A Tanzania-born Canadian politician, representing the riding of Calgary Forest Lawn for the Reform Party of Canada and then the Conservative Party of Canada from 1997 until his death in 2019 is named for Deepak Obhrai. Previously, he served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was the first and only Hindu to become an MP in Canada, and at the time of his death was the longest continuously-serving Conservative MP.
Long-time Calgary MP Deepak Obhrai dies after a brief battle with liver cancer
Calgary Forest Lawn Conservative MP Deepak Obhrai has died at the age of 69. His family has issued a statement on his Twitter account saying he passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family. Obhrai had recently been diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer. The statement offering thanks to the doctors and nurses at Calgary’s south health campus for the exceptional care he was given in his final days. Obhrai was first elected in 1997 under the Reform Party banner and was the Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Stephen Harper’s cabinet. Even Ontario Premier Doug Ford expressing his sadness, saying Deepak was a champion of human rights around the world, and his legacy will live on.
Death of Deepak Obhrai
Obhrai died in Calgary on 2nd August 2019 at the age of 69, after a brief battle with liver cancer. He was the longest-serving Conservative member of Parliament.
Early Life of Deepak Obhrai
On 5th July 1950, Deepak Obhrai was born in Oldeani, Tanganyika (now Tanzania). His nationality is Tanzanian and his ethnicity is Mixed. His father died when Obhrai was six, so he was raised by his mother, who worked at a bank. He went to primary school in Moshi, a town near Mount Kilimanjaro, and went to high school in Arusha before transferring to the prestigious Daly College in Indore, India. Later, he moved to the United Kingdom and trained as an air traffic controller. Disillusioned by the discrimination he faced in Britain, he returned to Tanzania to work. His religion was Hindu.
Body Measurements of Deepak Obhrai
Deepak Obhrai was a very fit and fine person with a charming smile on his face attracting a lot of people towards him. His exact height, weight, and other body measurements will be added soon as it has not revealed it.
Career of Deepak Obhrai
- Obhrai was on duty at a nearby Tanzanian airport from the year 1976 when the Entebbe raid took place in neighboring Uganda.
- Later, he immigrated to Canada in 1977 with his wife Neena, whom he had married in 1971, and his daughter Priti.
- With his wife, he established a dry cleaning business that expanded to three stores.
- He became more involved in Calgary community life, serving as the president of the India-Canada Association of Calgary, the Monterey Park Community Association, and the Hindu Society of Calgary in the 1990s.
- He also was the vice-president responsible for Alberta in the National Indo-Canadian Council.
- He lost a race for an alderman position in Calgary City Council in 1993.
- He launched a failed bid for the Progressive Conservative nomination for a provincial byelection in Calgary-McCall in 1995, and for Calgary-Montrose in 1996.
- His successful bid for the Reform Party of Canada nomination in the 1997 federal election was initially obstructed by the local riding association, prompting officials from the office of the party leader, Preston Manning, to intervene.
- In 2000, he won the nomination and the riding and was re-elected when the Reform Party became the Canadian Alliance.
- In 2004, 2006, 2008, 2011, and 2015 he was elected as a member of the Conservative Party of Canada.
- He was also one of four Alliance MPs who agreed to sit with the Progressive Conservative caucus after the December 9, 2003 creation of the merged Conservative Party.
- Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed Obhrai as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2006.
- He was given the additional responsibility of Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation, a role he held until November 2008; he would hold the role again from November 2010 to January 2011.
- He chose not to appear in an all-candidates debate in his riding, citing that his time was better spent talking with constituents in 2011.
- He became the longest-serving member of parliament who was of South Asian and/or African ancestry in 2011.
- His role as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs was augmented when his role was expanded to include responsibility for international human rights on 19th Sept. 2013.
- He was the longest-serving Conservative MP in Canada's 42nd Parliament.
- He ran in the 2017 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election.
- Having received 0.41% of the vote on the first ballot, Obhrai was eliminated after the first round.
- In December 2017, it was reported that Obhrai was being challenged for the Conservative nomination in Calgary Forest Lawn for the 2019 election by former Calgary-East MLA Moe Amery.
Marital Status (Married), Wife, Child
Deepak was a married person to Neena. The couple is also blessed with a daughter named Priti. Before his death, the family was enjoying their life very happily and there was also no sign of disturbances between them.
Net Worth of Deepak
The net worth of this famous political will be surely in million but at present, his net worth and salary is under review but it will be added soon.
