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NRI Deepak Obhrai, Canada’s longest-serving Conservative MP, dies at 69
The first Hindu politician elected to Canada’s House of Commons and the longest-serving Conservative MP — has died of liver cancer at the age of 69 in Calgary, Canada.
The Calgary Forest Lawn MP for 22 years died following a “brief and aggressive” illness, his Parliamentary Office said. His family has described his sudden departure as a “big shock”. Obhrai was diagnosed with stage-4 cancer a few weeks prior to his death.
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Parliamentary Secretary Obhrai Discusses Canada’s Leadership in Asia and Pacific Region
Ottawa, March 06, 2010
Deepak Obhrai, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, concluded five weeks of diplomatic engagement in Asia and the Pacific region. From January 15 to February 21, Mr. Obhrai met with elected and high-level officials of Kiribati, New Zealand, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu and Uzbekistan. .Read
Parliament
congratulates Deepak Obhrai for prestigious Indian award
OTTAWA, Feb. 04, 2009
Canada’s Parliament today paid tribute to Deepak Obhrai,
M.P. for Calgary East and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister
of Foreign Affairs, for the award he received from the Indian
Government for his contribution in strengthening Canada-India
relations.......Read
NRI
Deepak Obhrai, Conservative took oath as parliamentary secretary
in Canada
Alberta, Nov 08, 2008
Satnam Bajwa
NRI Deepak Obhrai, Conservative took oath as
parliamentary secretary in Canada to the Canadian new minister of
foreign affairs, Mr. Lawrence Cannon.
Deepak Obhrai said, "I am honoured and privileged that the
prime minister chose once again to reassign me to this portfolio."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said, "Deepak, you know what
to do. I know you will do a good job.”
Deepak has already served as parliamentary secretary to three former
foreign ministers Peter MacKay, Maxime Bernier and David Emerson.
Obhrai, who has been parliamentary secretary to the foreign affairs
minister since February 2006, is happy to remain in the portfolio.
He said priorities include promoting human rights and democracy
and ensuring Canada's voice is heard on the national stage.
Obhrai expects Ottawa's relationship with Washington will remain
strong when president-elect Barack Obama enters the White House.
"One of the key things about the relationship with the U.S.
is it is not a single-issue relationship. It's multi-faceted,"
Obhrai said.
"We share the same open borders. We share the same security
concerns."
Role of a Parliamentary Secretary in Canada ...Read
- October 14, 2008: Deepak
Obhrai, Conservative, won his East Calgary seat at Canadian federal election..
He was a parliamentary secretary in the past government. He may
be appointed minister in this govt. In Calgary East, 67 per cent
of voters chose Deepak Obhrai. He has held on to his seat since
first gaining office as a Reform party candidate in 1997.
- Jan 23, 2006: Deepak
Obhrai ----->Elected
NRI
Deepak Obhrai elected 3RD TIME again
in 2004 as Member of Parliament from the Calgary
NRI press
Deepak Obhrai was first elected as the Member of Parliament
for Calgary East in 1997. He was then re-elected in 2000 and
2004
Deepak Obhrai is a Calgary businessman and a
former City of Calgary employee. He is the owner of a company
formed to explore joint venture opportunities in the overseas
markets. His wife gave up her business in Calgary to help him
in the campaign. Obhrai is a full-time politician who has been
senior critic for international affairs, a cabinet post in the
Conservative Party. He has three children.
The "Punjabi Hindu", as he describes
himself, was born in Tanzania and at 16, his mother packed off
the impressionable youth to India to study at Daly College,
Indore, Madhya Pradesh. But Obhrai lived with his 'masi', or
maternal aunt, and gradually got used to the Indian way of life
in two years.
He worked as a taxi driver and a bus operator,
a labourer before going on to become a Conservative member of
the Canadian parliament from Calgary, Alberta. Obhrai came to
Canada in 1977, faced the trials and tribulations of a new immigrant.
He faced discrimination when he first came to Canada.
He enrolled for an accountant's course and since
then has fought against discrimination. Soon he and his wife
Neena became the owners of three dry-cleaning businesses and
two rental properties. In the 1990s, he became active in community
affairs and entered politics.
Obhrai was a member of the Team Canada Trade
Mission to India in January 1996, as a business delegate. He
is involved with his community and is the past president of
the India-Canada Association, Monterey Community Association
and the Hindu Society of Calgary and Vice-President of the National
Indo/Canadian Council.
Mr. Obhrai accompanied the Governor General
on a State Visit to India and Pakistan (1998) and Africa, including
Tanzania (1999) where he was born. Mr. Obhrai attended a meeting
of African Development Bank directors in Cairo and acted as
an election observer on behalf of the Government of Canada in
Chiappas, Mexico. As International Trade critic, Mr. Obhrai
participated in trade missions to Algeria, Argentina, Chile,
China, India, Mexico, Morocco, Spain, Uruguay and Washington.
He was also a member of the Canadian delegation that attended
World Trade Organization negotiations in Seattle and Doha. Mr.
Obhrai attended the 59th United Nations Commission on Human
Rights (UNCHR), which was recently held in Geneva.
Mr. Obhrai also visited Southeast Asia and South Asia on a Foreign
Affairs Committee tour to study the Canadian relationship with
the Muslim World.
Mr. Obhrai just recently participated in a delegation
with the Minister of International Cooperation for an international
Afghanistan Conference in Berlin on 31 March and 1 April 2004.
They joined more than 60 delegations - including all EU, G8
and NATO states, as well as Afghanistan's neighbours and other
countries with a particular commitment to Afghanistan.
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