Deepak Obhrai (July 5, 1950 – August 2, 2019) was a Canadian politician, representing the riding of Calgary East (until 2015) and Forest Lawn (from 2015) for the Reform Party of Canada and then the Conservative Party of Canada from 1997 until he died in 2019. He previously served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was the first Hindu to become an MP in Canada, and at the time of his death was the longest continuously serving Conservative MP. He ran in the 2017 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election, but was defeated in the first round of voting.

Early life and career

Obhrai was born on July 5, 1950, in Oldeani, Tanganyika, now Tanzania, to a Hindu family. His father died when Obhrai was six, so he was raised by his mother, who worked at a bank. Obhrai went to primary school in Moshi, a town near Mount Kilimanjaro, and went to high school in Arusha before transferring to the prestigious Daly College in Indore, India. He moved to the United Kingdom and trained as an air traffic controller. Disillusioned by the discrimination he faced in Britain, he returned to Tanzania to work. In 1976, Obhrai was on duty at a nearby Tanzanian airport when the Entebbe raid took place in neighbouring Uganda.

Obhrai immigrated to Canada in 1977 with his wife Neena, whom he had married in 1971, and his daughter Priti.

As a result of Gurbax Singh Malhi's defeat in the 2011 election, Obhrai became the longest serving member of parliament who was of South Asian and/or African ancestry. Obhrai penned a letter to the editor to the Calgary Herald and to his supporters saying that: "In my birth country, Tanzania, I would henceforth be referred to by the respectful title of Mzee. In South Asia, I would receive the title of Pradhaan. This means I have now reached the ranks of respected elders."

On September 19, 2013, Obhrai's role as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs was augmented when his role was expanded to include responsibility for international human rights.

In September 2014, Obhrai received the Pride of India Award from the Indo-American Friends Group of Washington, D.C., and the Indo-American Business Chamber in a dinner ceremony held on Capitol Hill for his contributions towards strengthening Canada's political, social, and cultural relations with India and for his role in increasing Indian diaspora participation in pluralistic political activity.

Obhrai was the longest-serving Conservative MP in Canada's 42nd Parliament.

Post-leadership run

Obhrai did not return to the Shadow Cabinet under new Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer.

In December 2017, it was reported that Obhrai was being challenged for the Conservative nomination in Calgary Forest Lawn for the 2019 election by former Calgary-East MLA Moe Amery.

Personal life

Obhrai married his wife Neena in 1971 and immigrated to Canada in 1977 along with their daughter Priti.

Death

Obhrai died of liver cancer on August 2, 2019, in Calgary. He had been diagnosed with the disease just a few weeks earlier. He was the longest-serving Conservative member of Parliament. A memorial service was held in Calgary several weeks after Obhrai's death. Stephen Harper and Andrew Scheer were among those who spoke at the service.

References

  • Deepak Obhrai's Member of Parliament Profile
  • Deepak Obhrai's official website