Ali Ehsassi

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Honourable

| name = Ali Ehsassi

| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|MP|LLM|size=100%}}

| image = Ali Ehsassi 20170523.jpg

| imagesize = 200px

| office = Minister of Government Transformation, Public Services and Procurement
Receiver General for Canada

| primeminister = Mark Carney

| term_start = March 14, 2025

| term_end = May 13, 2025

| predecessor = Jean-Yves Duclos

| successor = Joël Lightbound

| parliament1 = Canadian

| riding1 = Willowdale

| term_start1 = October 19, 2015

| term_end1 =

| predecessor1 = Chungsen Leung

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|4|24}}

| birth_place = Geneva, Switzerland

| death_date =

| death_place =

| profession = Lawyer, International Law Executive of the Ontario Bar Association

| alma_mater = University of Toronto
Osgoode Hall Law School
Georgetown University
London School of Economics

| party = Liberal

| residence = Lansing,{{cite web|title=Search For Contributions|url=https://www.elections.ca/WPAPPS/WPF/EN/CCS/ContributionReport?returnStatus=1&reportOption=5&queryId=cf1e71de41504453918af9a11566ef4d&sortDirection=asc&sortOrder=0%2C1%2C2&totalRecordFound=77¤t200Page=1&total200Pages=1&reportExists=True&displaySorting=True|publisher=Elections Canada|access-date=2021-06-23}} North York, Toronto, Ontario

| relatives = Abdolhossein Teymourtash (great-grandfather)

| footnotes =

}}

Ali Cyrus Ehsassi {{post-nominals|country=CAN|MP}} ({{langx|fa|علی احساسی}}‎; born April 24, 1970) is a Canadian-Iranian politician who has served as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Willowdale since 2015.{{Cite web|url=http://www.insidetoronto.com/news-story/5967747-willowdale-liberal-ali-ehsassi-unseats-conservative-chungsen-leung-in-willowdale/|title=Willowdale: Liberal Ali Ehsassi unseats Conservative Chungsen Leung in Willowdale|date=20 October 2015}} He was briefly the minister of government transformation, public services and procurement from March 14, 2025, to May 13, 2025.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en/ali-ehsassi(89010)/roles|title=Roles - Hon. Ali Ehsassi|website=Our Commons}}

Biography

Ehsassi was born on April 24, 1970, in Geneva, Switzerland. At the age of three, his family relocated to New York City and by age 15, Ehsassi moved to North York, Ontario, with his family.{{Cite web|url=https://ipolitics.ca/2015/08/27/liberal-candidate-ali-ehsassi-a-life-lived-around-the-world/|title=Liberal candidate Ali Ehsassi: a life lived around the world|first=Selina|last=Chignall|date=2015-08-27|website=iPolitics|language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-14}}{{Better source needed|date=February 2019}}

Ehsassi's extended family has extensive experience in international relations. His maternal great-grandfather was Iranian statesman Abdolhossein Teymourtash, who was the first Minister of Court during the Pahlavi dynasty. Ehsassi's father was also an Iranian diplomat and worked in Iran's embassy in Switzerland when he was born. His family left Iran during the Iranian Revolution.

Education

Ehsassi holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto and a Master's of Science degree from the London School of Economics{{Citation needed|date=February 2019}}. He attended York University Osgoode Hall Law School having obtained his LL.B.{{Citation needed|date=February 2019}} Ehsassi then went on to Georgetown University Law School to pursue a masters of international trade and arbitration law, which he attended concurrently as a global and WTO fellow.{{Citation needed|date=February 2019}}{{Better source needed|date=February 2019}}

Member of Parliament

Ehsassi has served as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Willowdale since 2015. He was one of the first two Canadians of Iranian heritage elected to federal Parliament.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/iranians|title=Iranian Canadians|website=The Canadian Encyclopedia}}

Ehsassi is the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide and other Crimes against Humanity, Co-Chair of the 416 Caucus, is on the Standing Committee for Citizenship and Immigration, and the Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations.

He is also a member of several Parliamentary Associations and Interparliamentary groups such as the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association, Canada-China Legislative Association

Canada-Israel Interparliamentary Group, Canada-United Kingdom Inter-Parliamentary Association, Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group, Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association and the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas.{{Cite web |url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/Parliamentarians/en/members/Ali-Ehsassi(89010)/Work|title=Ali Ehsassi - Work - House of Commons of Canada|website=www.ourcommons.ca|language=en|access-date=2019-02-14}}

He notably opposes the Iranian government and called for a public inquiry into potential Iranian interference in Canadian elections.{{cite web |title=Lawmaker Urges Inquiry Into Iran Meddling In Canada's Politics |url=https://www.iranintl.com/en/202402043304 |website=www.iranintl.com |access-date=15 March 2025 |language=en |date=4 February 2024}}

In the 2025 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, he endorsed Mark Carney.{{Cite web |last=Djuric |first=Mickey |last2=Taylor-Vaisey |first2=Nick |last3=Blanchfield |first3=Mike |date=2025-01-17 |title=Pipeline politics and tariff threats |url=https://www.politico.com/newsletters/ottawa-playbook/2025/01/17/pipeline-politics-and-tariff-threats-00198893 |access-date=2025-01-23 |website=POLITICO |language=en}} He joined Carney's 30th Canadian Ministry as Minister of Government Transformation, Public Services and Procurement in March. After being reelected in the 2025 federal election in April, Elhassi was not chosen to remain in cabinet after the May 13 shuffle.{{Cite news |last=Ballingall |first=Alex |date=May 13, 2025 |title=Arielle Kayabaga and Ali Ehsassi out of cabinet |url=https://www.thestar.com/rolling-file/arielle-kayabaga-and-ali-ehsassi-out-of-cabinet/article_37421a1e-af9f-48cd-a112-797d846bfd27.html |access-date=May 13, 2025 |work=Toronto Star}}

Electoral record

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|2021|percent=yes|change=yes|expenditures=yes}}

{{CANelec|CA|Conservative|Daniel Lee|13,916|33.9|-2.3|$70,040.08}}

{{CANelec/total|Total valid votes/Expense limit|41,104|99.1|–|$108,952.94}}

{{Canadian election result/total|Total rejected ballots|383|0.9}}

{{CANelec/source|Source: Elections Canada{{cite web |title=Election Results: Willowdale – September 20, 2021 Federal Election |url=https://www.elections.ca/res/rep/off/ovr2021app/53/11862e.html |website=Elections Canada |access-date=10 January 2025}}}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|2015|percent=yes|change=yes|expenditures=yes}}

{{CANelec|CA|Conservative|Chungsen Leung|16,990|37.0|-4.7|$135,960.85}}

{{CANelec|CA|Independent|Birinder Singh Ahluwalia|216|0.5|–|$39,117.06}}

{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes/Expense limit|45,953|100.0 | |$207,725.33}}

{{Canadian election result/total|Total rejected ballots|251|0.5|-0.1}}

{{CANelec/source|Source: Elections Canada[http://www.elections.ca/Scripts/vis/candidates?L=e&ED=35115&EV=41&EV_TYPE=1&PC=&PROV=ON&PROVID=35&MAPID=&QID=8&PAGEID=17&TPAGEID=&PD=&STAT_CODE_ID=-1 Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Willowdale, 30 September 2015][http://www.elections.ca/content2.aspx?section=can&dir=cand/canlim&document=index&lang=e Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates]|}}