Salma Zahid


Salma Zahid is an English-born Pakistani-Canadian politician, who was elected as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada to represent the federal riding of Scarborough Centre during the 2015 Canadian federal election. She succeeded the Conservative Roxanne James.

Early life and career

Zahid was born in Coventry, England. She holds a master's degree in educational management and administration from the University of London’s Institute of Education, and an MBA from Quaid e Azam University in Pakistan. She is Pakistani Canadian, mother of 2 and has resided in Scarborough since 2000. She is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Zahid was a community organizer and worked for the Government of Ontario in multiple positions before running in the election.

Politics

Zahid was elected in the 2015 Canadian federal election as a Member of Parliament for Scarborough Centre. While in the 42nd Parliament, Zahid had the role of Vice-Chair for the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, where she was a spokesperson for racialized women. Zahid was also a member of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, where she advocated for efficient customer service and family reunification. As a Member of Parliament, Zahid worked to designate the month of June as Filipino Heritage Month, which was unanimously passed by the House of Commons of Canada.
In February 2018, Zahid announced that she was taking medical leave to treat her Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This was used by the Scarborough Centre Conservative Party of Canada Riding Association Vice President to sell memberships via robocall. While recovering from chemotherapy treatment, Zahid wore a hijab for personal reasons, saying that she had grown closer to her Islamic faith while facing cancer. In May 2018, she became the first MP to wear a hijab in the House of Commons. Zahid received both positive and negative reactions to the hijab, and she responded with encouragement for diversity in Canada. In July 2018, after completing six rounds of chemotherapy, Zahid was cancer-free and returned to her job.
Zahid was re-nominated to run in Scarborough Centre for the Liberals in the 2019 Canadian federal election.

2015 Election results