Ahmed Hussen, a Somali-born Member of Parliament who came to Canada as a refugee at the age of 16, has been appointed as the new Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). He takes over from John McCallum, who had served in the role since the Liberal Party took office in November 2015.
New Minister Appointment
On 10 January 2017, Hussen was appointed Minister of Immigration as part of a cabinet shuffle by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The nomination makes Hussen the first Somali-Canadian to serve in the government cabinet.
Background
Prior to being elected, Hussen worked as a lawyer, practicing criminal defence, immigration and refugee law. He earned a BA in History at York University in 2002 before pursuing a law degree at the University of Ottawa, successfully completing his bar exam in 2012.
