Alberta's Muslim Lt.-Gov. hopes to unite people
EDMONTON — Salma Lakhani may be the first Muslim and South Asian lieutenant-governor in Canada, but that's not what she wants to be known for.
Alberta's 19th lieutenantsays she wants to use her role as a representative of the Queen to break down divisive barriers. “Alberta has had a lot of f i r s t s ,” the soft-spoken Lakhani, 68, said.
“We had the first lieutenantof Chinese descent i n Alberta, the first Indigenous lieutenant-governor in all of Canada came from Alberta, and the first Muslim mayor for a large city is in Alberta,” she said.
“I'm happy that we are evolving ... and I'm a part of that process (where) we don't have these firsts anymore. To say a `first' is a barrier we have to break down. (Instead, we should say), `She got appointed on her own merit and she happens to be Muslim.' ”
Alberta's legislature is to resume sitting on Tuesday, and Lakhani said she hopes to draw from the adversities she has faced in her life to unite Albertans.
“I want to go out and meet Albertans,” Lakhani said. “I want to listen to their stories, their hopes, their dreams, their aspirations, and I want to learn from them before I actually set down concrete goals.”
Born in Kampala, Uganda, Lakhani had a modest upbringing. It wasn't until she was studying biochemistry in England in 1972 that she found out Ugandans of Asian origin were being expelled from her home country.
In 1977, Lakhani found herself in Edmonton with her husband who was completing his medical residency at the University of Alberta. Since then, they have called the province their home.