Shaun Chen (politician)
Canadian politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shaun Chen (simplified Chinese: 陈圣源; traditional Chinese: 陳聖源; born September 18, 1980) is a Canadian politician who served as the member of Parliament for the riding of Scarborough North from 2015 to 2026 as a member of the Liberal Party.
Shaun Chen | |
|---|---|
陳聖源 | |
Chen in 2023 | |
| Member of Parliament for Scarborough North | |
| In office October 19, 2015 – August 15, 2026 | |
| Preceded by | Riding established |
| Succeeded by | TBD |
| Chair of the Toronto District School Board | |
| In office December 1, 2014 – August 4, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Chris Bolton |
| Succeeded by | Robin Pilkey |
| Toronto Public School Trustee for (Ward 21) Scarborough—Rouge River | |
| In office December 1, 2006 – October 28, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Noah Ng |
| Succeeded by | Neethan Shan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 18, 1980 |
| Party | Liberal |
| Education | University of Toronto |
Before entering federal politics, Chen served as a Toronto District School Board trustee representing Ward 21 and as the board's chair.
Early life
Shaun Chen was born September 18, 1980, in Toronto to Hakka Chinese parents from India.[1][2] He was raised in Scarborough, Ontario, and attended Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate Institute.[3] He attended the University of Toronto, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in computer science and equity studies and a Master of Arts in sociology in education.[4]
Political career
Municipal politics
In November 2006, Chen was elected a Toronto District School Board (TDSB) trustee representing Ward 21.[5] He served as vice-chair of the TDSB from 2011 to 2014 before being elected chair in December 2014.[6][7] He resigned as chair in August 2015 and took a leave of absence as trustee to run as a Liberal candidate in the newly established riding of Scarborough North.[8]
Federal politics
Chen was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 2015 federal election, defeating incumbent NDP candidate Rathika Sitsabaiesan in Scarborough North.[9] He was re-elected in the 2019, 2021, and 2025 elections.[10][11][12]
On December 8, 2022, Chen introduced Motion M-63 in the House of Commons, condemning racism and calling for a national review of anti-Asian hate crimes and incidents, which had increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The private member's motion passed unanimously on June 14, 2023.[13]
On August 10, 2026, Chen announced that he would resign from the House of Commons on August 15, citing health concerns related to a concussion he sustained in a car accident in October 2025. Chen said the injuries had prevented him from travelling to Ottawa as frequently as his parliamentary duties required.[14][15]
Following his resignation from the House of Commons, Chen announced his candidacy for city councillor for Ward 23 Scarborough North in the 2026 Toronto municipal election.[15]
Awards and recognition
In 2000, Chen was named one of "100 young Canadians to watch" by Maclean's magazine.[16] He was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal[17] and, in 2024, the King Charles III Coronation Medal.[18]
Electoral record
| 2025 Canadian federal election: Scarborough North | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Shaun Chen | 29,418 | 62.95 | –4.03 | ||||
| Conservative | Gurmit Sandhu | 15,487 | 33.14 | +15.05 | ||||
| New Democratic | Karishma Manji | 1,827 | 3.91 | –7.68 | ||||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 46,732 | |||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 446 | |||||||
| Turnout | 47,178 | 60.02 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 78,591 | |||||||
| Liberal notional hold | Swing | –9.54 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[19][20] | ||||||||
| 2021 Canadian federal election: Scarborough North | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Shaun Chen | 21,178 | 66.6 | +13.0 | $82,302.74 | |||
| Conservative | Fazal Shah | 5,999 | 18.9 | -11.4 | $17,653.09 | |||
| New Democratic | Christina Love | 3,514 | 11.0 | -1.9 | $26.24 | |||
| People's | David Moore | 763 | 2.4 | +1.5 | $18.24 | |||
| Centrist | Sheraz Khan | 361 | 1.1 | N/A | $4,073.67 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 31,815 | 99.0 | – | $103,970.89 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 337 | 1.0 | ||||||
| Turnout | 32,152 | 50.6 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 63,589 | |||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +12.2 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[21] | ||||||||
| 2019 Canadian federal election: Scarborough North | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Shaun Chen | 20,911 | 53.6 | +5.36 | $97,385.61 | |||
| Conservative | David Kong | 11,838 | 30.3 | +2.90 | $29,125.27 | |||
| New Democratic | Yan Chen | 5,039 | 12.9 | -9.17 | $32,079.36 | |||
| Green | Avery Velez | 796 | 2.0 | +0.52 | $0.00 | |||
| People's | Jude Guerrier | 370 | 0.9 | - | $0.00 | |||
| United | Janet Robinson | 83 | 0.2 | - | none listed | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 39,037 | 100.0 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 385 | |||||||
| Turnout | 39,422 | 59.7 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 66,018 | |||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +2.46 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[22][23] | ||||||||
| 2015 Canadian federal election: Scarborough North | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Shaun Chen | 18,904 | 48.24 | +19.37 | $72,471.61 | |||
| Conservative | Ravinder Malhi | 10,737 | 27.40 | -5.98 | $101,170.06 | |||
| New Democratic | Rathika Sitsabaiesan | 8,648 | 22.07 | -13.3 | $135,280.61 | |||
| Green | Eleni MacDonald | 579 | 1.48 | -0.14 | $668.91 | |||
| Independent | Raphael Rosch | 164 | 0.42 | – | $210.83 | |||
| Independent | Aasia Khatoon | 156 | 0.40 | – | $1,724.47 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 39,188 | 100.0 | $199,432.15 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 216 | – | – | |||||
| Turnout | 39,404 | 60.87 | – | |||||
| Eligible voters | 64,827 | |||||||
| Liberal notional gain from New Democratic | Swing | +16.34 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[24][25] | ||||||||