Adil Shamji

Last updated

Adil Shamji
MPP
Adil Shamji Main Cropped.jpg
Shamji in 2024
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament
for Don Valley East
Incumbent
Assumed office
June 2, 2022

Adil Shamji MPP is a Canadian physician and politician who has represented Don Valley East in the Ontario Legislative Assembly since 2022, as a member of the Ontario Liberal Party. Before entering politics, Shamji was an emergency physician at Michael Garron Hospital. He was born in Canada to Gujarati immigrant parents from East Africa. [1] Shamji ran as a candidate for the 2023 Ontario Liberal Party leadership election. [2] He withdrew from the race on September 28, 2023 and endorsed Bonnie Crombie. [3]

Contents

Education and medical career

Shamji earned a Bachelor of Medical Science (BMSc) in microbiology and immunology from the University of Western Ontario in 2007, [4] [5] and a Doctor of Medicine (MD) from the University of Toronto in 2011, later specializing in family medicine and emergency medicine. [6]

Beginning in 2013, Shamji worked as a physician with Indigenous populations in rural and remote communities in Northern Ontario, the Northwest Territories and the Canadian Arctic. He carried this work on intermittently for eight years.

In 2017, Shamji completed a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from Oxford University's Blavatnik School of Government. [7]

Shortly after returning to Toronto, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Shamji worked as the medical director of the enhanced shelter support program, [8] which provides medical care to homeless people, establishing primary care clinics in eight hotels leased out by the city as temporary shelters. [7]

Political career

Shamji was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2022 provincial election. [9] He is the Liberal Party's critic for health, northern development, Indigenous affairs, and colleges and universities. [10] As of July 7, 2024, he serves as the Liberal Party critic for Health, Housing, and Northern and Indigenous Issues.

Shamji announced in March 2023 that he was exploring a run for the 2023 Ontario Liberal Party leadership election, [11] and he formally announced his candidacy on July 4. [2] He withdrew from the race on September 28, 2023 and endorsed Bonnie Crombie; Crombie announced that she would adopt parts of his health and education platforms into hers. [3]

Member of Provincial Parliament

Shamji introduced Bill 10, Publication of Mandate Letters Act, 2022, which would require the premier to publish all mandate letters sent out to government ministers and their parliamentary assistants. [12]

Committee work

Shamji serves as a member of the Standing Committee for Social Policy. [13]

In March and April 2023, he debated Bill 60, proposing 45 amendments to the healthcare legislation. [14]

Liberal health critic

In the fall of 2022, Shamji released Ontario Health reports on emergency room system performance to the public on a monthly basis. [15] [16] In a January 2023 article, Radio-Canada wrote the following (translated from French):

“It didn't take long for the new MPP for Don Valley East to get comfortable in Queen's Park. The emergency physician often participated in scrums to bring the Liberal response to the actions of the government. Dr. Shamji's interventions are often relevant, and he rarely falls into partisanship. Again, this fall, the health file has often attracted attention, which has allowed this newcomer to the Liberals alignment to shine. Could the Liberal Party leadership race interest him?” [17]

Shamji tabled Bill 67, Temporary Nursing Agency Licensing and Registration Act, 2023, which proposed the establishment of a licensing body, licensing requirements, and regulations for temporary nursing agencies. [18] The bill came as Ontario deals with a severe shortage of healthcare staff, which in turn leads to increased wait times for hospital care. Shamji told CBC News: [19]

"What I'm proposing with this bill is to take aim at some of the most outrageous, some of the most predatory hiring and recruitment practices that are employed by these temporary, for-profit nursing agencies."

He also introduced Bill 72, Health Professionals’ Week Act, 2023, which seeks to recognize the third week of June each year as Health Professionals’ Week. [20]

Leadership campaign

Shamji announced his candidacy for the leadership of the Liberal Party in May 2023 but withdrew as a candidate in September and endorsed Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie, who went on to win the December 2, 2023 Ontario Liberal Party leadership election. [21] [22]

Personal life

Shamji lives in Toronto with his wife, who is a dentist. Shamji's sister is a healthcare professional as well, a nurse. [1] Shamji was once granted a Polar bear skull by the community of an Indigenous Elder, after resuscitating her and saving her life. [23]

Electoral history

2022 Ontario general election : Don Valley East
PartyCandidateVotes%±%Expenditures
Liberal Adil Shamji 12,31343.86+7.93$62,597
Progressive Conservative Sam Moini9,03832.19−0.90$68,119
New Democratic Mara-Elena Nagy4,35515.51−11.93$62,411
Green Rizwan Khan1,1394.06+1.52$2,544
New Blue Denyse Twagiramariya3231.15 $0
Ontario Party Donald Mcmullen2951.05 $0
Independent Stella Kargiannakis1920.68 $0
Consensus Ontario Dimitre Popov1800.64 $2,049
Freedom Wayne Simmons1560.56+0.19$0
Moderate Svetlozar Aleksiev850.30 $0
Total valid votes/Expense limit28,07699.13+0.05$93,577
Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots2470.87−0.05
Turnout28,32342.37−12.85
Eligible voters66,416
Liberal hold Swing +4.41
Source(s)
  • "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-05-18.
  • "Statistical Summary by Electoral District" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-05-21.

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References

  1. 1 2 "South Asian diaspora are at the forefront of Canada's response to Covid-19". moneycontrol.com. June 20, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Toronto MPP Adil Shamji launches bid to lead Ontario Liberals". CP24. 2023-07-04. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
  3. 1 2 D'Mello, Colin (2023-09-28). "Adil Shamji drops out of Ontario Liberal leadership race, backs Bonnie Crombie". Global News. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  4. ↑ "June". www.schulich.uwo.ca. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
  5. ↑ "Alumni". publish.uwo.ca. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
  6. ↑ "CPSO - Doctor Details". doctors.cpso.on.ca. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
  7. 1 2 "Adil Shamji". www.bsg.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
  8. ↑ "East Toronto COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout | MGH Foundation". www.mghf.ca. Archived from the original on March 29, 2021. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
  9. ↑ "Liberal Adil Shamji wins in Don Valley East". Toronto.com . June 2, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Dr. Adil Shamji". Ontario Liberal Party. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
  11. ↑ "Ontario Liberals rewrite rules for leadership race to give all party members a vote". globeandmail.com . March 5, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Bill 10, Publication of Mandate Letters Act, 2022". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  13. ↑ "About Adil". adilshamji.ca . 2023.
  14. ↑ "Hansard Transcript 2023-Apr-27 vol. A | Legislative Assembly of Ontario". www.ola.org. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  15. ↑ "New Ontario Health report reveals crisis in healthcare system". ontarioliberal.ca . October 12, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Ontario patients waiting too long for ER health-care services, new report finds". torontosun.com . November 9, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Politique provinciale : ces députés ontariens qui ont marqué l'année 2022". ici.radio-canada.ca (in French). January 2, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Bill 67, Temporary Nursing Agency Licensing and Regulation Act, 2023". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  19. ↑ "Ontario Liberal MPP introduces bill to address 'price gouging' by temporary nursing agencies". cbc.ca . February 23, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Health Professionals' Week Act, 2023". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  21. ↑ D'Mello, Colin (28 September 2023). "Adil Shamji drops out of Ontario Liberal leadership race, backs Bonnie Crombie". Global News. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  22. ↑ "Bonnie Crombie wins Ontario Liberal leadership race, says party focused on beating Doug Ford". CBC News. December 2, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  23. ↑ Nanji, Sabrina. "Q+A: From physician to politician to premier". qpobserver.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
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