Majid Jowhari

Jowhari was elected as the Liberal Party's candidate in Richmond Hill on September 7, 2014 and elected as the Member of Parliament for Richmond Hill in the October 19, 2015 election.[1]

Jowhari is the Founder and Chair of the Parliamentary Mental Health Caucus and holds roles on Parliamentary Committees, Parliamentary Associations, and Interparliamentary Groups. On January 29, 2016, Jowhari was appointed to the Industry, Science and Technology Parliamentary Committee and the Government Operations and Estimates Parliamentary Committee in August 2017. Jowhari is a member of the Canada-China Legislative Association, the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group, and the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association.[7]

In 2018, the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) named Majid Jowhari as a Parliamentary Mental Health Champion.[8] Jowhari received this award due to the fact that he drafted and introduced legislation to change the criminal code to incorporate Mental Health into the pre-sentencing report. In 2016, Jowhari founded and chaired the Liberal Mental Health Caucus, which he later expanded in 2018 by creating the Parliamentary Mental Health Caucus. As the founder and Chair of Parliamentary Mental Health Caucus, Jowhari worked with Parliamentarians across all parties and Senators to create a collaborative team that will bring mental health to the forefront of discussion on the hill.[9][8]

Consistent with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's 2015 federal election promise to establish diplomatic relations with Iran,[10] Jowhari accepted the request to sponsor a Parliamentary E-Petition "E-553 (Iran)" initiated by Bijan Ahmadi which specifically asks the Government of Canada to re-establish diplomatic relations and consular services with Iran, including reopening embassies in both countries. The petition provided historical background information and cited how the 2012 closure impacts Iranian-Canadians nationwide. This petition successfully garnered over 15,781 verified signatures. Conservative Member of Parliament Peter Kent sponsored petition "E-563", which directly opposed Jowhari's but only garnered 607 verified signatures.[11]

An Iranian delegation composed of Members of Parliament and their Secretary of a Development Committee was in Canada to formally meet with officials at the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal. The delegation requested a meeting with Jowhari which took place in his constituency office in Richmond Hill. Jowhari stated over email that the premise of this meeting was an opportunity to listen and discuss as well as express his concerns related to human rights in Iran. “This was an opportunity to listen — as I do with many diverse groups — and to express cautious optimism about the future, including commercial links and facilitating people-to-people ties,” Jowhari said in an email.[12]

Jowhari was re-elected as the Member of Parliament for Richmond Hill in the October 21, 2019 election.[13] He won the tight race with a margin of only 212 votes against Conservative candidate Costas Menegakis.

On March 9th, 2020, Majid tabled a Private Member's Motion that would have August 1st of every year be recognized as 'Emancipation Day' across Canada.[14] Jowhari worked with Nova Scotia Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard on gaining support and momentum for the motion.[15] In an interview with The Globe and Mail on Motion M-36, Jowhari exclaimed that "Canada should also apologize for its history of slavery and consider how it can reconcile it through government initiatives or reparations."[16] In a Facebook Note to his constituents, Majid Jowhari wrote,

As we approach August 1, I want to affirm that our responsibility to confront our history and advocate for greater diversity, inclusion and opportunity does not end with Emancipation Day. While the extraordinary circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic have temporarily changed the course of my Private Member’s Motion, Motion 36, being approved in Parliament, I urge you to continue to prioritize this cause. I will continue to be an advocate for a more inclusive and diverse society in which Emancipation Day and its history are represented and embodied in our schools and institutions. My hope is that you will join me in exploring our nation’s history and take part in your community’s Emancipation Day celebrations safely and remotely.[17]