Sheref Sabawy

Sheref Sabawy (Arabic: شريف السبعاوي) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2018 provincial election. He represents the riding of Mississauga—Erin Mills as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.

Sabawy is a member of the Standing Committee on General Government. He serves as the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Culture.

Personal life Sabawy was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1965. He acquired a bachelor's degree in engineering from Alexandria University and worked as an engineer "for many years" in Egypt before immigrating to Canada in 1995. In Canada he faced issues with recognition of his degree due to "Canadian experience" requirements. He is married to Mary Sabawy, a doctor, and they have two sons. Sabawy is a Coptic Christian.

Politics In 2015, Sabawy ran for the Liberal Party of Canada nomination for the federal district of Mississauga—Erin Mills. Sabawy blamed his loss on a lack of political involvement and support for the Conservatives within the Coptic Canadian community, suggesting he could've been won if he sought out the Conservative nomination. Afterwards, Sabawy refused to backtrack his past criticisms of the federal Conservatives and support for the federal Liberals. He argued that Patrick Brown represented a new and accepting version of the Progressive Conservatives, comparing him to Justin Trudeau.