Doreen Assaad – First Egyptian mayor in Brossard, Quebec

CAIRO – 8 November 2017: Doreen Assaad, an Egyptian immigrant to Canada, has been elected as mayor of the Canadian city of Brossard, Quebec after defeating the rival and former head of the city, Mayor Paul Leduc.

The winning female mayor is a mathematician and businesswoman. She was elected with 39 percent of votes as a Brossard Party candidate, reported Canadian media. Assaad is the first woman in 30 years to be appointed mayor in Brossard, Quebec.

According to Assaad, the efficient use of the budget comes at the top of her list of priorities. "It will be really a big challenge. We will have to look at each line and re-evaluate the relevance of the items that are already provided for in the three-year Capital Works Program," Assaad said.

Assaad further added, "We will begin an exercise to consult the citizens and ensure that the budget is according to their will. I’m going to ask a public servant to suggest a way to consult them.”

Assaad has been a resident of Brossard for nearly 15 years, and she is the first Egyptian expatriate who has assumed such a high-ranking post in Canada.

Canada is among the countries that many Egyptians seek to migrate to, alongside the United States and Australia. Asylum in Canada requires entry to the country through a tourism or study visa, or proof of religious or political persecution.

Canadians of Arab origin represent one of the largest non-European ethnic groups in Canada. Almost 350,000 people of Arab origin lives in Canada in 2001, representing 1.2 percent of the total Canadian population.