There have been four first ministers of a Canadian government of Asian descent. Of these, all four served premiers of a province or territory; no person of Asian descent has ever served as Prime Minister of Canada.[lower-alpha 1]

Asian-Canadians have been eligible to become first ministers since they gained the right to vote, beginning in 1947. The four Asian-Canadians who have held this office are Joe Ghiz and Robert Ghiz of Prince Edward Island, Ujjal Dosanjh of British Columbia, and Ranj Pillai of Yukon. Dosanjh and Pillai earned their positions through a party leadership race within their political party while it was in government, while Joe and Robert Ghiz won the title by defeating an incumbent premier in a general election. No two Asian-Canadian first ministers have ever served concurrently.

Seven Asian-Canadians have served as the leader of a political party with representation in the legislature.

First ministers

Four Asian-Canadians have served as first ministers, all at the provincial or territorial level.

Image Premier Province/Territory Ancestry Took office Left office Duration Mandates Party
Joe Ghiz
(1945–1996)[1]		 Prince Edward Island Lebanese 2 May 1986 25 January 1993 6 years, 268 days 1986 Election
1989 Election		 Liberal
Premier Dosanjh Ujjal Dosanjh
(b. 1947)[2]		 British Columbia Indian 24 February 2000 5 June 2001 1 year, 101 days 2000 Designation New Democratic
Premier Ghiz Robert Ghiz
(b. 1974)[3]		 Prince Edward Island Lebanese 12 June 2007 23 February 2015 7 years, 256 days 2007 Election
2011 Election		 Liberal
Premier Pillai Ranj Pillai
(b. 1974)		 Yukon Indian 14 January 2023 present 349 days 2023 designation Liberal

Leaders of opposition parties

The following Asian-Canadians have served as leaders of political parties represented in the House of Commons or a provincial legislature. All eight served at the provincial level, with one going on to lead a national party. Those Asian-Canadians who served as both opposition leader and first minister at some point in their careers are listed in the above section.

Image Leader Jurisdiction Ancestry Took office Left office Duration Party
Leader Pannu Raj Pannu
(b. 1934)		 Alberta Indian 8 February 2000 13 July 2004 4 years, 156 days New Democratic
Leader Khadir Amir Khadir
(b. 1961)		 Quebec Iranian 4 February 2006 4 November 2012 6 years, 274 days Québec solidaire
Leader Michael Lorraine Michael
(b. 1943)		 Newfoundland and Labrador Lebanese 28 May 2006 7 March 2015 8 years, 283 days New Democratic
Leader Sherman Raj Sherman
(b. 1966)		 Alberta Indian 10 September 2011 26 January 2015 3 years, 138 days Liberal
Leader Bokhari Rana Bokhari
(b. 1977)		 Manitoba Pakistani 26 October 2013 24 September 2016 2 years, 334 days Liberal
Leader Marcelino Flor Marcelino
(b. 1951/1952)		 Manitoba Filipino 30 April 2016 16 September 2017 1 year, 139 days New Democratic
Jagmeet Singh
(b. 1979)		 Canada Indian 1 October 2017 Incumbent 6 years, 89 days New Democratic

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has very distant Indonesian ancestry. However, this is more of a genealogical footnote than a real cultural or ethnic connection, and Trudeau is not identified by himself or the public as a member of a visible minority.

References

  1. ↑ "Premiers Gallery: Ghiz, Joe". Biographical Directory of Prince Edward Island. Government of Prince Edward Island. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Premiers of British Columbia". Art & History Home. Government of BC, The British Columbian Government. Archived from the original on June 4, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Robert Ghiz". Government of PEI. Prince Edward Island Government, Canadian Government. Archived from the original on July 31, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
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