Ausma Malik (born ) is a Canadian politician who serves as the deputy mayor of Toronto representing

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

and

East York East York is a former administrative district and municipality within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. From 1967 to 1998, it was officially the Borough of East York, a semi-autonomous borough within the upper-tier municipality of Metropolitan Toron ...

. Malik was elected to represent

Ward 10 Spadina—Fort York Ward 10 Spadina—Fort York is a municipal electoral division in Toronto, Ontario that has been represented in the Toronto City Council since the 2018 municipal election. It was last contested in 2022, with Ausma Malik elected councillor for ...

Toronto City Council Toronto City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario. Meeting at Toronto City Hall, it comprises 25 city councillors and the mayor of Toronto. The current term began on November 15, 2022. Structure The cur ...

in the 2022 election. She was appointed as statutory (first) deputy mayor in 2023. Malik became the first

hijab In modern usage, hijab ( ar, حجاب, translit=ḥijāb, ) generally refers to headcoverings worn by Muslim women. Many Muslims believe it is obligatory for every female Muslim who has reached the age of puberty to wear a head covering. While ...

-wearing Muslim woman to be elected to public office in Canada when she served as a

Toronto District School Board The Toronto District School Board (TDSB), formerly known as English-language Public District School Board No. 12 prior to 1999, is the English-language public-secular school board for Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The minority public-secular franco ...

trustee from 2014 to 2018, and is also the first Toronto city councillor to wear a

. In August 2023, Mayor

Olivia Chow Olivia Chow (; born March 24, 1957) is a Canadian retired politician who was a federal New Democratic Party (NDP) member of Parliament (MP) representing Trinity—Spadina from 2006 to 2014. Chow ran in the 2014 Toronto mayoral election, placin ...

appointed Malik as one of four deputy mayors of Toronto for the

Toronto City Council 2022–2026 The 2022–2026 Toronto City Council term is the present term of Toronto City Council. It consists of members elected in the 2022 municipal election and 2022 mayoral election held on October 24. The council term began on November 15, 2022. Foll ...

and as statutory deputy mayor.

Early life and career

Ausma Malik was born in to Pakistani immigrant parents as the third of four children and was raised in

Mississauga Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...

, Ontario. In 2013, Malik earned her

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

with honours from St. Michael's College at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

, where she majored in

international studies International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...

and doubled minored in

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

and

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

. At the University of Toronto, Malik participated in student activism. In 2006, Malik attended a protest outside the American consulate in Toronto against civilian deaths caused by the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...

during the

2006 Lebanon War The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel–Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War ( ar, حرب تموز, ''Ḥarb Tammūz'') and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War ( he, מלחמת לבנון השנייה, ''Milhemet Leva ...

. In 2007, she was a member of the

Canadian Federation of Students The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) is the largest student organization in Canada, representing over 530,000 students from across Canada. Formed in 1981, the stated goal of the Federation is to represent the collective voice of Canadian st ...

's Task Force on the Needs of Muslim Students, which published a report based on about failures to properly accommodate Muslim postsecondary students in respect to food choice, prayer space, religious holidays, and racial abuse. Before entering politics herself, she worked on education policy for the

Ontario New Democratic Party The Ontario New Democratic Party (french: link=no, Nouveau Parti démocratique de l'Ontario; abbr. ONDP or NDP) is a social-democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. The party currently forms the Official Opposition in Ontario following th ...

(NDP), as a labour organizer in the

Association of Management, Administrative and Professional Crown Employees of Ontario AMAPCEO, formerly known as the Association of Management, Administrative and Professional Crown Employees of Ontario, is a Canadian trade union representing mid-level public servants in Ontario. It was founded in 1992, recognized as a union by the ...

, and as a staffer at the

Stephen Lewis Foundation The Stephen Lewis Foundation is a non-governmental organization that assists mostly AIDS- and HIV-related grassroots projects in Africa. History The foundation was started by Stephen Lewis, a veteran Canadian politician and former Canadian ambassa ...

Municipal politics

School trustee

In 2014, Malik was elected as a

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

for Ward 10 with 40% of the vote. Her election made her the first

-wearing Muslim woman elected to public office in Canada. During the campaign, Malik was the subject of an anonymous

Islamophobic Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism. The scope and precise definition of the term ''Islamophobia'' ...

campaign which distributed fliers claiming she supported the

Toronto 18 Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

terror plot,

Sharia law Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the Five Pillars of Islam, religious precepts of Islam and is based on the Islamic holy books, sacred scriptures o ...

, and

Hezbollah Hezbollah (; ar, حزب الله ', , also transliterated Hizbullah or Hizballah, among others) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, led by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah since 1992. Hezbollah's parami ...

. During a ward trustee candidates debate, a small group of men interrupted her closing remarks by shouting that she was a "Jew hater" and "Hezbollah terrorist", eventually forcing her to abandon her closing statement and leave through a back door. During the

2018 Toronto municipal election The 2018 Toronto municipal election was held on October 22, 2018, to elect a mayor and city councillors in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Registration for candidates for the office of mayor, councillor, and school board trustee opened on May 1, 20 ...

, Malik registered to run in one of the downtown wards being split from Trinity—Spadina. Incumbent councillor

Joe Cressy Joseph Cressy (born July 10, 1984) is a former Canadian politician and activist who served on the Toronto City Council from 2014 to 2022. Cressy represented Ward 10 Spadina—Fort York, and was the chair of the Toronto Board of Health. He resigne ...

planned to jointly campaign with her while running in the other half of his old ward, but Premier

Doug Ford Douglas Robert Ford Jr. (born November 20, 1964) is a Canadian politician and businessman who has served as the 26th and current premier of Ontario since June 2018 and leader of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party since March 2018. He ...

reduced the number of wards from 47 to 25. This eliminated the ward Malik planned to run in, and she ended her campaign. Malik did not run for re-election as a TDSB trustee and her term ended in 2018. 2014 Toronto mayoral election endorsements for Olivia Chow

2014 Toronto mayoral election endorsements for Olivia Chow

In January 2020, Malik was the

keynote speaker A keynote in public speaking is a talk that establishes a main underlying theme. In corporate or commercial settings, greater importance is attached to the delivery of a keynote speech or keynote address. The keynote establishes the framework fo ...

at the University of Toronto's 2020 Next Steps Conference. In July 2022, Malik went on unpaid leave as a director of social engagement at the

Atkinson Foundation The Atkinson Charitable Foundation is a major Canadian charity established in 1942 by Joseph E. Atkinson (1865–1948). It is a non-governmental, and non-profit organization. History Joseph E. Atkinson (1865–1948) was the founding chair of the A ...

to run for Toronto City Council.

Toronto City Council

Joe Cressy, who was elected to represent the new

in 2018, did not run in the

2022 Toronto municipal election The 2022 Toronto municipal election was held on October 24, 2022, to elect the mayor and 25 city councillors in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In addition, school trustees were elected to the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District ...

. Malik entered the race and was endorsed by the progressive advocacy group Progress Toronto, a registered third party in the municipal election, as well as by a number of NDP members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). On October 24, 2022, Malik was elected to

. She took office on November 15. Malik is the first Toronto city councillor to wear a

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malik, Ausma Living people 1980s births Toronto city councillors Deputy mayors University of Toronto alumni Women municipal councillors in Canada Women in Ontario politics Canadian Muslims Toronto District School Board trustees Canadian people of Pakistani descent