Khalil Ramal (born ) is a former

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Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA; ) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly are given royal as ...

from 2003 to 2011. Ramal ran unsuccessfully in the 2015 federal elections, but finished second to Irene Mathyssen of the rival

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

. He ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of

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in 2022, finishing second to Josh Morgan.

Background

Ramal has a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in sociology and a

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degree in social politics from

Lebanese University The Lebanese University (LU; ) is the only state-funded public university in Lebanon. It was established in 1951. The university's main campus was originally located in Beirut, but a few satellite campuses were opened due to travel restriction ...

, and has received further diplomas in accounting and teaching. At the time of the 2003 election, he was pursuing a Ph.D. in social politics. He arrived in Canada in 1989, after leaving war-ravaged Lebanon, and has worked as a teacher, journalist, and as a counsellor with physical and mentally disabled patients at the Oxford Regional Centre in

Woodstock, Ontario Woodstock is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The city has a population of 46,705 according to the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 Canadian census. Woodstock is the seat of Oxford County, Ontario, Oxford County, at the head of the Thames River, On ...

. He also runs a small business, and has served as Vice President of the Orchard Farm Distribution Company.

Politics

Ramal was elected for London—Fanshawe in the 2003 provincial election, defeating

New Democrat New Democrats may refer to: * New Democratic Party, a social democratic party in Canada * New Democrats (United States), the ideological centrist faction of the Democratic Party ** New Democrat Coalition, the related caucus in the United States H ...

Irene Mathyssen and incumbent Progressive Conservative Frank Mazzilli in a close three-way race. On September 27, 2004, Ramal was named

parliamentary assistant In British politics and some Commonwealth nations, a parliamentary assistant is an unelected partisan staff member employed by a Member of Parliament (MP) to assist them with their parliamentary duties. Parliamentary assistants usually work ...

to Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. He was defeated in the 2011 provincial election. Ramal won the federal Liberal nomination for London—Fanshawe in 2015 but came in second to Irene Mathyssen of the rival

by a difference of around 3600 votes. In 2022, Ramal announced that he would run for mayor of London, Ontario during the 2022 London, Ontario municipal election. Ramal was ultimately unsuccessful, losing to Josh Morgan who finished with 65.72% of the vote compared to 22.59% for Ramal.

Electoral record

2022 London, Ontario mayoral election

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramal, Khalil 1960 births Living people Canadian Muslims Lebanese emigrants to Canada Lebanese University alumni Ontario Liberal Party MPPs Politicians from London, Ontario Candidates in the 2015 Canadian federal election Ontario candidates for Member of Parliament Liberal Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons Canadian people of Lebanese descent 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario