Deepak Obhrai—the Conservative MP who condemned colleague Kellie Leitch for xenophobia—dies at age of 69
The longest-serving member of the federal Conservative caucus, Deepak Obhrai, has died after a brief fight with liver cancer.
The Calgary Forest Lawn MP was 69.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer tweeted that he and his wife Jill were heartbroken to learn of Obhrai's death.
"Deepak was a source of warmth, wisdom, kindness and good humour in Canada's conservative movement for decades and will be missed by all his colleagues," he stated.
In many respects Obhrai was a typical Conservative.
He was a strong supporter of pipelines and balanced budgets. Like other Conservatives, he also continued talking up the threat of Khalistani extremism decades after Sikh separatism had petered out in India.
And he fully backed the right-wing Reform Party of Canada platform when he was first elected to Parliament with this party in 1997.
But Obhrai also stood up to his colleagues on occasion when he felt that their xenophobia had gone too far.
For instance, as a candidate in the 2017 Conservative leadership campaign, he called out fellow leadership candidate Kellie Leitch for her Trumpian immigration proposals.
"All successive Canadian governments have encouraged immigrants to come to this country and build it into a prosperous democracy, including her own ancestors," Obhrai said in a written statement. "Canada needs immigrants. Her screening proposal and that immigrants pay for it is a Trump-style policy."
Obhrai was the first Hindu elected to Parliament in Canada and was himself an immigrant, having moved to this country from Tanzania in 1977.
In 2018, Obhrai opposed a motion at his party's annual convention to deny citizenship to people who were born in Canada to parents who are not Canadian and who are not permanent residents of the country.
Below, you can read a statement from the Obhrai family, which has been posted on his Facebook page:
"Last night our beloved and vibrant father passed away peacefully surrounded by his family.
"We are still shocked by his sudden departure.
"We would like to thank all the Doctors and Nurses at the South Health Campus hospital in Calgary for their exceptional care of our father, and of us.
"Furthermore, we want all his friends, constituents of Calgary Forest Lawn, his supporters from all over the world, and all his colleagues to know that their support and love for our Dad continued to inspire him to break every glass ceiling, and overcome every obstacle, so that he could continue doing what he loved the most – standing up for human rights.
"We ask that tributes can be made on Deepak’s Social Media, and ask that during this difficult time they have privacy to reflect on Deepak as a husband, father, and grandfather.
"At this time we ask to please hold all visits, phone calls and messages to us directly. However, please connect with his Calgary and Ottawa office, to leave messages.
"Or please contact Dolly (Umang) Manro for further details.
"Much love,
"the Obhrai family"
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