# Salma Zahid

Salma Zahid MP (born May 26, 1970) is a Canadian politician, who was elected as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada to represent the federal riding of Scarborough Centre during the 2015 Canadian federal election. She succeeded the Conservative Roxanne James.

## Early life and career

Zahid was born in Coventry. She holds a master's degree in educational management and administration from the University of London’s Institute of Education, and an MBA from Quaid-i-Azam University in Pakistan. She is Pakistani Canadian, mother of 2 and has resided in Scarborough since 2000. She is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Zahid was a community organizer and worked for the Government of Ontario in multiple positions before running in the election.

## Politics

Zahid was elected in the 2015 Canadian federal election as a Member of Parliament for Scarborough Centre (federal electoral district). While in the 42nd Parliament, Zahid had the role of Vice-Chair for the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, where she was a spokesperson for racialized women.
In February 2018, Zahid announced that she was taking medical leave to treat her Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This was used by the Scarborough Centre Conservative Party of Canada Riding Association Vice President to sell memberships via robocall. While recovering from chemotherapy treatment, Zahid wore a hijab for personal reasons, saying that she had grown closer to her Islamic faith while facing cancer. In May 2018, she became the first MP to wear a hijab in the House of Commons. Zahid received some negative reactions to the hijab, to which she responded by highlighting the personal nature of her decision. In July 2018, after completing six rounds of chemotherapy, Zahid was cancer-free and returned to her job.
Zahid was re-nominated to run in Scarborough Centre for the Liberals in the 2019 Canadian federal election.
Zahid received criticism in November 2022 when she attended a 'solidarity' event with a publisher of Holocaust denialism. She has also received criticism for her position on the 2023 Israeli-Hamas conflict, which stepped out of long standing tradition of Canadian and Liberal Party MPs political support for the State of Israel. In January 2024, Zahid called on her colleagues in the House of Commons to support South Africa's application to prosecute Israel for genocide.

## Past election results

2021 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Salma Zahid | 23,128 | 57.6 | +2.3 | $104,544.73 |
| | Conservative | Malcolm Ponnayan | 9,819 | 24.4 | +2.1 | $35,013.30 |
| | New Democratic | Faiz Kamal | 5,479 | 13.6 | +1.9 | $8,952.20 |
| | People's | Petru Rozoveanu | 1,472 | 3.7 | +1.2 | $0.00 |
| | National Citizens Alliance | Aylwin T. Mathew | 263 | 0.7 | N/A | $0.00 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 40,161 | 99.0 | – | $108,279.65 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 425 | 1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,586 | 54.8 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 74,078 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | +0.1 |
| Source: Elections Canada |||||||
vte2019 Canadian federal election: Scarborough Centre :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Salma Zahid | 25,695 | 55.3 | +4.80 | $100,475.79 |
| | Conservative | Irshad Chaudhry | 10,387 | 22.3 | -10.40 | $88,298.94 |
| | New Democratic | Faiz Kamal | 5,452 | 11.7 | +0.10 | $11,622.00 |
| | Independent | John Cannis | 2,524 | 5.4 | | $49,981.60 |
| | Green | Dordana Hakimzadah | 1,336 | 2.9 | +0.80 | none listed |
| | People's | Jeremiah Vijeyaratnam | 1,162 | 2.5 | | none listed |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 46,556 | 100.0 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 638 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,194 | 62.4 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 75,662 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | +7.60 |
| Source: Elections Canada |||||||
vte2015 Canadian federal election: Scarborough Centre :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Salma Zahid | 22,753 | 50.5 | +18.61 | $111,259.09 |
| | Conservative | Roxanne James | 14,705 | 32.7 | -2.18 | $96,481.13 |
| | New Democratic | Alex Wilson | 5,227 | 11.6 | -19.06 | $24,264.68 |
| | Libertarian | Katerina Androutsos | 1,384 | 3.1 | | $1,452.03 |
| | Green | Lindsay Thompson | 960 | 2.1 | -0.47 | $1,627.92 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 45,029 | 100.00 | +22.33 | $203,985.80 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 407 | 0.90 | +0.33 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,436 | 64.36 | +10.02 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 70,594 | | +0.46 |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | Swing | +10.39% |
| Source(s) "Election Night Results (Validated by Returning Officer)". Elections Canada. Retrieved November 2, 2015. "Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates". |||||||