Ahmed Hussen

Early life and education

Hussen was raised in Somalia, where he learned English from a cousin. His father was a long-distance trucker, and he has five older siblings. His family fled Mogadishu in response to the violence of the civil war, with Hussen living in several apartments in Nairobi, Kenya. He first resided in Hamilton and later moved to Toronto in 1993 as a 16 year old refugee, then in 1996 moved to Regent Park.

He completed his secondary school years in Hamilton. Due to a Canadian government policy which delayed granting permanent residency status to Somalis, Hussen had to decline three running scholarships to American universities. For his post-secondary studies, Hussen attended York University, earning a BA in History in 2002. Hussen later received a law degree from the University of Ottawa, and passed the bar exam in September 2012.

He is the father of three children. He is married to Ebyan Farah, another Somali refugee.

Career

Hussen began his career in public service and politics in the fall of 2001. He started out doing volunteer work in Legislative Assembly of Ontario.He was hired the following year as an assistant to Dalton McGuinty, the leader of the province's official opposition. Hussen worked in this capacity until November 2003, when he was promoted to Special Assistant, concurrently with the Liberal Party's election victory. He held this new post for two years, during which he was in charge of issues management, policy and communications.

Hussen later worked with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's Youth Engaged in National Security Issues committee.

He also founded the Regent Park Community Council. The representative body facilitated a $500 million revitalization and redevelopment project in Regent Park, the largest such initiative in the country. During the project's implementation, he was tasked with consulting with and protecting the interests of the area's 15,000 residents.

Hussen currently serves as the National President of the Canadian Somali Congress (CSC). Under his leadership, the CSC partnered with the Canadian International Peace Project and Canadian Jewish Congress to establish the Canadian Somali-Jewish Mentorship Project. It is the first national mentoring and development project between a sizable Muslim community and the Jewish community.

In May 2010, the Canadian Somali Congress and Canadian International Peace Project also partnered with the Global Enrichment Foundation to launch the Somali Women Scholarship Program. Hussen acts as the program's founding Director.

Until 2012, Hussen served as a sitting member of the Stephen Harper government's Cross-Cultural Roundtable on Security. Established in 2005, the panel brought together prominent members from a number of Canada's cultural communities and government officials in order to discuss policy and program issues, and to promote dialogue and strengthen understanding between the national authorities and its electorate.

Before his entry into politics, Hussen practised Criminal Law, Immigration and Refugee Law, and Human Rights Law at his office in Toronto.

In December 2014, he presented himself as a candidate for a Liberal Party of Canada seat in the riding of York South—Weston for the 42nd Canadian federal election. Hussen won the nomination in a field of six aspirants. Including that of the Green Party's John Johnson

Immigration Minister

Hussen is the first Somali-Canadian elected to the House of Commons and subsequently became the first Somali-Canadian to serve in Cabinet. He was appointed Minister of Immigration in Justin Trudeau's 10 January 2017 cabinet reshuffle.

Awards

Hussen has over the years received honours and recognition for his public work. In January 2004, the Toronto Star named him among the 10 individuals who have made significant contributions to Toronto in various fields, including community service, business, sports and science.

Hussen was also presented a Queen's Jubilee medal and the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Authority Award for his efficacious advocacy work in Regent Park.