Canada’s Approach to Immigration, Citizenship, and Refugee Resettlement

Registration for this event is sold out. Walk-ins are welcome to watch a simulcast of the program in the adjacent Forum.  

The Honorable Ahmed D. Hussen is a Member of Parliament and was appointed as Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in January 2017. He oversees all elements of Canada’s immigration, humanitarian resettlement, visa, temporary foreign worker, and citizenship policies. In his presentation, Minister Hussen will discuss Canada’s approach to these policies, as well as Canada’s government priorities.

About the Speaker

The Honorable Ahmed D. Hussen is a Member of Parliament and Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. Born and raised in Somalia, Minister Hussen immigrated to Canada in 1993 and quickly gravitated toward public service. After completing an undergraduate degree in history at York University, he co-founded a neighborhood Community Council and helped secure a $500-million revitalization project for the area. He also served as the National President of the Canadian Somali Congress – a Somali community organization that works with national and regional authorities to advocate on issues of importance to Canadians of Somali heritage and strengthen civic engagement and integration.

Minister Hussen began his career in politics and policy by serving as an assistant to Dalton McGuinty, then a member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament and later Premier of Ontario. Minister Hussen earned his law degree from the University of Ottawa and practiced in the areas of criminal defense, immigration, refugee and human-rights law. In 2015, he was the first Somali-Canadian to be elected to Canada’s parliament, and in January 2017, he was appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship. Minister Hussen is fluent in English, Somali, and Swahili.

Presented in partnership with the Consulate General of Canada in Minneapolis and the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.