Sarkis Assadourian

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For the Iranian Olympic fencer, see Sarkis Assadourian (fencer).
Sarkis Assadourian
Sarkis Assadourian.jpg
Member of Parliament
for Brampton Centre
(Don Valley North; 1993–1997)
In office
October 25, 1993 – June 28, 2004
Preceded byBarbara Greene
Succeeded byRiding abolished
Personal details
Born (1948-01-25) January 25, 1948 (age 74)
Aleppo, Syria
Political partyLiberal
Spouse(s)Zaza
Children4
ResidenceToronto, Ontario
ProfessionJudge

Sarkis Assadourian (born January 25, 1948) is an Armenian-Canadian politician from the Liberal Party of Canada. He became the first Armenian-Canadian to be elected to the House of Commons,[1] with great support of the Armenian community of Toronto.

Background[]

Assadourian was born in Aleppo, Syria. His family emigrated soon after. He studied painting at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. In 1970 he moved to Toronto where he worked as a property manager. He also worked as a consultant on multiculturalism for both the provincial and federal governments.[2]

Assadourian and his wife Zaza have four children. He remains a supporter of Armenian causes and is an active member of the Richmond Hill Provincial Liberal Association.

Politics[]

In 1988, Assadourian entered politics as the Liberal candidate in the riding of Don Valley North. He won the Liberal nomination over rival Sarmite Bulte.[3] During the campaign debate he said that he wanted, "honest and open government, for a change." The New Democratic Party candidate, Anton Kuerti reminded him that the Tories were elected in 1984 criticising the Liberals on the same issue.[4] Assadourian stated that he was staunchly against abortion which was a hot button issue during the campaign.[2] He lost the election to Conservative candidate Barbara Greene by 604 votes.

In 1993 he ran again and this time won against Greene by 14,054 votes in what was a general rout of the Conservatives in Toronto and nationwide.[5] In 1997, Assadourian moved seats to Brampton Centre.[1] In 2003, he served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. He did not run in the 2004 election.

Assadourian ran in the 2010 Richmond Hill Municipal Elections in Ward 3. He placed fifth out of seven candidates.

After politics[]

He now serves as a Citizenship Judge in Toronto.[6]

Electoral record[]

  • v
  • t
2000 Canadian federal election: Brampton Centre
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Sarkis Assadourian 18,365 50.64 +1.79
Progressive Conservative Beryl Ford 9,229 25.45 +10.70
Alliance Prabhat Kapur 6,247 17.23 –11.16
New Democratic Sue Slean 1,795 4.95 –2.72
Green Andrew K. Roy 628 1.73
Total valid votes 36,264 100.0  
Liberal hold Swing –4.46
  • v
  • t
1997 Canadian federal election: Brampton Centre
Party Candidate Votes %
Liberal Sarkis Assadourian 18,615 48.85
Reform Don Crawford 10,817 28.39
Progressive Conservative Sam Hundal 5,621 14.75
New Democratic Paul Ferreira 2,923 7.67
Marxist–Leninist André Vachon 127 0.33
Total valid votes 38,103 100.0  
  • v
1993 Canadian federal election: Don Valley North
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Sarkis Assadourian 22,504 59.86 +17.93
Progressive Conservative Barbara Greene 7,238 19.25 –24.18
Reform Peter Cobbold 6,068 16.14
New Democratic David Lu 1,395 3.71 –8.11
Natural Law William J. Sparling 319 0.85
Abolitionist Lindsay George King 69 0.18
Total valid votes 37,593 100.0  
Liberal gain from Progressive Conservative Swing +21.06
  • v
1988 Canadian federal election: Don Valley North
Party Candidate Votes %
Progressive Conservative Barbara Greene 17,551 43.43
Liberal Sarkis Assadourian 16,947 41.94
New Democratic Anton Kuerti 4,777 11.82
Independent Bernadette Michael 577 1.43
Libertarian Earl Epsteine 560 1.39
Total valid votes 40,412 100.0  

References[]

  1. ^ a b Sarkis Assadourian – Parliament of Canada biography
  2. ^ a b Picard, Andre (1988-11-18). "Pianist, two painters ply their political art in Don Valley North". The Globe and Mail. p. A3. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  3. ^ Smith, Dan (1988-09-26). "High road pays off for Liberal hopeful". Toronto Star. p. A7. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  4. ^ Lakey, Jack (1988-11-07). "Candidates' meeting saved from snores". Toronto Star. p. A7. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  5. ^ Makin, Kirk; Smith, Vivian (1993-10-26). "Election '93 Liberal powerhouse sweeps in Metro Toronto Tories fail to take single riding as voters paint the town red". The Globe and Mail. p. D5. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  6. ^ "2007–2008 Annual Report, Office of the Senior Citizenship Judge". Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Retrieved 2009-10-06.

External links[]

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