Canada – Afghanistan
Biography
Maryam is Canada’s Member of Parliament for Peterborough-Kawartha, and the Minister of Democratic Institutions. She arrived in Canada at the age of 11 as a refugee escaping Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. She is the first Afghan-Canadian MP and first Muslim federal minister. At 31, she is also the youngest member of Prime Minister Trudeau’s cabinet. A dedicated community organizer, former mayoral candidate, and co-recipient of the YMCA’s Peace Medallion, Maryam is an advocate for women’s inclusion and human rights.
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“We need to start building relationships, between individuals, between different groups, between the first peoples of this land, between the people and the government. These are the relationships that will be key to us, maintaining the hope and the sense of optimism, but also showing the rest of the world what Canada is capable of. ”
Maryam Monsef