(Photo: Ahmed Hussen on Twitter)
On Tuesday January 10, 2017, Ahmed Hussen was sworn in as Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship in the reshuffled cabinet of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Hussen brings significant personal experience to his newly assumed position as a former refugee himself. Coming from a war-torn Somalia, Hussen arrived in Canada as a 16-year-old refugee in 1993.
“Each of us coming into the public life are informed… by the different experiences they bring to the table… I’m not different in that sense.” Hussen explained to reporters in Ottawa after Tuesday’s ceremony.
For Hussen, the passion to enter and make a difference in Canadian politics was born out of personal experience. Having arrived in Canada on his own, Hussen later moved in with one of his brothers, living in subsidized housing in Toronto. His interest in matters of community advocacy drew Hussen into politics. After co-founding aneighbourhood association that pushed for more public housing in the redevelopment of his community, Hussen later became a prominent voice in the local political scene
From community activist, Hussen would later assume the positions of human rights advocate, lawyer, and, eventually, the national president of the Canadian Somali Congress. In 2015, Hussen further made history as the first Somali-born MP, representing York-South Weston as a member of the Liberal party. In his time in government, Hussen would come to serve on the Justice and Human Rights Committee, as well as the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association.
Owing to the trajectory of his personal and professional life, Hussen’s appointed cabinet position proves particularly significant in the current political climate. In light of the anti-immigration sentiment in the US under president Donald Trump, Hussen assures that Canada will be leading the way in the welcoming of immigrants.
“I am extremely proud of our country’s history as a place of asylum, a place that opens its doors and hearts to new immigrants and refugees, and I’m especially proud today to be the minister in charge of that file,” Hussen told reporters on Tuesday, as he was appointed to his new cabinet role.