Sheref Sabawy

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^[4] before immigrating to Canada in 1995.^[5] 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.^[6] Sabawy is a Coptic Christian.^[5] Before being elected to Parliament, he worked as an IT Professor at George Brown College.^[7]

In 2015, Sabawy ran for the Liberal Party of Canada nomination for the federal district of Mississauga—Erin Mills.^[7] Sabawy criticized the federal Conservative Party's views towards immigrants, saying “The Conservatives, as well, accept immigrants, but they want us to work at coffee shops and gas stations, not to become doctors or engineers.”^[5] He promised to oppose the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act.^[5] However he would lose the nomination to future MP Iqra Khalid, winning only 565 votes to Khalid's 943.^[8] 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.^[8]

In 2017, Sabawy sought the Progressive Conservative nomination for the same riding but in the Legislative Assembly. While seeking the nomination, his past association with the federal Liberal Party became controversial. His opponent in the nomination race, former MP Bob Dechert called Sabawy “the very definition of an opportunist" and accused him and his supporters of being ideologically Liberal.^[7] Dechert would drop out of the race due to concerns about the fairness of the nomination process, leaving Sabawy to become the nominee.^[9] 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.^[7]

In the 2018 Ontario general election, Sabawy was elected to the Legislative Assembly, defeating New Democratic candidate Farina Hassan and Liberal candidate Imran Mian. He was reelected in 2022, defeating the same two candidates. He won a third term in 2025, defeating Liberal candidate Qasir Dar by only 20 votes and 0.05% after a judicial recount.