Lakhani is ‘the kind of person who built this province,’ Kenney says
Province’s first Muslim viceregal takes office
Edmonton community leader and volunteer Salma Lakhani is Alberta’s 19th lieutenant-governor, becoming the first Muslim to hold the office.
Lakhani’s five-year term kicked off during a historic ceremony Wednesday afternoon at the Alberta legislature, but with limited attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Born and raised in Kampala, Uganda, Lakhani came to Edmonton in 1977 with plans to stay for only two years after all Ugandans of Asian origin were expelled from her home country.
But 43 years later, Lakhani and her husband continue to call Alberta home. She became one of the first mentors of Norquest College’s Youth in Transition program and was a founding member of the college’s 1000Women: A Million Possibilities movement.
“My own voluntary efforts, which have largely been at the grassroots over the past many years, have been deeply influenced by my own life journey and my lasting gratitude to those who reached out to me in my own desperate time of need,” Lakhani said in her installation address.
“I have been passionate about women’s health, education relating to human rights and, in particular, making higher learning accessible to newcomers and others who have been marginalized by life’s unpredictable challenges. Helping those in need take that first step up the ladder to better opportunities is one way of making a lasting difference in the lives of so many. It ensures that these individuals become even more productive members of the community and much better able to provide for their entire families going forward.”
During her time in office, Lakhani said education will be a main focus, as it has been throughout her life. She said further education on the rich history of Indigenous communities in Canada is essential.
“The lessons of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, with recommendations published five years ago, remind all of us of the work that still needs to be done,” she said. “In my time in office I look forward to many opportunities to connect with the diversity of people that make us the Alberta that we are today.”
Lakhani has received the Alberta Centennial and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of her services to community and civil society. Norquest College awarded her an honorary diploma in Community Services Leadership in 2019 for her work.
Premier Jason Kenney said Lakhani is the perfect person for the role because she represents many of the qualities deeply rooted in Alberta.
“Her Honour has been a voice for the vulnerable and the dispossessed for justice, for human dignity and for the transformative power of education. She has poured her talents and energy into a tremendous range of community organizations,” he said during the ceremony.
“We have in Her Honour a sterling example of commitment to public service. She is the kind of person who built this province. Generous to a fault, fiercely engaged in the world around them and deeply drawn to change it for the better. We can ask no more of our lieutenant-governor.”
Lakhani takes over the position from Lois Mitchell, who served in the role since June 2015.