List of Asian-Canadian first ministers

There have been four first ministers of a Canadian government of Asian descent. Of these, all four served premiers of a province or territory; no person of Asian descent has ever served as Prime Minister of Canada. ^[a]

Asian-Canadians have been eligible to become first ministers since they gained the right to vote, beginning in 1947. The four Asian-Canadians who have held this office are Joe Ghiz and Robert Ghiz of Prince Edward Island, Ujjal Dosanjh of British Columbia, and Ranj Pillai of Yukon. Dosanjh and Pillai earned their positions through a party leadership race within their political party while it was in government, while both Joe and Robert Ghiz won the title by defeating an incumbent premier in a general election. No two Asian-Canadian first ministers have ever served concurrently.

Fifteen Asian-Canadians have served as the leader of a political party with representation in the legislature.

First ministers

Four Asian-Canadians have served as first ministers, all at the provincial or territorial level.

	Image	Premier	Province/Territory	Ancestry	Took office	Left office	Duration	Mandates	Party
		Joe Ghiz (1945–1996) [1]	Prince Edward Island	Lebanese	2 May 1986	25 January 1993	6 years, 268 days	1986 Election 1989 Election	Liberal
		Ujjal Dosanjh (b. 1947) [2]	British Columbia	Indian	24 February 2000	5 June 2001	1 year, 101 days	2000 Designation	New Democratic
		Robert Ghiz (b. 1974) [3]	Prince Edward Island	Lebanese	12 June 2007	23 February 2015	7 years, 256 days	2007 Election 2011 Election	Liberal
		Ranj Pillai (b. 1974)	Yukon	Indian	14 January 2023	27 June 2025	2 years, 164 days	2023 Designation	Liberal

Opposition leaders

The following Asian-Canadians have served as leaders of political parties represented in the House of Commons or a provincial legislature. Nine led a provincial party, with two leading a national party. Those Asian-Canadians who served as both opposition leader and first minister at some point in their careers are listed in the above section.

	Image	Leader	Jurisdiction	Ancestry	Took office	Left office	Duration	Party
		Raj Pannu (b. 1934)	Alberta	Indian	8 February 2000	13 July 2004	4 years, 156 days	New Democratic
		Amir Khadir (b. 1961)	Quebec	Iranian	4 February 2006	4 November 2012	6 years, 274 days	Québec solidaire
		Lorraine Michael (b. 1943)	Newfoundland and Labrador	Lebanese	28 May 2006	7 March 2015	8 years, 283 days	New Democratic
		Raj Sherman (b. 1966)	Alberta	Indian	10 September 2011	26 January 2015	3 years, 138 days	Liberal
		Rana Bokhari (b. 1977)	Manitoba	Pakistani	26 October 2013	24 September 2016	2 years, 334 days	Liberal
		Flor Marcelino (b. 1951/1952)	Manitoba	Filipino	30 April 2016	16 September 2017	1 year, 139 days	New Democratic
		Jagmeet Singh (b. 1979)	Canada	Indian	1 October 2017	5 May 2025	7 years, 216 days	New Democratic
		Amita Kuttner (interim, b. 1990)	Canada	Hong Kong	24 November 2021	19 November 2022	360 days	Green
		Zach Churchill [4]	Nova Scotia	Lebanese	9 July 2022	27 October 2024	2 years, 110 days	Liberal
		Naheed Nenshi (b. 1972)	Alberta	Indian	22 June 2024		1 year, 38 days	New Democratic
		Obby Khan (b. 1980)	Manitoba	Pakistani	26 April 2025		95 days	Progressive Conservative

See also

• List of current Canadian first ministers
• List of female first ministers in Canada
• List of visible minority Canadian cabinet ministers
• List of visible minority politicians in Canada
• List of minority governors and lieutenant governors in the United States

Footnotes

1. Justin Trudeau, who served as Prime Minister from 2015 until 2025, has very distant Indonesian ancestry. However, this is a genealogical footnote more than a real cultural or ethnic connection, and Trudeau has not identified himself as a member of a visible minority, nor have other observers.

References

1. "Premiers Gallery: Ghiz, Joe". Biographical Directory of Prince Edward Island. Government of Prince Edward Island . Retrieved June 25, 2013.
2. "Premiers of British Columbia". Art & History Home. Government of BC, The British Columbian Government. Archived from the original on June 4, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
3. "Robert Ghiz". Government of PEI. Prince Edward Island Government, Canadian Government. Archived from the original on July 31, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
4. https://www.coastreporter.net/politics/a-look-at-zach-churchill-leader-of-the-nova-scotia-liberal-party-9717346