Rana Bokhari (born October 23, 1977) was the leader of the
Manitoba Liberal Party
The Manitoba Liberal Party (french: Parti libéral du Manitoba) is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late 19th century, following the province's creation in 1870.
Origins and early development (to 1883)
Origina ...
from 2013 until 2016 in
Manitoba
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, map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada
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, Canada.
Background
Bokhari was born on a farm near Anola, Manitoba. As a student she attended the
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.Robson Hall, focusing on corporate commercial law. Bokhari was active in the Manitoba Law Students Association, serving as President in 2012.
Bokhari moved to Pakistan in 2002, living there with her family until she returned to Winnipeg in 2006. Her childhood home and family chicken farm were lost to a fire in 2012.
Political Career
After long-standing Manitoba Liberal Party leader
Jon Gerrard
Jon Gerrard (born October 13, 1947) is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a Member of Parliament (Canada), Member of Parliament (MP) from 1993 to 1997, and was a secretary of state#Canada, secretary of state in the government of Jean Chr ...
resigned his position in 2013, Bokhari was the first person formally to declare her candidacy. She faced two opponents, Bob Axworthy and
Dougald Lamont
Dougald Lamont (born April 23, 1969) is a Canadian politician and leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party. He is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, representing the constituency of St. Boniface since a by-election held on July 17, 20 ...
. During the party leadership contest, Bokhari was seen as an outsider. Although two of her relatives had stood as Liberal candidates at the previous provincial election, she had not previously had a profile in the provincial party. Despite this, she was endorsed by the Manitoba Senator Maria Chaput, the leading Liberal candidate from the 2011 elections, Paul Hesse and party Vice-President Robert Young. She won a first ballot victory by one vote, with 431 votes.
The victory made Rana Bokhari the youngest person ever to lead the Manitoba Liberals and the first Manitoban of South Asian descent to lead a political party in the province.
She faced internal criticism from party members and former leadership challenger Bob Axworthy, who accused Bokhari of "purging" longtime Manitoba Liberal members as she solidified control of the party. Party membership and fundraising struggled under Bokhari,.
Bokhari committed to making Manitoba the "hub of something" in her year end interview with the Winnipeg Free Press. She explained "I want Manitoba to be the IT capital of this country or the innovation capital of this country."
In 2014 Bokhari endorsed Winnipeg mayoral candidate Brian Bowman in the 2014 Winnipeg Municipal election.
In the
2016 Manitoba general election
The 2016 Manitoba general election was held on April 19, 2016 to elect members to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, Canada. The New Democratic Party of Manitoba, led by Greg Selinger, were defeated by the Progressive Conservative Party of Mani ...
Bokhari finished third in Fort Rouge, behind future Manitoba NDP leader Wab Kinew. On May 7, 2016, Bokhari announced that she would not lead the party into the next election but would remain on as leader until her successor was chosen. She ultimately resigned as leader, effective September 24, 2016, and opened a law practice, Bokhari, Smith and Walker, the same month.
On May 31, 2022, Bokhari announced her intention to run for
Mayor of Winnipeg
The mayor of Winnipeg is a member of Winnipeg City Council, but does not represent a ward.
The position of mayor was created in 1873 following the incorporation of Winnipeg. Since 1998, the term of office has been for four years.
The 44th and cu ...