Prior to this, Hussen held the positions of Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development from 2019 to 2021, Minister of Housing, Diversity, and Inclusion from 2021 to 2023, and Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship from 2017 to 2019. He was notable for being the first Somali-Canadian elected to the Commons and the first to take a Cabinet position at the federal level. ^​1​ 

At the age of sixteen, Ahmed Hussen fled to Canada and eventually made his home in Toronto while employed by the Hamilton—Wentworth social services agency. After graduating from York University with a Bachelor of Arts, he worked as an advocate for the locals, helping to secure a $500 million investment by co-founding the Regent Park Community Council. He championed causes significant to Canadians of Somali descent in his capacity as National President of the Canadian Somali Congress. Acknowledged for his advocacy, he became a member of the Toronto task force to update income security for working adults. ^​1​ 

Hussen was a lawyer who was on the boards of Journalists for Human Rights and the Global Enrichment Foundation. He was vice-chair of the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association and a member of the Justice and Human Rights Committee before being elected as the member of parliament for York South—Weston in 2015. He was appointed Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2017. Hussen was re-elected in 2019 and was appointed Minister of Social Development, Families, and Children. He is committed to serving the people of his constituency and all Canadians, both in parliament and elsewhere. ^​1

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Minister Hussen worked with authorities to address important issues pertaining to Canadians of Somali heritage while serving as the National President of the Canadian Somali Congress. He placed a strong emphasis on civic engagement and integration. Acknowledged for his results-oriented methodology, he accepted an invitation from the Toronto City Summit Alliance to become a member of a task force aimed at modernizing income security for adults. ​^2​ 

In 2004, the Toronto Star recognized him as one of ten Toronto residents who were significantly contributing to the community for his advocacy work. Minister Hussen practiced criminal defense, immigration and refugee law, and human rights law after earning a law degree from the University of Ottawa. He supported women’s education in East Africa and the empowerment of journalists in developing nations while serving on the boards of the Global Enrichment Foundation and Journalists for Human Rights. ​^2​ 

A few of Minister Hussen’s varied career highlights include serving on the Government of Canada’s Cross-Cultural Roundtable on Security and serving as Special Assistant for intergovernmental affairs to former Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. ^​2

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Ahmed Hussen has received honors and recognition for his noteworthy contributions over the years. He was honored with the 2017 Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award, which honors the achievements of immigrants who have made Canada their home. ​^3​ 

Find out more:

1. Ahmed Hussen  
2. The Honourable Ahmed Hussen 

3. Ahmed Hussen  

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Ahmed Hussen 

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