VANCOUVER — The federal Liberal party acclaimed Vancouver tech entrepreneur Taleeb Noormohamed on Tuesday as its candidate in Vancouver-Granville, a key riding where incumbent Jody Wilson-Raybould, formerly a Liberal, is seeking re-election as an independent.
Running to represent Vancouver-Granville is an opportunity to give back to the country that welcomed his parents, who had fled Idi Amin’s brutal regime in Uganda, Noormohamed said.
“That rise in populism and nationalism had a huge impact on our family and our community,” said the 42-year-old. “Canada has given us everything, and I really want to give back and contribute.”
Noormohamed is the president of home furnishings website Casaza, launched in 2018. Before that, he was a senior executive at various startups. He also worked in the Privy Council Office in Ottawa and as vice-president of strategy and partnerships at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.
As a candidate, he said, he brings a commitment to the community and a background as a problem-solver, team player and collaborator, but one who is not afraid to speak out and fight.
This is Noormohamed’s third foray into elected office. He sought to run as Vision Vancouver’s mayoral candidate in 2018, but dropped out after a heart problem, which he says is no longer an issue.
In 2011, he ran for the federal Liberals in North Vancouver but lost to Conservative Andrew Saxton.
The Liberals won handily in Vancouver-Granville in 2015, with Wilson-Raybould winning close to 44 per cent of the vote.
The former justice minister resigned from cabinet this year after attempts by the senior aides to the prime minister’s office to have Wilson-Raybould stop prosecutions of engineering giant SNC-Lavalin. She was later thrown out of the Liberal caucus.
Zach Segal, who works in public affairs at the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in Vancouver, is the Conservative candidate. Climate activist Yvonne Hanson is running for the NDP. Louise Boutin, a real estate agent, wants to represent the Greens.
Instead of focusing on his opponents, Noormohamed said he wants his campaign to present to voters a vision of Canada that is progressive and hopeful — one that recognizes diversity and multiculturalism as its strengths.
“For me personally, the strategy is to talk to as many people as possible, knock on every door and give people a reason to vote for something.”
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