Shafiq Qaadri
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Shafiq Qaadri is a family doctor and politician in Ontario, Canada. He is currently a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of Etobicoke North for the Liberal Party.
Dr. Qaadri graduated from Upper Canada College in 1983, and from the University of Toronto Medical School in 1988. During his academic career, he won several scholarships including an English-Speaking Union Essay Prize to Oxford University and a Medical Research Council Scholarship in Clinical Neurosurgery. He was also a Canadian National Debating Champion. For thirteen years, he practised medicine in the west-end of Toronto.
Before entering political life, Qaadri was a highly sought-after figure in the Canadian media for his discussions of medical issues (which he usually presented in a populist manner, intended for non-specialists). He has written numerous articles on medicine for journals such as the Globe and Mail and The Medical Post, as well as writing more academic works intended for physicians. Qaadri has been granted the position of Designated Medical Practitioner by the Government of Canada in recognition of his service.
Qaadri first ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1999 provincial election, but lost to Progressive Conservative John Hastings by about 1500 votes in Etobicoke North. Hastings announced his retirement in 2003, and Qaadri was able to win the riding by nearly 10,000 votes in the election that followed. Qaadri is also the first person of Pakistani origin to become a Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP} in Ontario.
On October 23, 2003, he was named parliamentary assistant to Marie Bountrogianni, in her capacity as Ontario Minister of Children's Services (later renamed Ontario Minister of Children and Youth Services).
In late October 2004, he was forced to apologize after making a sexist remark in the legislature about Ontario New Democratic Party MPP Marilyn Churley. (Qaadri had claimed that Churley's spirited behaviour in questioning a government minister was the result of a hot flash.)
His book The Manhood Chemical, on the subject of andropause (described as the male equivalent of menopause), is scheduled for release in 2006.
