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The
first Indo-Canadian to make it to the Senate is Mobina Jaffer, 51,
a well-known Vancouver lawyer, appointed by
Prime Minister Jean Chretien on June 13, 2001. The choice
itself is excellent because it also reflects the multicultural
diversity of the South Asian community in Canada. Jaffer is an
Ismaili Muslim.
Out
of the four appointments made, two are women. The appointments of
Ms. Jaffer and Ms. Léger bring to 28 the number of women that the
Prime Minister has named to the Senate since 1993 - the most to be
appointed by any Prime Minister in Canadian history. The number of
women in the Senate has risen from 16 at the time the government
took office to 35 as of these appointments.
Reacting
to the news, Jaffer told a local ethnic paper that the appointment
came as a surprise. She spoke to Chretien on the phone. She said:
“I was shocked and I thanked him for thinking of me. And he said
he wishes me well.”
She
added: “I am very touched that the prime minister would consider
me. I am actually overwhelmed to be able to represent British
Columbians and our community, the first Indo-Canadian on the
Senate, and I am just very touched by this gesture and I hope I
can represent British Columbia well.”
Federal
Fisheries and Oceans Minister Herb Dhaliwal applauded Jaffer’s
appointment. He said: “Her appointment is a matter of great
pride for the South Asian community across Canada as it formally
recognizes the valuable contributions being made by South Asians
to the nation-building effort of our great country. I personally
know Ms. Jaffer as an articulate, consistent and progressive
advocate of many causes that she espouses, like women’s rights,
racial equality, human rights, education and immigration. I am
convinced that in her new role as one of Canada’s senators, she
will continue to play a pivotal and forceful role for the voice of
British Columbians as well as the whole of Canada. Simply put,
there couldn’t have been a better choice.”
Ms.
Jaffer earned an LL.B from London University in London England in
1972. She has also completed the Executive Development Program at
Simon Fraser University.
Since
1978, Ms. Jaffer has been a practising Barrister and Solicitor in
British Columbia with the Honourable Thomas A Dohm, Q.C. in the
firm Dohm, Jaffer &Jeraj. Since 1997, she has been Vice Chair
of the Canadian Membership Committee for the Association of Trial
Lawyers of America. Since 1993, she has been a Member of the Board
of Governors of the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia.
Since 1994, she has been working with the Immigration and Refugee
Board on gender and race issues. In 1994-95, she was a Member of
the Canadian Bar Association Multicultural Committee. From 1992-96
she was Member of the Law Society Multicultural Committee. She was
made a Queen’s Counsel in February of 1998.
Apart
from her professional achievements, Ms. Jaffer has also given
freely of her time to numerous philanthropic and voluntary
associations including serving as: President of the YWCA of Canada;
a Member of the Aga Khan National Conciliation and Arbitration
Board; a Member of Third World Development; Founding President of
Immigrant and Visible Minority Women of British Columbia and Yukon;
a Member of the Canadian Panel on Violence Against Women; and, a
Member of the Hastings Institute.
In
1991, Ms. Jaffer won the Dr. William Black Award of the Vancouver
Multicultural Society. In 1992, she was awarded a Canada 125 Medal
for her work on equality issues. In 1993, she won a YWCA Women of
Distinction Award and the Justice Achievement Award from the Law
Courts Education Society of British Columbia. In 1995, the Trial
Lawyers of British Columbia recognized her outstanding service to
the legal profession. In February of 2001 she won the Influential
Women in Business Award of the Women Entrepreneurs of Canada. |
