others. After graduating on the Dean’s List at Mount Allison University with two bachelor’s degrees, he embarked on his path as an educator, becoming a Principal with the Rainbow District School Board, a position he held from 2000 to 2017. He earned high honors for his commitment to excellence in education, including the Outstanding Contribution to the Co-Curricular Program from the Rainbow District School Board and the Council of Exceptional Children (Chapter 503) Appreciation Award. David is dedicated to Community Service with the goal of improving citizens quality of life. David served 8 years on the Board of Maison McCulloch Hospice, (Chair–3 Years). He worked with the CIBC Run for the Cure, Sudbury Food Bank, Canadian Breast Cancer Society, Larch Street Kids, and was “Co-founder” of the Rainbow Catholic Co-Ed Basketball Tournament, which he ran for 14 years. His charitable efforts earned him Provincial recognition from the CIBC Run for the Cure, for which his team raised over $500,000 for cancer research, the Celebration 2010 Community Sport Volunteer Award and Ontario Volunteer Service Award. David has a Masters of Business Administration. He is the co-owner of FarExGeoMine Ltd., (CFO), and has served as chair of the finance committee for Maison McCulloch Hospice. On October 21st, 2022, David was acclaimed trustee for the Rainbow District School Board. If elected OLP VP – Organization, David will bring a strong work ethic, a relentless focus on the 2026 election, a commitment to operationalized a grass roots rebuilt of Provincial Riding Associations, a strong voice regarding regional disparities within the OLP and raising the funds necessary to run a winning 2026 Provincial Campaign. |
 |
Tariq KhanHi, I am Tariq Khan, a retired senior Bureaucrat, sportsman by nature, music lover at heart, father, husband and passionate Liberal for over two decades. I possess over three decades of diverse senior management experience in the Public, Non-Profit & Private sectors. My most recent community service portfolio includes:
As a people-person, I believe in confidence & consensus building through collaborative decision making. I am also deeply involved in drafting resolutions for the OLP constitutional amendments about the leadership selection process. Currently I am serving as a Director on the London North Center PLA. As your VP-Organization, my focus would be on re-building and empowering our PLAs by restoring grassroots connections to their communities and bridging the urban-rural divide by sending a signal to all Liberals across the province that they have a stake and ownership in the Party, they are being listened to and that their recommendations are welcome. I believe, if PLAs are fully functional & Organized, they will, through their outreach activities; expand their membership base, identify capable candidates, attract volunteers, generate donations and participate in the development of a winning election platform. Fully equipped, networked & incentivized PLAs are the key to future electoral success and so I humbly ask that you afford me the opportunity to help make this a reality as your VP-Organization. Email: [email protected] |
for Vice-President (Communications)
 |
Jeff JedrasI’ve been a volunteer through two difficult elections for our party. I experienced first-hand the difficulties we faced running strong local campaigns and trying to connect with voters. And I’ve seen the damage Doug Ford has been doing to Ontario. I’m putting my name forward because we need to rebuild the OLP to compete in 2026 and we can’t wait for others to do the hard work. We need to step up ourselves. I’ve been a Liberal since I was a teenager, in both rural and urban ridings, because it’s the party that best represents my values. I’ve worked in a campaign war room and managed numerous campaigns, federally and provincially. After more than a decade in journalism, for the past seven years I’ve been an assistant to a Liberal MP in Ottawa. We need to communicate better. Better with each other, and better with Ontarians. And as a third-place party without a lot of resources, we’re going to need to develop the capacity to do it ourselves. Here’s how I see the role, and what I’d like to work with you on:
And I believe we need to open our party so all members can participate fully in the leadership process. That’s why I’m supporting a weighted one member, one vote system of leadership selection. |
 |
Emily KirkOriginally from Kenora, I have spent a lot of my life in Toronto, and I now call Hamilton home. Being from Kenora, I understand how important it is to listen to Ontario Liberal voices from all corners of the province. If elected, I would ensure that all voices are heard and represented, not just those in major urban centres. I have over 10 years of experience, both working and volunteering, for the Ontario Liberal Party. This includes working for two Premiers and several Cabinet Ministers, and I have led and managed communications on campaigns and in government. Having written, edited, analyzed, and approved everything from speeches to news releases, op-eds to social media posts, I know how important it is that each of these materials tell a carefully scripted story for a specific stakeholder or desired public audience to enhance a program, or policy, or to increase campaign awareness and engagement. In addition, having served as Press Secretary and Issues Manager, I understand Ontario media and how to prepare spokespeople to achieve desired outcomes. With a vast breadth of experience working with both internal teams and external stakeholders, I know how to maintain and foster relationships that can help frame and advance work on emerging opportunities and issues. I believe in communications planning and stakeholder mapping to chart a way forward for the Ontario Liberal Party, which would include pursuing new opportunities to reach Ontario voters, listening to riding associations across the province, and ensuring that members’ voices are heard and amplified in party messaging. With your support, I look forward to bringing my passion and abilities to the role of VP Communications, and working with you to grow the Ontario Liberal Party and advance our shared priorities. |
 |
Peter Walker
Peter’s passion is politics! He grew up in a traditional Liberal family with values of moderation, balance, and compassion, and where community service was an expected fact of life. He has a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University and a Masters of Business Administration from Dalhousie University. Peter founded a building materials and installation company and after much success, sold it and went back to school for his MBA. After graduating, he became the Executive Director of a large Eastern Ontario manufacturing-construction and building trades association, and later became a member of the Board of Directors of a major environmental charity in the region. In both organizations he revamped the communications and marketing and dramatically improved membership and revenues. Peter is a former provincial Liberal candidate and a long time adviser and volunteer at the Provincial and Federal levels. Recently retired, Peter looks for a new exciting challenge in bringing his life experiences, his business acumen, and his experience of living and campaigning in both urban and rural Ontario ridings toward strengthening OLP. www.peterwalker.ca |
for Regional Vice-Presidents
Central East
 |
Adam ReinhardtI’m running to be the Regional Vice-President for Central East because I know that we can build up the PLAs in our region to be open, strong, and ready to win in the next election. The strength of our PLAs is critical to ensuring that when we select candidates, those candidates can hit the ground running and have a clear path to sitting as Liberal MPPs at Queen’s Park. I’ve seen the party from many sides: as a Canvasser, Candidate’s Aide, Advisor, and Campaign Manager. I’ve met so many incredible people throughout my years in the party and I’m looking forward to continue building relationships up across our region; to collaborate and share ideas to best engage both past volunteers and new ones. I have supported our local candidates across Durham Region for the past number of years because I live in Ajax and hope to continue expanding that positive reach as the RVP for Central East. In my professional life, I’ve been a public servant, an IT professional, and currently run and manage a community office that assists the public in navigating municipal issues. I want to bring that breadth of experience to help grow our party and revitalize our grassroots. If you want to connect, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Email: mailto:[email protected] |
Central North
 |
Jesse PlaschkaHello my name is Jesse Plaschka and I am running for Regional VP Central North because I know I can be the voice for semi-rural issues of our region while respecting or Surburban and Urban cousins. I am a graduate of the University of Ottawa, member of the Canadian Armed Forces Primary Reserve and currently union electrician in the GTA. Born and raised in Barrie, I was heavily involved during the last election in Barrie Springwater Oro-Medonte as part of Jeff Lehman’s Campaign. As well, I currently serve as area coordinator overseeing the Vaughan region. I have 3 main focuses to better Central North Region:
I can be reached via my email [email protected]. Please email to request a call back. I look forward to hearing from you, and believe together we can help Liberalism flourish in the Central North region, thank you. |
Central West
Karen DadwanMeet Karen Dadwan, more commonly known as Karen Gill – her maiden name. A LOT changed during COVID for Karen – she got married, started her own family, and finally took a very tiny break from politics, only to dive back in deeper as your newly acclaimed Regional VP for Central West. Since joining the Liberal family as a grassroots volunteer in 2015, Karen has establish herself as a strong organizer, an accessible communicator, and a detail oriented teamplayer with a talent for community outreach and relentless hardwork. Over time, Karen has transformed her passion for politics into a successful and rapidly developing career. Karen got her start on Team Sahota’s 2015 historic landslide victory, moving on to managing MP Sahota’s 2019 and 2021 campaigns as well as assisting on numerous municipal and provincial campaigns in 2018 and 2022 in a variety of positions. From these experiences, Karen believes that in order to be successful in 2026, we need to:
Karen looks forward to working with you and Liberals across Ontario! Best, Karen Dadwan |
East
 |
Lorna Jean EdmondsAs your new Vice President for the OLP Eastern Region I know that a primary mandate for this coming year will be to define and execute the most accessible and transparent approach to elect Ontario’s next Liberal leader. We will do this together and I need to hear from you. As an active member of the Executive Council, I will represent the interests and voices of our rural and urban communities of Eastern Ontario and actively promote diversity, inclusion, and equity in all of our practices and policies. We will leverage our past and our current capacities to create that critical foundation that each PLA needs to be impactful. We will grow our membership and voter turnout; mobilize talent and financial resources to support our initiatives; and select and support each liberal candidate to be successful in the next election. I am looking forward to the charge and, in particular, getting to know all of you as we venture ahead with strategic, collaborative finesse and celebrate every step of the way! Now retired from a long and successful academic career in Ontario, Ohio and internationally, I live in South Frontenac north of Kingston where for the last three years I have served on the boards of the federal and more recently the provincial liberal associations. I was a member of the campaign teams for both our provincial and federal candidates for Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston as campaign manager. I was also active in the development of the proposal for an OLP Northern and Rural Commission. In between all of this I have worked to increase my French language competency to better engage in our two official languages. |
Southwest
 |
Brendan KnightMy wife Meaghan and I live in Stratford, Ontario with our three children. I was born and raised in the southwest and have been politically active in my riding of Perth-Wellington since 2009. I have been a Candidate, Campaign Manager, and currently a riding President and Chair for Perth-Wellington. I have also taken on many roles more broadly within the Ontario Liberal Party, including a campaign manager in the last leadership race, an Executive Assistant for a Member of Provincial Parliament, a Campaign Manager in the 2022 Scarborough-Guildwood general election and volunteered to fill the vacant position for Regional Vice President, South West on the Ontario Liberal Executive Council last November. I believe the electoral fortunes in the southwest can be better supported by our Party. I am seeking re-election as the Regional Vice President, South West, to share my experience working on both rural and urban campaigns to help the southwest ridings be election ready in 2026. As Regional Vice President for the South West, I plan to respect, empower and include ridings in our Party rebuilding process to be election ready for 2026. Respect – improve communications with ridings and members on the activities of the Party and Caucus. Empower – provide campaign readiness support for fundraising, voter contact, and nominations. Include – host quarterly regional meetings to listen and action riding’s concerns. I believe the road back for the Ontario Liberal Party to government, will have to go though the southwest. If we cannot elect Liberals in London, Windsor or rural riding like Huron-Bruce and Perth-Wellington, we will not be in a position to legislate change we need in healthcare, education, and affordable housing. You can reach me at: [email protected] 519 588-4811 |
 |
Bob WrightI am Bob Wright, a retired lawyer and resident of London North Centre. I have been a member of the party for most of my life. I first became a member at 14 in David Peterson’s successful quest to gain the nomination in London Centre. I am a newly acclaimed member of the London North Centre Board of Directors. I am also the Policy Chair for the London North Centre EDA. I am seeking the position of Regional Vice-President, Southwest. We all know that the next four years will be a challenging time for our party and I would like to be a part of the rebuilding that we will need to undertake to bring us back to being a party with Official status and hopefully a governing party. I believe that the solutions that are required to meet these goals will come forth from the membership of our Liberal Party and not outside of it. In this regard, I am not of one mind with the leadership, both past and present, of my home PLA. I hope that you will support me if you share this view that we as Liberals should control our own destiny. I can be reached at [email protected] or by phone at 519-808-7051. |
Toronto (Etobicoke/Downtown/East York)
 |
David MorrisAfter two elections as the candidate in Toronto Centre, I understand the important role our PLA’s play in setting up candidates for success. And what I took from both campaigns is that the single most important asset to any PLA or any campaign is its volunteers. Volunteering has always been a key part of my life, from serving meals in Regent Park to being the Chair of The 519, Canada’s largest LGBTQ+ community centre. And I have met so many friends along the way, friends who are now also volunteers, PLA executive members and past candidates in the Ontario Liberal Party today. This is because I am able to include people with shared values and build up a team. I want to continue to build this family of volunteers across our region and work with PLA executives to engage a new generation of Liberals. I already have experience across the ridings of the Downtown-Etobicoke-East York region. After our devastating loss in 2018, I worked as an Area Coordinator for the region under Vice-President, Li Koo, and helped organize some of the first OLP regional events after the election as part of our efforts to rebuild. As a former civil servant, I’ve seen first hand how Ontario Liberals can create positive change and I am ready to work hard to rebuild our party so we can bring an end to this destructive conservative government. Outside of the party, I remain an active volunteer in my community, a competitive volleyball player and live in the Church‐Wellesley neighbourhood of Toronto with my partner Andrew and our dog Hudson. I am fully bilingual and studied at Glendon College – York University’s bilingual campus. Feel free to connect with me on Facebook or through my campaign page: https://www.facebook.com/David4TorontoCentre |
Toronto (York/North York/Scarborough)
 |
Lawrence DawkinsRe-elect Lawrence Dawkins as your Ontario Liberal Party Regional Vice President (York/North York/Scarborough). Lawrence a former Riding Association President for 2 Cabinet Ministers, former OLP Area Coordinator-Toronto Region and a former President of the Black and Caribbean Liberal Association, has the experience and skills needed to work collaboratively to build a stronger Party. Lawrence Dawkins a former Correctional Officer has been a passionate community organizer for several years. Since the 1980’s and in various capacities, he has worked with some of Ontario most troubled and marginalized young people. Lawrence has created and given oversight to youth pilot projects in the Scarborough communities. Lawrence is currently a support educator with the Toronto District School Board. He was also a former Community Development Officer with Canada’s largest landlord Metro Toronto Housing Authority, now Toronto Community Housing. Lawrence is committed and passionate about the improvement of society’s vulnerable. Lawrence has written articles for various community magazines and newspapers. Lawrence has also been a guest speaker and organizer of various community and political forum within the City of Toronto. Lawrence is a Board Member of Operation Black Vote Canada. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
|
 |
Syed Aminul IslamI am Syed Aminul Islam, the president of the Scarborough South West Ontario Liberal Association at the moment. I am submitting my nomination to become the Regional Vice President of the Liberal Association of Toronto (York, North York, Scarborough). I engaged myself extensively in various kinds of social and party works as the riding association president, which included the ‘Newcomers Settlement program’, “the Green Belt Campaign’, formation of a local ‘liberal youth team’ as well as formation of a local ” women’s chapter’. As a decade-long committed Liberal, I put my all out efforts for the electoral successes of both provincial and federal Liberal candidates. For years, I have dedicated countless hours to fundraising and campaigning activities in various municipal, provincial, and federal elections. I am happy and grateful to my community people that I could promote a cordial relationships across various cross sections of the community with the assistance from the members of the community. I have been engaged in promoting a harmonious relationship between the Liberal associations in the provincial and federal circles. I consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to serve as a volunteer for former Premier Kathleen Wynne, MPP Michael Coteau, MP Rob Oliphant, MP Yasmin Ratansi, MP Bill Blair, MP Salma Zahid, and Steven Del Duca, where I was a delegate for them at different election campaigns as well as leadership conventions. I was the co-chair in the election campaign of Bill Blair in the last federal election, which has given me an invaluable experience and understanding on how to win a tough election campaign. I am confident this will add value to my present candidacy. With regard to my involvement in Ontario Bengali and Bangladeshi communities, I can attest that I am the founding secretary of the Bangladesh Alliance of Canada (BAC). Through BAC, I had the honour of hosting Premier Kathleen Wynne to celebrate culturally significant events at Queen’s Park and in our community. Another landmark services of the community, i.e. ‘Bangladesh Funeral Service’ was founded and directed by me. At the moment there are 50,000 members registered in this group. As a community worker, I also direct the relevant activities in my capacity as the director for the registered non-profit U-Turns Community Organization. Moreover, through a separate endeavour called ‘Access Alliance’ on Danforth, we provide free settlement services and information sessions for newcomers and those who are trying to make Ontario their new home. I hold a Master’s degree in political science. During my university years, I was the vice president of the Student Union at Jahangirnagar University. After passing from the university, I began my professional career as a lecturer and educator in a college. Later, I went on to serve as principal for different schools and colleges in Bangladesh and abroad including in the globally competitive city like Riyadh in the Middle East. I was also involved in community works during my stay in Sydney, Australia many years back. Professionally, a real estate broker. I am already involved in foster care for all types of families in Scarborough, North York and in regional york. I am submitting my nomination because I care about community, the party, and riding association. In the past, I was also an executive member of the Scarborough SouthWest Riding association. And I have been involved in helping community in different ways. |